This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views E-Newsletter includes a General Assembly schedule update, lists the latest bills to advance in the Senate, shares photos from the 2026 ISACo/UCCI Legislative Conference, reports on the employment rates for March, requests community input on potential nuclear facility siting, makes county officials and staff aware of biodiversity field trip grants, shares a local government workshop webinar opportunity from the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR), links to articles ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, conveys information about upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner Comcast and invites counties to join ISACo.
General Assembly Schedule
The Illinois House and Senate convene from May 5-8.
The deadline to move House bills out of Senate committees and Senate bills out of House committees is May 8.
The Third Reading deadline for moving House bills out of the Senate and Senate bills out of the House is May 22.
The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 31.
The House and Senate calendars are linked below:
House Calendar
Senate Calendar
Bills Advanced in the Senate Last Week
Stay informed on the latest legislative developments from Springfield. This report highlights ISACo-tracked bills that advanced in the Senate for the week of April 27-May 1, 2026. The report is available via this link.
Photos Available from 2026 ISACo/UCCI Legislative Conference
Photos from the 2026 ISACo/UCCI Legislative Conference are now available for viewing by clicking the image below.
Employment Rates for March
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that the unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in March, up +0.1 percentage point from February, and up +0.5 percentage point from the same month, one year ago, based on data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The revised February unemployment rate was 5.0 percent.
The press release is available via this link.
ICC Request for Community Input on Potential Nuclear Facility Siting
On April 23, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) (available via this link) pursuant to Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2026-01, to gather input from communities that may be interested in hosting a new nuclear power generation facility in Illinois. The purpose of the NOI is to collect information regarding potential community interest, site characteristics and other considerations that may inform the assessment of potential locations that could support such a facility. The NOI also includes questions directed to utilities related to transmission infrastructure, system capabilities and potential constraints, and to other stakeholders to provide any additional information relevant to identifying communities that may be suitable for hosting new nuclear generation facilities. The deadline to submit responses is Monday, May 25, 2026. The responses are requested to be sent via email to the NOI Manager, Gulzar Ahmed, at gulzar.ahmed@illinois.gov.
IDNR Awards 108 Biodiversity Field Trip Grants
Nearly 7,000 students will visit Illinois state parks, natural areas, museums and other natural resources sites thanks to grants from the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant program administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF).
This competitive grant program allows Illinois teachers to apply for funds to take students on a field trip to study Illinois’ natural resources. Learning activities must directly relate to the school’s curriculum, and funding covers such expenses as transportation and substitute teachers.
The press release is available via this link.
2026 IDOR Local Government Workshop
The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) Local Tax Allocation Division (LTAD) will hold its annual Local Government Workshop virtually on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. The workshop will focus on LTAD’s basic functions and the requirements for local government officials, as well as any legislative changes that will impact local governments and the resources available to local government officials. To register, interested individuals should email REV.LocalTax@illinois.gov with their name, title, email address, and phone number. More information can be found on IDOR’s website (available via this link).
What We're Reading
As E-Bikes Proliferate, Regulations (and Misunderstandings) Abound (Governing)
In Major Voting Rights Act Case, Supreme Court Strikes Down Redistricting Map Challenged as Racially Discriminatory (SCOTUSblog)
SNAP Food Assistance Cutoffs Begin Friday in Illinois — What you Need to Know (ChicagoSuntimes)
No New Moratorium, but No Data Center Either for Logan County (WICS)
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.
County Strategies to Support Mental Health and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST
Counties are on the front lines of supporting mental health and wellbeing—not only through clinical services, but by shaping the programs, partnerships and community conditions that help residents thrive.
Join NACo and the Healthy Counties Innovation Council for a webinar exploring how counties are supporting mental health across the lifespan. This session will highlight practical, county-led approaches from Waukesha County, Wis., Clarendon County, S.C., and Boone County, Mo.
Participants will gain insights into how counties can support mental health through both targeted services and broader community-based strategies.
Registration for the webinar is available via this link.
NACo Policy Insider Webinar Series: Understanding the Federal Landscape for Counties
Thursday, May 7, 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 is available via this link.
From Classroom to County: Leading with High-Performance Results
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. CST
How do county leaders move from theory to transformative action? This webinar features a panel of graduates from the NACo High Performance Leadership Academy who will share real-world examples of the program's 5 essential skills.
Attendees will gain actionable insights on how to apply these high-performance strategies to their own organizations. Whether you are an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, join us to discover how to bridge the gap between leadership potential and measurable impact.
Registration is available via this link.
CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Comcast Corporation is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment, and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content and has exclusive content rights.
With more than 6,000 local employees, Comcast’s Greater Chicago Region (https://chicago.comcast.com) serves customers in central and northern Illinois, including the Chicago area, northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan.
Click here to learn more about Comcast.
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.