This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views E-Newsletter includes a General Assembly schedule update, highlights bills approved by the House, reports on a poll finding broad voter support for data center regulation in Illinois and shares information about an upcoming data center hearing in the House, announces April as Hazardous Materials Awareness Month, urges taxpayers to file their 2025 state individual income tax return, highlights a new educational content portal for the incarcerated, 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 Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc. and invites counties to join ISACo.
General Assembly Schedule
The House and Senate reconvene on April 14.
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 the House
The Illinois House passed 133 bills last week. Each bill will next be considered by the Senate. Several ISACo-tracked bills were among the legislation moved to the Senate. A report with summaries of the ISACo-tracked bills is available via this link.
House members have been informed that, going forward, each member will be under a limit on the number of bills they can advance out of the House by this week's Third Reading deadline.
Poll Finds Broad Voter Support for Data Center Regulation in Illinois
A new poll shows overwhelming bipartisan support among Illinois voters for stronger oversight of data centers, including protections against rising utility costs and increased water usage—highlighting growing public demand for legislative action. Additional information is available via this link.
On the topic of data centers, the House Executive Committee has scheduled a subject matter hearing on data center energy use for 9:00 am on Wednesday, April 15. Information about the hearing is available via this link. The hearing will be held in room 118 and can also be viewed in Virtual Room 2. Those interested in viewing the hearing virtually can access the feed using this link at 9:00 am on Wednesday. Committee hearings may begin later than the posted time. ISACo will monitor and report on the hearing.
ISACo has created a data center resource webpage (available here) to host information and updates for Illinois counties.
April is Hazardous Materials Awareness Month
Residents may not always know what chemicals are used in their community or how to interpret the safety codes posted on certain buildings. That’s why agencies including the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA OHS), Illinois Department of Labor, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Fire Service Institute (ISFI), and local fire and emergency management partners monitor and manage this critical information.
The press release is available via this link.
Taxpayers Urged to Act Now Ahead of April 15 Filing Deadline
With the April 15 deadline quickly approaching, the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is encouraging taxpayers to file their 2025 state individual income tax returns as soon as possible and avoid waiting until the last minute, especially if filing by mail.
In addition to free filing of Form IL-1040 through My Tax Illinois, individuals may also utilize the site to make payments, respond to department inquiries, and check the status of refunds using the Where's My Refund? link. Taxpayers may also look up IL-PINs, amounts of any estimated tax payments made, and when necessary, amounts reported on Form 1099-G with MyTax Illinois. Taxpayers may choose to file using commercial tax preparation software, work with My Tax Illinois, a tax professional, or submit a paper Form IL 1040.
The press release is available via this link.
New Educational Content Portal for Incarcerated Illinoisians
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announced the launch of Journey to Success, a new customized educational content portal available on tablets statewide. The new portal is part of the Edovo application, the largest learning platform for incarcerated people in the US. The application contains thousands of free courses and resources that individuals in custody can access from their living units during their free time. Since Edovo was enabled on tablets in July 2025, individuals in IDOC facilities have completed more than 2.4 million learning items, totaling over 2.3 million hours of engagement. More than 31,000 unique learners have completed 352,000 courses. The most frequently accessed courses include Parenting While Incarcerated, Preparing for Success After Prison, and Beginning Algebra.
The press release is available via this link.
2026 ISACo/UCCI Legislative Conference Registration-HAPPENING APRIL 14!
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
Illinois Farmers Ease Critical Labor Shortages Through this Agricultural Visa Program (CapitolNewsIllinois)
Illinois Ranks 5th in Nation for Cyber Crime Complaints, Loses $535M in 2025: FBI Report (WTVO)
Preparing for the Real Risks of Election Interference (Governing)
Illinois Millionaire Tax Could Help Curb Property Taxes, Boost Education Funding, Study Says (FoxChicago)
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.
National Stormwater Policy Forum Webinar
Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CST
The National Stormwater Policy Forum, a half-day event co-led by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance (NMSA), will take place on Monday, April 13, 2026, during Water Week. Co-hosted by the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), the event provides an opportunity for members of WEF, NACo, NMSA, NLC, as well as others who are interested, to learn about current policy issues driving the stormwater sector today.
Registration for the webinar is available via this link.
NACo Members Get More
(Thursday, April 16, 2026, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CST)
Learn how to maximize your NACo member benefits. Are you a newly elected official or is your county a new NACo member? If so, this meeting is for you. Join and learn how NACo’s resources and programs can best serve your county. From custom data profiles to policy steering committees, discover how NACo members advance county priorities, save money, support the county workforce and implement local solutions.
Registration for the webinar is available via this link.
Federal Elections Policy: Executive Orders, Legislation and County Impacts
(Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. CST)
County governments play a central role in administering elections across the United States. Counties are responsible for managing voter registration, operating polling locations, recruiting and training poll workers, processing mail in ballots, and certifying election results, serving millions of voters in each election cycle. On March 31, 2026, the White House issued Executive Order No. 14399, “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” directing federal agencies to enhance citizenship verification processes, develop voter eligibility databases using federal records, and implement new controls on mail in voting procedures at the United States Post Office (USPS). This order could have implications for counties, including potential changes to voter registration processes, data sharing requirements, mail in ballot procedures, and overall election administration responsibilities.
Registration for the webinar is available via this link.
CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc. (ACH) is the nation’s largest jail contract management company, managing contracts for health care teams and customized programs in a variety of correctional settings, including county jails, juvenile detention centers, mental health units, work release centers, and drug rehabilitation centers across 22 states. We lead the industry in a higher standard of care for an underserved population.
Click here to learn more about Advanced Correctional Healthcare, Inc.
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.