March 8, 2019
ISACo News and Views
This Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) weekly News and Views newsletter spotlights introduced legislation, discusses ISACo's presence at the NACo Legislative Conference, recognizes Washington County Board Chairman and ISACo Board Member David Meyer for his appointment to the NACo Board of Directors, highlights legislation of interest that advanced during the past week, includes news stories of interest to counties, invites county officials to an ISACo Open House , includes links to ISACo's social media platforms, looks at key upcoming dates on the legislative calendar and invites counties to join ISACo. Please visit our website (www.isacoil.org) for additional resources and information.
Legislative Spotlight
ISACo maintains an updated list of legislation of interest to counties. This list is organized by category and available within the legislative section of our website (linked here) .

In addition to this service, ISACo will frequently highlight bills of interest in the "Legislative Spotlight" section of our weekly newsletter. This week's highlighted bills are below:

House Bill 2283 (Representative Morrison, R-Palatine)
House Bill 2283 (available via this link) would amend the Open Meetings Act to require a unit of local government or school district with an operating budget of $1 million or more to maintain an Internet website and post to that website, for the current calendar or fiscal year, the following information: (1) information about elected and appointed officials; (2) notice of and materials prepared for meetings; (3) procedures for requesting information from the unit of local government or school district; (4) annual budget; (5) ordinances; (6) procedures to apply for building permits and zoning variances; (7) financial reports and audits; (8) information concerning employee compensation; (9) contracts with lobbying firms; (10) taxes and fees imposed by the unit of local government or school district; (11) rules governing the award of contracts; (12) bids and contracts worth $25,000 or more; (13) a debt disclosure report; and (14) public notices. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides for a statutory exemption for any electronic copy of a record or information maintained on specified websites. ISACo OPPOSES THIS UNFUNDED MANDATE.

House Bill 2780 (Representative Chesney, R-Freeport)
House Bill 2780 (available via this link) would amend the Counties Code to provide that a county board that imposes a non-home rule hotel tax may, by ordinance, impose up to a 1% additional hotel tax in the county, except not in municipalities that already impose a hotel tax. Prohibits taxes from being imposed on gross rental receipts of permanent residents of a hotel, motel, or resort. Provides that the additional hotel tax shall be used by the county for the costs associated with providing infrastructure, police protection, and emergency services in support of tourism and conventions within the county.  ISACo SUPPORTS

Senate Bill 1581 (Senator Curran, R-Woodridge)
Senate Bill 1581 (available via this link) would amend the Counties Code to provide that the special county retailers' occupation tax for public safety, public facilities, mental health, substance abuse, or transportation may additionally be imposed for senior citizen programs and social services in the county. ISACo SUPPORTS

Senate Bill 1912 (Senator Hastings, D-Tinley Park)
Senate Bill 1912 (available via this link) would amend the Architectural, Engineering, and Land Surveying Qualifications Based Selection Act. In a Section concerning small contracts under the Act, provides that specified provisions do not apply to architectural, engineering, and land surveying contracts with an estimated basic professional services fee of less than $100,000 (currently, $25,000). ISACo SUPPORTS

Senate Bill 1114 (Senator Bush, D-Grayslake)
Senate Bill 1114 (available via this link) would amend the Counties Code to provide that if a county finds that an imminent hazard to the public health or safety exists arising from an unfit condition which requires immediate action to protect the public health or safety, it may bring an action, without bond, for immediate injunctive relief, including causing the removal of unhealthy or unsafe accumulations or concentrations of the following: garbage; organic materials in an active state of decomposition, including, but not limited to, carcasses, food waste, or other spoiled or rotting materials; human or animal waste; debris; or other hazardous, noxious, or unhealthy substances or materials from a structure or property. Provides that a county may file a notice of lien for the cost and expense of actions taken. ISACo SUPPORTS
ISACo Well-Represented at NACo Legislative Conference

Dozens of Illinois county officials and staff members attended the 2019 National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference in Washington, DC from March 2-6.

ISACo had a strong presence at the conference that included hosting a breakfast for Illinois attendees. Conference participants whose schedules allowed them to attend the breakfast heard a report about ISACo activities from President Deborah Sims (Cook), Vice President James Healy (DuPage) and Executive Director Joe McCoy.

NACo Executive Director Matt Chase provided an update on federal issues and the three candidates vying to become Second Vice President of NACo pitched their messages to members of the Illinois delegation during the breakfast.

Illinois' increased activity at the conference was noticed by NACo staff and Illinois attendees. ISACo is committed to continue to grow Illinois' presence at NACo events and get more Illinois county officials involved in NACo.

Pictures from the NACo Legislative Conference are available on ISACo's Facebook page (available via this link) .

NACo has very helpfully organized subject-matter information covered at the conference into various convenient reports and toolkits for review by county officials and other interested parties. The NACo resource page is available via this link.
Washington County Board Chair David Meyer Joins NACo Board of Directors

Washington County Board Chairman David Meyer was welcomed as Illinois' newest member on the NACo Board of Directors. Chairman Meyer was appointed to the position by the ISACo Board of Directors.

