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, provides an update regarding ISACo's position on provisions within the BUILD ACT, shares testimony provided by ISACo in opposition to legislation restricting county authority to regulate energy backup systems, highlights several bills of interest, reports on the Illinois Appellate Court affirming limitations on county authority over solar projects, includes registration information for 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 Linebarger Attorneys at Law and invites counties to join ISACo.
General Assembly Schedule
Schedule and Key Dates
The primary election is March 17.
The Illinois House convenes on March 18-20. The Senate convenes on March 24.
The deadline for moving Senate Bills out of Senate Committees was March 13. The deadline for moving House Bills out of House Committees is March 27.
The House and Senate calendars are linked below:
House Calendar
Senate Calendar
ISACo Tracked Bills
ISACo has populated our bill-tracking service (available via this link) with legislation introduced in 2026 that affects or is of interest to counties. These bills are searchable by number, policy category, and by entering a bill number into the search field.
ISACo Communicates County Concerns With BUILD Act Provisions
The Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) recently sent a letter (available here) to Governor JB Pritzker outlining county concerns with provisions included in the Governor’s proposed Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) Act. Specifically, ISACo expressed opposition to language contained in HB 5626 and SB 4061 that would amend the Illinois Counties Code to establish a statewide standard allowing residential buildings of up to six stories to be constructed with a single stairway under certain conditions.
The letter requested that Governor Pritzkder include ISACo in any future discussions or legislative working groups related to the BUILD Act and any proposed amendments affecting county authority. Ensuring county participation will help policymakers better understand how these proposals may affect building safety standards and development oversight in unincorporated areas.
ISACo Provides Testimony Against State Preemption of Local Authority to Regulate Energy Backup Systems
On March 12, ISACo shared testimony (available here) with the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee in opposition to SB 3794 (Senator Cervantes, D-Berwyn). While ISACo supports the expansion of renewable energy and grid resiliency, SB 3794 proposes to preempt county and municipal authority to regulate or inspect residential energy backup systems.
During committee consideration of Senate Bill 3794 on March 12, the sponsor explained that the legislation is an initiative of Base Power, a renewable energy company that specializes in residential-scale battery systems often paired with solar panels. The intent of the bill is to simplify the process for the installation and inspection of residential battery storage systems.
The sponsor noted that negotiations are ongoing and that amendments are being developed in consultation with several stakeholders. ISACo is one of those stakeholders.
According to the sponsor, these discussions are aimed at addressing concerns raised in opposition and ensuring the legislation does not create unintended negative impacts.
While the bill was moved forward in committee with a “do pass” recommendation, the sponsor stated that additional amendments are expected and that the measure will be brought back to committee after those changes are finalized.
At the time of the hearing, 19 proponents and 10 opponents had filed witness slips on the legislation.
ISACo Highlighted Legislation
HB 4563/SB 3715 - Website Publication of Assessments (Support)
HB 4571 - Counties Code-Affordable Housing (Support)
HB 4681 - FOIA Mass Requests and Vexatious Requesters (Support)
HB 4835 - Adaptive Reuse of Commercial Buildings (Oppose)
HB 4980 - Human Control of AI Act (Oppose)
HB 5198 - Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act (Oppose)
SB 2795 - Local Government Inspector General Act (Under Review)
SB 4002 - Local Government - Wind/Solar Facilities (Support)
Illinois Appellate Court Affirms Limitations of County Authority over Solar Projects
In a landmark ruling for the state’s renewable energy industry, the Illinois Third District Appellate Court has solidified the "Solar Amendments" to the Counties Code. By affirming that local governments must approve commercial solar facilities that meet state-mandated standards, the court signaled a definitive shift away from local zoning discretion in favor of Illinois’ aggressive clean energy goals. This decision strengthens the position of industry while narrowing the authority of county boards to influence the location of green energy infrastructure. Additional information is available via this link.
2026 UCCI ISACo Spring Legislative Conference—happening next month!
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
Large Hail and Tornadoes Cause Major Damage in Illinois on Tuesday (IPMNews)
States and Feds Consider a Simple Solution to SNAP Fraud (Governing)
In Will County, a Deluge of Data Centers, Warehouses, Solar Farms: 'All Around Us, All at Once' (Chicago Tribune)
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 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
CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP is the largest law firm in the nation dedicated exclusively to collecting governmental debt. Last year we managed more than $10 billion in delinquencies on behalf of more than 2,400 governmental entities. Our collection programs are custom tailored using the latest technology and guided by the highest legal and ethical standards.
In addition to standard collection services, our unique data analysis technology gives us the ability to identify potential receivables such as erroneous homestead exemptions.
Linebarger’s Chicago office provides comprehensive collection services to cities across Illinois including Chicago, Waukegan, Joliet and Springfield, as well as the Illinois Dep’t of Revenue.
Click here to learn more about Linebarger Attorneys at Law.
Become an ISACo Member!
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 Member Services and Communications Manager Tiffani Homer at (217) 679-3368 or thomer@isacoil.org. ISACo member counties are listed here. Thank you for your consideration.