This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views E-Newsletter includes a General Assembly schedule update, links to a report on ISACo-tracked legislation approved by House Committees last week, includes several highlighted bills, shares a new episode of ISACo's Counties Count! Podcast discussing a recent adverse court decision regarding solar facility siting, highlights ISACo's work in pursuit of changes to Illinois' wind and solar facility law, reports on the state breaking a film industry expenditure record, provides an update concerning the Illinois Flag Display Act, 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 Constellation Telecom Inc. and invites counties to join ISACo.
General Assembly Schedule
Schedule and Key Dates
The Illinois House convenes from March 24-27. The Senate convenes from March 24-26.
The deadline for moving House Bills out of House Committees is March 27.
The deadline to move bills out of their chamber of origin is April 17.
The House and Senate calendars are linked below:
House Calendar
Senate Calendar
Bills Approved by Committees
During legislative action from March 18-20, several bills tracked by the Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) were moved out of House Committees. The Senate did not convene that week. The report, with summaries of the legislation as well as ISACo's positions, is available via this link.
ISACo filed 43 witness slips on bills scheduled for committee hearings last week. Not every bill was heard, but ISACo continues to advocate in support of counties on a significant volume of legislation.
ISACo Highlighted Legislation
HB 1052 - Food Truck Freedom Act (Oppose)
HB 1429 (HFA 1) - Bill of Rights-Homeless (Oppose)
HB 3380 - Body Cameras-FOIA Requests (Support)
HB 4524 - Plug-In Solar Energy Systems (Oppose)
HB 4592 (HFA 1) - Acceptance of Cash Payments (Oppose)
HB 4800 - Local Government Building Permit Act (Oppose)
ISACo's Counties Count! Podcast - Solar Mandates and Diminished Discretion: Reviewing Equity Solar v. Grundy County
In episode 24 of ISACo's Counties Count! Podcast we break down the landmark appellate decision in Equity Solar Illinois v. County of Grundy, which clarifies the limited role of non-home-rule counties (all counties except Cook) in siting commercial solar facilities.
Click on the image below to listen.
Click on this link to access all previous Counties Count! Podcast episodes.
ISACo Staff Meets with State Representative Suzanne Ness
ISACo Executive Director Joe McCoy and Legislative Advocacy and Research Manager Nekya Hall met with State Representative Suzanne Ness last week to discuss ISACo's wind and solar legislation. HB 5477-linked here, sponsored by Representative Ness, includes several county-friendly provisions developed by ISACo's Wind and Solar Facility Task Force.
For updates on this and other legislation affecting county government, be sure to check out ISACo’s Bill Tracker via this link. The bill tracker offers a convenient way to stay on top of legislation affecting or of interest to counties. Bills are searchable by number, policy category, and keyword.
Illinois Breaks Film Industry Record with $703 Million in Expenditures
Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Illinois film industry leaders announced that film production expenditures in Illinois reached a record-breaking high of $703 million in 2025, supporting an estimated 18,000 in industry hires. This represents a 25 percent increase in film expenditures since before the pandemic in 2019.
The press release is available via this link.
Honoring Illinois' Fallen
The Department of Central Management Services has received notice from Governor JB Pritzker that all persons or entities covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act are to fly the flags at half-staff in honor of:
- Chicago Firefighter/EMT Michael Altman
Please lower the United States flags and the State flags at all buildings occupied by your agency’s personnel until: Sunrise, Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, until sundown, Friday, March 27th, 2026.
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
Donna Miller Declared Winner in Crowded 2nd Congressional District Democratic Primary (WTTW)
Wastewater Will Cool This Memphis Data Center (Governing)
‘Illinois farmers can feed Illinois’: State Grant Program Offers Assistance (CapitolNewsIllinois)
Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration’s Health Care Funding Cuts to Illinois, For Now (ChicagoTribune)
Rural Counties Continue to Lose Access to Obstetric Care (Governing)
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
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.
Registration for the webinar is available via this link.
County Leaders Navigating FEMA Changes: A Fireside Chat with Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Preparedness, Leadership, and Practical Action
The session will explore what counties can control — from pre-disaster planning and cross-department coordination to post-disaster recovery positioning — even as broader policy conditions shift.
The webinar is available via this link.
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?
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.