Illinois' other representative on the NACo Board of Directors is Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle.

Maintaining active participation on NACo's Board of Directors is critical for Illinois because NACo Board members have considerable influence over NACo's federal advocacy program and other policy and programming decisions affecting counties.
Legislation Approved by Senate

The following ISACo-tracked bill was approved by the Senate during the week of March 4-8.

County Recorder - Expired Liens (Senator Castro, D-Elgin)
Senate Bill 62 (available via this link) would amend the Recorder Division of the Counties Code to modify how a county recorder determines if a lien is an expired lien under a county's demand and referral program by providing that a lien is expired if a suit to enforce the lien has not been commenced or a counterclaim has not been filed by the lienholder within 2 years after the completion date of the contract as specified in the recorded mechanics lien. Provides that the 2-year period shall be increased to the extent that an automatic stay under specified provisions of the United States Bankruptcy Code stays a suit or counterclaim to foreclose the lien or, if a work completion date is not specified in the recorded lien, then the work completion date is the date of recording of the mechanics lien.  The bill was approved by the Senate and will next be considered in the House.
Noteworthy Committee Action

The following bills of interest were approved by House and Senate committees during the week of March 4-8.

Serving in Simultaneous Offices (Representative Hoffman, D-Belleville)
House Bill 1443 (available via this link) would amend the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act to provide that a county board member in a county of less than 300,000 residents may also hold the office of a park district commissioner. The bill was approved by the House Counties and Townships Committee on Thursday, March 7 and is presently on the House Floor.

Juvenile Court - Neglected Minor (Representative Sosnowski, R-Rockford)
House Bill 2334 (available via this link) would amend the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 to provide that a neglected minor includes any minor under the age of 12 (rather than 14) years whose parent or other person responsible for the minor's welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that minor. The bill was approved by the House Judiciary-Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday, March 5 and is presently on the House Floor.

Hospitals - Credentialing and Female Deaths (Representative Flowers, D-Chicago)
House Bill 2431 (available via this link) would amend the University of Illinois Hospital Act and the Hospital Licensing Act to mandate that hospitals require an intern, resident, or physician who provides medical services at the hospital to have proper credentials and any required certificates for ongoing training at the time the intern, resident, or physician renews his or her license. Amends the Hospital Report Card Act. Requires hospitals to include in their quarterly reports the number of female patients who have died within the reporting period, the number of female patients who have died of a preventable cause within the reporting period and the number of those preventable deaths that the hospital has otherwise reported within the reporting period, and the number of physicians who were required by the hospital to undergo any amount or type of retraining during the reporting period. The bill was approved by the House Health Care Availability and Access Committee on Tuesday, March 5 and is presently on the House Floor.

Compensation Paid to IMRF Pensioners (Representative Didech, D-Buffalo Grove)
House Bill 2729 (available via this link) would amend the Counties Code to provide that a member of the Lake County Board shall not receive a salary or other compensation from Lake County if they are receiving benefits from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Provides that if a member of the Lake County Board is receiving benefits from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund on the effective date of the amendatory Act, the member's salary and compensation shall be reduced to zero at the beginning of the member's next term. The bill was approved by the House Counties and Townships Committee on Thursday, March 7 and will next be considered on the House Floor.

Juvenile Court - Service of Summons (Representative Morgan, D-Highwood)
House Bill 2934 (available via this link) would amend the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 to provide that service of a summons and petition shall be made by leaving a copy at his or her usual place of abode with a person residing there. The bill was approved by the House Judiciary-Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday, March 5 and is presently on the House Floor.

Zoning of Wind Farms (Representative Williams, D-Chicago)
House Bill 2988 (available via this link) amends the Counties Code. In provisions concerning winds farms and electric-generating wind devices, makes the provisions applicable even if a county has not formed a zoning commission and adopted formal zoning. Clarifies that only a county may establish standards for wind farms, electric-generating wind devices, and commercial wind energy facilities in unincorporated areas of the county outside of the zoning jurisdiction of a municipality and the 1.5 mile radius outside the zoning jurisdiction of a municipality. The bill was approved by the House Counties and Townships Committee on Thursday, March 7. ISACo SUPPORTS

Veteran's Preference Promotion (Senator Anderson, R-Moline)
Senate Bill 40 (available via this link) would amend the Fire Department Promotion Act, the Counties Code, and the Illinois Municipal Code to remove restrictions on the availability to receive a veteran's preference promotion if the person has already received a promotion from based on a veteran's preference. The bill was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor.

