This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes an update on actions taken by the Governor last week on legislation of interest to counties, conveys an announcement about Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) recipients, shares a new ISACo educational resource that instructs about public officer's ethical considerations, highlights an Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) virtual local government workshop, provides a link for county officials and staff to register for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference being held from July 21-24 in Colorado, announces an upcoming NACo webinar opportunity, spotlights ISACo corporate partner Burke Warren and invites counties to join ISACo. 

Governor Bill Action

The General Assembly has 30 days to transmit a bill approved by both chambers to the Governor. The Governor has 60 days from that point to review and act on the legislation. The following ISACo tracked bills were signed into law by the Governor last week. Some of the public act numbers were not available and will be added later. 

HB 4818 - PFAS Incineration Ban (P.A. 102-1048) (No Position)

HB 4481 - Expressway Cameras (P.A. 102-1043) (No Position) 

HB 4209 - Police Pension Service Transfer - IMRF (P.A. 102-XXXX) (No Position) 

HB 4326 - School Facility Occupation Tax Revenue (P.A. 102-XXXX) (No Position)

HB 4489 - GATA Exemption - Local Governments (P.A. 102-XXXX) (Support)

SB 1633 - Nursing Home - Resident Rights (P.A. 102-1080) (No Position)

SB 3120 - Family Bereavement Act (P.A. 102-1050) (No Position)

HB 3205 - Fair Food and Retail Delivery Act (P.A. 102-XXXX) (No Position)

SB 3613 - Hydrogen Economy Task Force (P.A. 102-1086) (No Position)

SB 3789 - Decennial Committees on Local Government Efficiency Act (P.A. 102-1088) (No Position)

ISACo's "Bills of Interest to Counties Approved by Both Chambers in 2022" report is available via this link. County officials and staff are urged to review this report.  

Community Development Block Grant Recipients

On Thursday, June 9, 2022, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the recipients for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Public Infrastructure and Housing Rehabilitation. A total of $23.5 million will be awarded for 45 projects, which will support housing rehabilitation projects and enable communities in non-metropolitan areas to make critical repairs to water, sewer and drainage infrastructure to enhance safety and quality of life for residents.

Additional information is available via this link.

Training Video - Public Officer's Ethical Considerations

ISACo partnered with the law firm of Mahoney, Silverman and Cross, LLC to develop this training video that informs local officials about their obligations and responsibilities under the Public Officer Prohibited Activity Act, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Open Meetings Act (OMA), the Gift Ban Act and the statute pertaining to incompatibility of officers. Click on the image below to view the video, which lasts approximately one hour.

IDOR Virtual Local Government Workshop
 
The Local Tax Allocation Division (LTAD) of the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) will hold its annual Local Government Workshop virtually on June 15, 2022, from 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. This year’s workshop will focus on correspondence sent by IDOR and how local government officials should respond, reports that LTAD makes available and how local officials can access them and information that is available on IDOR’s website to assist local officials. Additional information is available via this link.
 
To register, please email IDOR at REV.LocalTax@illinois.gov with your name, title, email address and phone number.

Registration for NACo Annual Conference

The 2022 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference will be held in Adams County. Colorado from July 21-24. Participants from counties of all sizes come together to shape NACo's federal policy agenda, share proven practices and strengthen knowledge networks to help improve residents’ lives and the efficiency of county government. ISACo and the United Counties Council of Illinois (UCCI) will co-host a dinner for Illinois attendees. Information about this event will be forthcoming. Registration and information about housing is available via this link.

Upcoming NACo Webinar

NACo has announced the following upcoming webinar opportunity. ISACo is a proud partner with NACo and encourages counties to participate in NACo membership and activities. 

Food Security as a Driver of Economic Mobility: Strategies for Local Governments

(Thursday, June 16, 2022, 1:00-2:00pm CDT)

While a wide range of factors contributes to an individual’s economic mobility or movement up and down the economic ladder, the ties between food insecurity and economic inequality are demonstrated. Individuals who experience a lack of food security face mental and physical health consequences that can directly impact their employment status, use of the health care system, and other factors that impact upward mobility. Cities and counties are working to improve the food security of residents by integrating local efforts across jurisdictions and working with key community partners to enhance food production, transportation, and distribution. In partnership with National League of Cities, this webinar will feature an expert overview of the state of food insecurity in the United States as well as example solutions from both cities and counties.

Click on this link to register for this event.

Corporate Partner Spotlight

This week's corporate partner spotlight highlights ISACo's partnership with Burke Warren, a full-service law firm with expertise where law, business, and government intersect including:

• Public Finance: Burke Warren acts as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, issuer’s counsel, bank counsel, special pension disclosure counsel and borrower’s counsel in public finance transactions for State, County and Municipal governmental units.
• Government Representation: Burke Warren’s broad experience includes general counsel representation, eminent domain litigation, environmental contamination, land use entitlements and development incentives, real estate transactions and employment disputes.

Learn more about Burke Warren and firm partners Ray Fricke, Matt Norton, and Karen Mack by clicking on the links.

Click on this link to learn more about the benefits and opportunities available through ISACo's Corporate Partner Program.

Become an ISACo Member!