This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views e-newsletter includes a Veto Session Update as lawmakers head into the second week of Veto Session, congratulates the Illinois Housing Authority (IHA) on receiving two national awards, reports on The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) calling for insurance companies to provide policyholders relief during the federal government shutdown, highlights Illinois Law Enforcement accepting Camera Grant Applications, links to articles ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, shares information about upcoming National Association of Counties (NACo) webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Constellation Telecom and invites counties to join ISACo.

Veto Session Update

The first week of the Veto Session wrapped up with plenty of discussion but limited legislative movement. This summary is intended to bring you up to speed on what transpired. The Senate advanced three measures—one of which had already cleared the House—setting the stage for further debate when lawmakers return on October 28. There were also two subject matter committee hearings of interest to counties.

Advancing Legislation 

HB 2394

The bill allows electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicles to exceed posted weight limits by up to 2,000 pounds, with the total allowance based on the added weight of their alternative-fuel tanks, batteries, and fueling systems compared to a similar diesel vehicle. Passed Both Chambers.

SB 618

The bill creates a new Class 3 Craft Distiller License and a Spirits Showcase Permit, setting production, distribution, and retail sale limits for small distillers and outlining conditions for spirit transfers and self-distribution. It also updates rules for alcohol delivery, clarifies enforcement procedures involving minors, prohibits sales to visibly intoxicated persons, and makes other regulatory changes, effective July 1, 2026 (with some provisions taking effect immediately). Passed Senate - Will Be Considered in House.

SB 642

The bill amends the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act of the Illinois Municipal Code. Extends the estimated dates of completion of redevelopment projects and the retirement of obligations issued to finance redevelopment project costs for various ordinances adopted by the City of Chicago, the Village of Millstadt, the City of Mattoon, and the City of Sterling. Passed Senate - Will Be Considered in House.

Amendments Filed

There were eight amendments filed last week. 

House Amendments 

Senate Amendments

Subject Matter Committee Hearings of Interest 

The following two subject matter hearings are of interest to counties:

House Executive Committee Hearing on Public Transit Funding and Governance Reform (ISACo Summary)

House Appropriations Committee Discusses Future of Illinois SNAP Following Federal Changes (ISACo Summary)

The second and final week of the 2025 Veto Session is scheduled for October 28-30.

Illinois Housing Development Authority Wins National Awards

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has been nationally recognized for its transformative approach in tackling some of the state’s toughest housing challenges: affordable homeownership and homelessness prevention. At the 2025 National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) Annual Conference, IHDA received two Annual Awards for Program Excellence:

• Homeownership: Empowering New Buyers with IHDA’s Access Plus Financing
  Initiative.
• Special Needs Housing: Combat

The press release is available via this link. 

Calls for Insurance Companies to Provide Policyholders Relief during Federal Government Shutdown

The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) is calling on insurance companies to provide relief to policyholders who are experiencing financial hardship during the federal government shutdown (CB 2025-17), in an effort to ensure that Illinoisans do not lose insurance coverage.

The press release is available via this link. 

Illinois Law Enforcement Camera Grant Accepting Applications

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) announced the opening of the application period for the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Law Enforcement Camera Grant. This grant provides over $56 million in state funding available to equip police agencies across Illinois with essential video technology.

The press release is available via this link. 

What We're Reading

Ex-Speaker Madigan Reports to West Virginia Prison to Begin 7 ½-Year Sentence (CapitolNewsIllinois)

Nursing Schools Struggle to Keep Up With Demand for New Nurses (Governing)

News Outlets Refuse to Sign Pentagon’s New Press Policy as Deadline Looms (TheHill)

‘Just the Tip of the Iceberg’: Hill Correctional Center Violence Fuels Demand for IDOC Reform (WGIL)

Learn more about IPRIME

Founded in 2019, the Illinois Public Reserves Investment Management Trust™ (IPRIME™) referred to as “the Fund” is an investment pool for Municipal Treasurers acting on behalf of counties, townships, cities, towns, villages, libraries, park districts, water supply districts, fire protection districts, sanitary districts, housing authorities and other subdivisions of the State of Illinois.

The IPRIME Investment Shares Series is rated AAAm by Standard & Poor’s.

The Investment Shares Series is comprised of money market instruments having a maximum remaining maturity of one year (except U.S. government obligations that may have remaining maturities of up to two years).

The primary objectives of the Investment Shares Series are to offer the highest possible investment yield, protect principal, preserve liquidity and maintain Standard & Poor’s highest local government investment pool rating of AAAm. In addition, the Fund offers access to PMA Financial Network, LLC’s Fixed Income and Deposit Programs. With the experience and expertise of PMA, the Investment Shares Series grants investors access to a powerful investment management team that functions with a high standard of vision, synergy, and quality.

Click on the photo below to learn more about IPRIME!

