ISACo News and Views Newsletter for July 29, 2019

July 29, 2019

ISACo News and Views

This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views newsletter includes an update on bills enacted into law by the Governor, links to Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) video tutorials about the MyLocalTax program, recognizes Will County Board Speaker Denise Winfrey's appoint to the National Association of Counties (NACo) Board of Directors, announces a White House County Day for newly-elected Illinois county officials, provides information about new prevailing wage rates by county and invites counties to join ISACo.

2019 Spring Session Resources

ISACo's summary of the major legislative issues addressed during the 2019 Spring legislative session is available via this link.

ISACo's Bills of Interest to Counties Approved by the General Assembly - 2019 report is available via this link . (Updated)

Please visit our website (www.isacoil.org) for additional resources and information.

Governor Bill Actions

Last week, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed several bills into law. Some of these new laws affect or are of interest to counties. The new laws are listed below.

HB 836 (P.A. 101-0120) - Short-term Guardians

The new law ( available via this link ) ensures that children are able to have short-term guardians if their parent is detained or deported by United State Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Effective immediately.

HB 1553 (P.A. 101-0121) - Undocumented Youth Visas

The new law ( available via this link ) better enables undocumented youth to obtain visas by aligning state laws with existing federal laws. It authorizes adoption, family, juvenile and probate courts to proceed with and grant a petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a visa specific to undocumented children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Effective January 1, 2020.

HB 2209 (P.A. 101-0134) - TIF Information on Property Tax Bills

The new law ( available via this link ) requires property tax bills to include a list of each Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in which the property is located and the dollar amount of tax allocated to each TIF district. Effective immediately.

HB 2489 (P.A. 101-0140) - Title Transfer Information to County Collector

The new law ( available via this link ) requires the Secretary of State to provide each county collector a quarterly report of the transfer of title of mobile homes. Effective immediately.

HB 2601 (P.A. 101-0142) - Conservation Easements

The new law ( available via this link ) changes the conservation easement law to allow amendments or modifications through written instrument and outlines requirements and gives local governments the authority to grant a conservation right. Effective immediately.

HB 2650 (P.A. 101-0143) - IEPA Water Management Grants

The new law ( available via this link ) requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to prioritize part of its capitalization grant for federally authorized set-aside activities for supporting disadvantaged communities and utilities throughout Illinois in building their capacity for sustainable and equitable water management. Effective January 1, 2020.

HB 2941 (P.A. 101-0115) - Inmate Information Exchange

The new law ( available via this link ) i mproves inmate information exchange between the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDoC), the Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDC) and sheriff's offices in every other county. Effective immediately.

HB 3143 (P.A. 101-0150) - County Assessor Transition

The new law ( available via this link ) codifies the process for which all counties other than Cook County can transition between an elected or appointed position of county assessor or county supervisors of assessments. Effective immediately.

HB 3446 (P.A. 101-0151) IMRF Disability Benefit Qualifications

The new law ( available via this link ) allows a disabled Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) employee to qualify for disability benefits if they have allowable interruption in service with a different employer. Effective immediately.

HB 3468 (P.A. 101-0116) - Closed Caption Resources

The new law ( available via this link ) i ncreases access to closed captioning resources in health care facilities. Effective January 1, 2020.

HB 3487 (P.A. 101-0117) - Health Insurance Enrollment

The new law ( available via this link ) promotes tools to enroll in health insurance through the Illinois health insurance marketplace in hospital emergency rooms. Effective January 1, 2020.

SB 109 (P.A. 101-0160) - Monitoring Rooms in Long-Term Care Facilities

The new law ( available via this link ) authorizes long-term care residential facilities to allow home monitoring in rooms or buildings where only dementia patients reside. Effective immediately.

SB 447 (P.A. 101-0118) - Health Care Providers in Underserved Areas

The new law ( available via this link ) e xpands grant program to attract health care professionals in underserved areas. Effective immediately.

SB 556 (P.A. 101-0165) - All-Gender Bathroom Labeling

The new law ( available via this link ) provides that every single-occupancy bathroom in a public building will be labeled as all-gender. Effective immediately.

IDOR Provides MyLocal Tax Training Videos for Local Governments

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is providing training materials that can be used to help local government officials better understand the services offered by the Local Tax Allocation Division and how to take advantage of them.

MyLocalTax is a new online portal for local government officials that provides a centralized location for access to IDOR information. Services available in MyLocalTax include the ability to verify tax locations, view and print prior correspondence, request and receive reports, submit inquiries and request updates to local government accounts.

A serious of topical videos are available via this link.

Denise Winfrey Appointed to NACo Board of Directors

ISACo congratulates Will County Board Speaker and ISACo Board Member Denise Winfrey on her appointment to the NACo Board of Directors as an at-large member.

The appointment gives Illinois four county officials on the NACo Board of Directors. Other Illinois county officials on the NACo Board are Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, Washington County Board Chairman David Meyer and Lake County Board Member Angelo Kyle.

Speaker Winfrey was first elected to the Will County Board of Directors in 2009 and was elected as the first female Will County Board Speaker in 2018.

White House County Day

Newly-elected Illinois county officials are invited to attend a White House County Day scheduled for Tuesday, August 20, 2019, in Washington, DC. The event will offer opportunities to interact with, and receive briefings from, White House officials on federal issues important to counties.

ISACo staff will be participating in the event and available to assist Illinois attendees. If you are interesting in attending the event and desire additional information, please contact Executive Director Joe McCoy at jmccoy@isacoil.org or at 217/679-3368.

IDOL Prevailing Wage Rates

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) published the prevailing wage rates applicable for public works projects performed in each county on and after July 15, 2019.

The rates by county are available via this link.

The Key to ISACo's Success is YOU!

Is your county a member of ISACo? If not, why not?

ISACo is a statewide association whose mission is to empower county officials to provide excellent service to their residents.

ISACo member counties are comprised of forward-thinking public servants who recognize that the challenges confronting county governments require new and innovative ideas, collaborative solutions and collective advocacy at the state and federal levels of government.

Members of the association will benefit from education and training opportunities, peer-to-peer networking, shared resources and robust representation before policymakers at various levels of government. ISACo creates and connects county officials to these opportunities and successfully equips them to make counties ideal places to live, work and play.

If your county is interested in discussing membership in ISACo, please contact Executive Director Joe McCoy at (217) 679-3368 or jmccoy@isacoil.org. Thank you for your consideration.

News and Views is a service provided by ISACo for county officials and staff. Please feel welcome to share with interested parties. You can contact ISACo Executive Director Joe McCoy at jmccoy@isacoil.org or (217) 679-3368 if we can be of service. Thank you for your support of ISACo.