Expanded Open Meetings Act Exemptions (Senator Bush, D-Grayslake)
Senate Bill 196 (available via this link) would amend the Open Meetings Act to provide that a public body may hold a closed meeting to consider the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific independent contractors, or specific volunteers (currently, only specific employees) of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee, independent contractor, or volunteer of the public body or against legal counsel for the public body to determine its validity.  The bill was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee on Tuesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor. ISACo SUPPORTS

Plastic Bag Tax (Senator Link, D-Gurnee)
Senate Bill 1240 (available via this link) would create the Checkout Bag Tax Act to impose a tax of $0.07 on each checkout bag used by a customer at a retail establishment in the State. Proceeds from the tax shall be distributed as follows: (1) the retailer shall retain $0.02 per bag; (2) the wholesaler shall retain $0.02 per bag; and (3) $0.03 per bag shall be deposited into the Checkout Bag Tax Fund. Amends the State Finance Act to create the Checkout Bag Tax Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be remitted to counties and municipal joint action agencies. Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code to preempt certain actions by counties and municipalities concerning auxiliary containers or checkout bags. The bill was approved by the Senate Revenue Committee on Wednesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor.

Administrative Adjudication - Adult Use (Senator Curran, R-Woodridge)
Senate Bill 1580 (available via this link) would amend the Counties Code to provide that a county may adopt an ordinance with reasonable regulations concerning the operation of any business that involves exposure of specified anatomical areas or performance of specified sexual activities by a person within the business' premises or that offers or provides sexually-oriented entertainment services or activities (rather than that offers or provides activities by employees, agents, or contractors of the business that involve exposure of specified anatomical areas or performance of specified sexual activities in view of any patron, client, or customer of the business). Provides if a county has established a licensing program as part of its regulation of adult entertainment facilities, the findings, decision, and orders of the licensing official or licensing body is subject to review in the circuit court of the county and that the Administrative Review Law apply to and govern the judicial review. Allows a county having a code hearing unit to enforce and prosecute violations of the adult entertainment facilities ordinance through its administrative adjudication program. The bill was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor. ISACo SUPPORTS

Local Government Audit Requirements (Senator Righter, R-Mattoon)
Senate Bill 1806 (available via this link) is intended to clean-up provisions within the 2018 legislation concerning the manner in which local governments must submit their annual audit statements with the Office of the Comptroller. Amends the Governmental Account Audit Act, the Audit Division of the Counties Code, and the Illinois Municipal Code to remove definitions of "licensed public accountant" and "accountant." Adds a definition for "generally accepted auditing standards" to the Counties Code. Modifies the definition of "auditor" to also include a substantially-equivalent licensed CPA that operates out-of-state. Replaces references to licensed public accountants and accountants with references to auditors. Modifies audit report requirements for fiscal year 2019 and beyond. The bill was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor.

FOIA Exemption for Election Security Information (Senator Link, D-Gurnee)
Senate Bill 1863 (available via this link) would amend the Freedom of Information Act to exempt from disclosure risk and vulnerability assessments, security measures, schedules, certifications, and response policies or plans that are designed to detect, defend against, prevent, or respond to potential cyber attacks upon the State's or an election authority's network systems, or records that the disclosure of which would, in any way, constitute a risk to the proper administration of elections or voter registration. The bill was approved by the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor.

Property Tax Board of Review - Qualifications (Senator Holmes, D-Aurora)
Senate Bill 1871 (available via this link) would amend the Property Tax Code to provide that, in a county under township organization with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants and an appointed board of review, the county board may, by resolution, require that members of the board of review have certain professional assessment designations. Provides that, if the county board requires those designations, then provisions of the Code concerning the political makeup of the board of review do not apply to that county. The bill was approved by the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday, March 6 and is presently on the Senate Floor.

Video Sentencing (Senator Murphy, D-Des Plaines)
Senate Bill 1890 (available via this link) would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 to provide that whenever the appearance in person in court, in either a civil or criminal proceeding, is required of anyone held in a place of custody or confinement operated by the State or any of its political subdivisions, including counties and municipalities, the chief judge of the circuit by rule may permit the personal appearance to be made by means of two-way audio-visual communication, including closed circuit television and computerized video conference at a sentencing hearing for a defendant who: (i) at the time of the proceeding was serving a sentence of imprisonment for another offense; and (ii) has agreed to enter a negotiated plea. The bill was approved by the Senate Criminal Law Committee on Tuesday, March 5 and is presently on the Senate Floor.
You're Invited to ISACo's Open House!

ISACo will hold an open house for county officials and legislators on Wednesday, March 13 from 6 p.m - 8 p.m. The event will be at our office located at 828 South Second Street in Springfield.

Please join us to celebrate the launch of ISACo! It's a perfect opportunity to learn more about us. RSVP's can be sent to bmetrow@isacoil.org.
Follow ISACo on Social Media

ISACo is getting social! We've established a presence on Facebook and Twitter to provide another tool for communication with Illinois county officials and other interested parties. Please follow our Facebook page and Twitter feed and join the conversation!

@Isacoil

@IsacoTweets
Looking Ahead...

The House and Senate are scheduled to be in session next week from March 12-14.

The deadline to move Senate bills out of Senate committees is March 22. The deadline to move House bills out of House committees is March 29.

The deadline to move House bills out of the House and Senate bills out of the Senate is April 12.

The deadline to move House bills out of Senate committees and Senate bills out of House committees is May 10.

The deadline to move House bills out of the Senate and Senate bills out of the House is May 24.

Both chambers are scheduled to adjourn on May 31.
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.