 

Please contact Member Services and Communications Manager Tiffani Homer at thomer@isacoil.org if you have additional questions.

Upcoming NACo Webinars

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

Putting Communities First: How Counties Leverage Tech to Improve Behavioral Health

(Tuesday, October 21, 2025 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CT)

Counties nationwide face increasing demands to deliver high-quality care while managing limited resources. While providers in behavioral health, physical health and social services focus on the frontlines of meeting community needs, they are too often hindered by fragmented and outdated systems that limit data visibility and slow down care delivery.

In this webinar, we’ll explore how counties can harness real-time, integrated behavioral healthcare insights to empower streamlined care collaboration and improved outcomes for their communities. Attendees will learn practical strategies and see real-world examples of how patient insights delivered directly in workflows during pivotal moments can:

• Improve Patient Outcomes – Ensure individuals receive the most appropriate level of care during pivotal moments by leveraging real-time technology to coordinate services across the continuum.
• Enhance Provider Efficiency – Reduce administrative burden through digital tools, integrated platforms and automated workflows.
• Enable Data-Driven Care – Equip providers with timely insights, shared records and actionable analytics to support better decision-making.
• Strengthen Collaboration – Break down silos by creating secure, unified connections between counties, providers and community-based organizations.

Join us to discover how counties can move beyond challenges and build more seamless and integrated partnerships with providers and community stakeholders to create healthier, more resilient communities.

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

Cyber Resilience In Action: County Leaders Share Their Strategies

(Monday, October 27, 2025 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CT)

Join county IT leaders to hear how they are defending local government systems, staff, and constituents from ever-increasing cyber-attacks. The panelists will discuss specific examples of cyber-attacks they are experiencing, how elected officials are integral to the defense, as well as monitoring, education and interactive staff activities they provided during October Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

GoFundMe’s Crisis Response Playbook: Trusted Solutions for Counties

(Wednesday, October 29, 2025 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CT)

​​​​​​This webinar will showcase how GoFundMe serves as a trusted partner for counties and communities in times of crisis. We will highlight GoFundMe’s proven ability to deliver fast, reliable support when urgent needs arise, and share how our commitment to safety, efficiency, and collaboration strengthens local response efforts. County officials will learn about partnership opportunities to enhance disaster readiness, provide timely relief, and foster long-term community resilience.

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

Document Management solutions for Public Agencies through NACo Public Promise Procurement

(Friday, October 31, 2025 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. CT)

​​​​​​Explore the newest solutions for managing government documents and content with NACo, Maricopa County and Iron Mountain. Join us for an informative webinar unveiling NACo Public Promise Procurement's newest national contract for Offsite Document Management Services. This session will explore the full scope of services – from secure storage to shredding to digital transformation and cloud-native content platforms. You’ll hear from Lead Public Agency Maricopa County, Ariz. about the procurement process. Learn how your agency can leverage this competitively solicited agreement to enhance compliance, reduce costs and modernize records management. 

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

Grant Management Success: Quality, Consistency, and Cost Control

(Thursday, November 6, 2025 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CT)

Join a panel of Authorium’s alums of public service – having served in county, state, and federal offices – as they share their experience providing oversight and direction to departments awarding, managing, and leveraging grants. The panel will discuss strategies to support every step of the grant management process, from pre-award (for grantmakers) to project administration and budget tracking (for grantees).

Participants will explore: 

• How to stop software sprawl
• Techniques for tackling document-heavy, approval-stalled workflows
• Considerations for leveraging responsible AI to support grant management

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

Modern Networks, Smarter Budgets: A County Leader’s Perspective

(Thursday, November 6, 2025 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CT)

Join us for a fireside chat with Orleans County, NY, as they share how their team successfully transitioned from a traditional capital expense (CapEx) model to an operational expense (OpEx) model for network services.

When faced with rising maintenance costs and an expiring carrier contract, the county seized the opportunity to modernize its network and lock in predictable monthly costs. By bundling connectivity services with unified communications, they achieved immediate savings of over $124,000, eliminated recurring charges such as long-distance fees and third-party integration costs, and gained access to operational upgrades like call analytics and auto-attendants.

This shift not only strengthened financial planning through fixed monthly expenses but also freed up IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives.

Key takeaway: Rethinking your budget model can be just as impactful as upgrading your technology — delivering fiscal stability and enhanced services for your community.

Click on this link to register for this webinar. 

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT  

 

Constellation Telecom

Constellation Telecom is comprised of business telecom leaders who bring over 100 years of combined experience and knowledge – and no ties to any telecom provider or agency.

Constellation Telecom is able to obtain vendor quotes from hundreds of vendors for Phone Service, Phone Systems, both on Premises and also Cloud based, as well for Internet circuits, Cabling and IT support. The company will offer special pricing to ISACo members that will result in cost savings for participating counties.

Additional information about Constellation Telecom is available via this link.

Become an ISACo Member! 

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