This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views E-Newsletter includes a General Assembly schedule update, links to ISACo's bill tracker and 2026 Legislative Agenda, includes news about the status of the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF), reports on the BUILD Act (HB 5626) and the impact the legislation would have on local control, invites county officials and staff to attend the 2026 ISACo/UCCI Legislative Conference, links to articles ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, conveys information about upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner UnitedHealthcare and invites counties to join ISACo.

General Assembly Schedule/ISACo Legislative Links

Schedule and Key Dates

The Illinois Senate convenes this week from March 10-13. The House does not convene until March 18. 

The primary election is March 17.

The deadline for moving Senate Bills out of Senate Committees is March 13. The deadline for moving House Bills out of House Committees is March 27. 

Linked below, you will find the House and Senate calendars.

House Calendar

Senate Calendar

ISACo Tracked Bills

ISACo is currently reviewing introduced legislation and populating our bill-tracking service (available via this link) with legislation that affects or is of interest to counties.

2026 Legislative Agenda

ISACo's 2026 Legislative Agenda is available via this link.

The summary is available via this link.

ISACo Supports Increasing LGDF Distributions to Local Governments

The Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) initially reported on the Governor's proposal to reduce the percentage of Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) distributions to counties and municipalities in our February 18 analysis of the Governor's proposed budget (linked here).

ISACo opposes the proposed reduction of LGDF distributions from 6.47 percent to 6.28 percent of individual income tax collections. LGDF revenues are an important source of funding for local governments, helping counties and municipalities support essential services without placing additional pressure on local property taxpayers.

LGDF distributions are projected to increase from $1.013 billion in SFY 2011 to approximately $2.303 billion in SFY 2027. However, if the LGDF formula had remained at its historic 10 percent level, local governments would receive an estimated $3.667 billion in SFY 2027, more than $1.3 billion higher than the amount currently projected.

LGDF dollars are distributed on a per capita basis to counties and municipalities, with the county share based on the population within unincorporated areas. The per capita estimate for SFY2026 is $180.91. The per capita estimate within the Governor's proposed SFY2027 budget is $181.07 (generated from a lower percentage of a higher total amount).

Opposing reductions to LGDF revenue and supporting a restoration to the full 10 percent share are written into ISACo's 2026 County Platform (linked here). More information about LGDF is available in ISACo's Policy Brief (linked here).

ISACo supports the following legislation introduced in 2026 to restore the LGDF share to incrementally restore the full 10 percent distribution of income tax collections to counties and municipalities. 

HB 4294 (Representative Moore, R-Quincy)

SB 3780 (Senator DeWitt, R-St. Charles)

ISACo urges county officials to discuss LGDF with their legislators and request their support for the restoration of the full 10 percent share.

ISACo Opposes Loss of Local Control in Housing Legislation

The BUILD Act (HB 5626) is Governor Pritzker's affordable housing initiative. The legislation is the most aggressive local preemption bill Illinois has seen in years. While much of the legislation targets municipal density through "Middle Housing" mandates and ADU legalization, it also proposes significant changes to the Counties Code that would strip local control over fire safety and building standards.

Click on this link to understand the "two-track" system this bill creates and why ISACo is opposing provisions that undermine county oversight. We urge county officials to contact their state legislators and express opposition to the proposed premption of local control over zoning and building codes.

ISACo has also created an explainer video about the BUILD Act. You can watch the brief video by clicking on the image below:

Make sure to subscribe to ISACo's YouTube Channel for our videos and updates.

2026 ISACo/UCCI Legislative Conference Registration

For the third consecutive year, ISACo and our friends at the United Counties Council of Illinois (UCCI) will hold a legislative conference for county officials and staff on April 14-15, 2026. ISACo members are invited to attend the April 14 events that will include a breakfast buffet and legislative briefing at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and an evening legislative reception at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. State officials will also be invited to attend the reception. Activities on April 15 are reserved for UCCI members. Registration information and additional details are available via this link.

What We're Reading

Lawmakers Weigh the Promises and Pitfalls of a Data Center Boom (Governing)

Report Outlines Premature Deaths, Chronic Health Problems Among Homeless Illinoisans (CapitolNewsIllinois)

EPA Delays Greenhouse Gas Reporting as it Moves to Shut Down Program (SmartCitiesDive)

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. 

NACo Policy Insider Webinar Series: Understanding the Federal Landscape for Counties

(Thursday, March 12, 2026, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST)

Last year's Inside Washington series is now NACo Policy Insider, a bi-weekly webinar offering an overview of the full federal policy landscape impacting counties, as well as deeper dives into specific policy areas, equipping county leaders with insights, context, and strategies to engage effectively on key issues from transportation and infrastructure, to public lands, to health and human services, and more.

Registration for the webinar is available via this link. 

NACo Policy Insider Webinar Series: Understanding the Federal Landscape for Counties

Thursday, March 26, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. CST

Last year's Inside Washington series is now NACo Policy Insider, a bi-weekly webinar offering an overview of the full federal policy landscape impacting counties, as well as deeper dives into specific policy areas, equipping county leaders with insights, context, and strategies to engage effectively on key issues from transportation and infrastructure, to public lands, to health and human services, and more.

Registration for the webinar is available via this link. 

County Data Governance Decoded: Aligning Strategy with Government Needs

(Monday, March 30, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST)

As counties prepare for the transformative impacts of artificial intelligence, and evolving compliance demands, robust data governance strategies have become essential. This webinar will explore actionable techniques to modernize data frameworks to align with county priorities, improve asset inventories, refine retention policies, and foster data-aware cultures.

Featuring lessons learned from a panel of county leaders who participated in a data governance workgroup, attendees will gain insights into what works, what doesn’t, and how to align strategy for resilience and compliance. Topics will include aligning data and information governance, leveraging AI tools to enhance data quality, conducting governance audits, and implementing lifecycle management practices to reduce risks and improve efficiency.

Key takeaways/discussion points:

• Align governance strategies with broader county program goals and operational priorities
• Build effective data asset inventories for improved compliance and efficiency
• Explore AI’s role in improving data quality and supporting compliance objectives
• Implement and update retention policies for modern governance needs
• Foster a data-aware culture to address cyber risks and governance challenges

The registration is available via this link. 

CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT   

There for what matters™

The mission of UnitedHealthcare is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. UHC dedicates itself to this every day for our members by being there for what matters in moments big and small — from their earliest days, to their working years and through retirement.

Across the United States, UHC offers health benefit plans for all ages, all lifestyles and all kinds of budgets — including member programs for individuals and families, people with health insurance through work, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

They work with more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals and over 6,700 hospitals and care facilities nationwide. Together, they work to provide more people with access to quality care when and where they need it.

Creating a better health care experience

UnitedHealthcare believes that when it comes to your health, everything matters. That’s why they are constantly working to improve the health care experience and make it deliver for the needs of everyone.

They know health care can be complicated, so they work to make it simpler — for patients as well as providers. Streamlining processes and providing answers helps make coverage easier to understand and use.

UHC believes everyone deserves quality health coverage they can afford. So, they provide coverage options designed to fit all kinds of budgets, and always look for ways to take costs out of the system to improve affordability and access for all.

They focus on serving the individual, offering access to quality care, personalized solutions and support for every step of the way.

Click here to learn more about UnitedHealthcare.

 Become an ISACo Member! 

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