This week's Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo) News and Views E-Newsletter includes bills signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker, shares ISACo's Bills Approved by Both Chambers Report, highlights a new investment program to build affordable housing in the state, shares the National Association of Counties (NACo) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Resource Hub regarding proposed changes to federal grant rules, reports on Congress passing a federal housing reform package, reminds county officials and staff of a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homelessness funding application deadline, asks county officials for feedback on proposed updates to regulations implementing the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA), encourages county officials and staff to register for the 2026 NACo Annual Conference, links to articles ISACo staff is reading to stay informed, conveys information about upcoming NACo webinar opportunities, highlights ISACo corporate partner ClearGov and invites counties to join ISACo.
Governor Bill Actions
The following bills were signed into law by the Governor. Several of the bills do not yet have public act numbers. Public act numbers will be added as they become available. ISACo's position on each bill has been included.
HB 1700 - Funds-Community Reinvestment (Oppose)
HB 3564 - Human Rights Act-Real Estate (Oppose)
HB 4217 - Counties Cd-Defender Powers (No Position)
HB 4472 - Blue Envelope Program (No Position)
HB 4541 - RUPPA Overpayments (No Position)
HB 4606 - DHS-Newborn Home Visiting (Support)
HB 4695 - Crematory-Cemetery Regulation (No Position)
HB 4977 - Epidemiological Pathogens (No Position)
HB 5166 - Dissolve Special Districts Act (No Position)
HB 5316 - IEMA-OHS-Environmental Samples (No Position)
HB 5390 - Patient Bill & Outsourced Care (No Position)
HB 5411 - Rabies Vaccines in Shelters (No Position)
SB 2899 (P.A. - 104-0528) - Ins Cd-Stuttering Coverage (No Position)
SB 3295 (P.A. - 104-0531) - Ins-Durable Medical Equipment (No Position)
Bills Approved by Both Chambers Report
At the conclusion of each spring session, ISACo publishes a report summarizing the bills approved by the General Assembly that affect or are of interest to counties. The report is available by clicking on the image below.
ISACo's 2026 Post-Session Information webpage hosts resources associated with the 2026 legislative session.
New Investment Program to Build Affordable Housing
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs unveiled a new community investment program on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, designed to build affordable housing, help nonprofits, and generate returns for the state.
The press release is available via this link.
OMB Proposes Significant Rewrite of Federal Grant Rules
The National Association of Counties (NACo) reports that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed the most sweeping rewrite of federal grant rules since 2013 with a comment deadline of July 13, 2026.
The proposed rewrite of the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) would affect every county that receives, administers and passes through federal grant funding. This includes new conditions on every federal award, expanded agency authority to terminate or suspend grants mid-project, new screening and disclosure requirements and more (at the same time that compliance requirements and costs would go up). These changes would go into effect October 1, 2026.
NACo has developed an OMB Resource Hub to help counties navigate this proposed rule, including:
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A section-by-section analysis of the highest impact provisions (also attached here)
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A template comment letter counties can customize
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Guidance on how to make comments most effective and how to submit via regulations.gov
NACo and ISACo strongly encouraging county attorneys and grants managers to review the proposed rule and their current grant portfolios now, before October 1, when changes take effect for new and renewed awards.
Congress Passes Federal Housing Reform Package with County Priorities
Last week, Congress passed a bipartisan federal housing reform package that includes several county priorities. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act includes provisions intended to improve access to disaster recovery funding, protect community development resources and provide additional flexibility for locally administered housing programs. ISACo will monitor implementation of the legislation and share additional information relevant to Illinois counties.
Additional information is available via this link.
HUD Homelessness Funding Application Deadline Approaching
The Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) FY 2026 Continuum of Care Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) remains open, with applications due by August 26, 2026. The NOFO changes the funding structure by reducing the share of protected renewal funding and placing more funds into a competitive process. Counties and regional homelessness partners may wish to review the notice and assess potential impacts on housing, behavioral health, veterans' services and homelessness response programs.
Additional information is available via this link.
USDA Seeks Comments on Foreign-Owned Agricultural Land Reporting Rule
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking comments by August 10, 2026, on proposed updates to regulations implementing the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, known as AFIDA. The proposal builds on USDA’s online reporting portal for foreign-owned agricultural land transactions and may be of interest to rural counties, recorders, assessors, land-use officials and agricultural stakeholders concerned with farmland ownership transparency. Additional information is available via this link.
Registration Open for NACo Annual Conference
The NACo Annual Conference is the premier gathering of elected and appointed officials from the nation’s 3,069 counties, parishes and boroughs. This year's conference will be in New Orleans, Louisiana, from July 17-20.
The conference will include dozens of committee and caucus meetings, educational workshops, general sessions and more. Sessions will offer learning and best practices on the full range of county responsibilities and domestic policy issues. NACo membership will also elect new leadership and set the organization's policy priorities during the Annual Business Meeting. The Illinois Counties Dinner will be held on Friday, July 17.
Registration is available via this link.
What We're Reading
What Happened to Illinois’ Plug-In Solar Bill and Does it Have a Future Here? (CapitolNewsIllinois)
When Fewer Teens Drive, Voter Registration Gets Harder (Governing)
‘A Real Farm Crisis’: Illinois Farm Bankruptcies Rise for 3rd Straight Year (CapitolNewsIllinois)
Illinois Faces More Tornadoes, Less Federal Disaster Aid (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, July 2
Thursday, July 2, 2026, 2:30 p.m. - 3 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.
Strategies for Sustainable Retiree Health Benefits
Tuesday, July 7, 2026, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. CST
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has fundamentally reshaped the Medicare landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for employers, public sector organizations, and pension funds that sponsor retiree health benefits. While retirees are benefiting from lower prescription drug costs and capped out-of-pocket spending, plan sponsors are now facing significantly higher financial exposure — especially within Medicare Part D.
This webinar will explore how the post-IRA environment is changing Group Medicare economics and what plan sponsors can do to protect both retiree outcomes and long-term fiscal sustainability. Attendees will gain insight into emerging cost pressures, including rising healthcare utilization, increased catastrophic drug liability, and evolving CMS reimbursement dynamics.
Participants will also learn actionable strategies to help manage costs without compromising retiree care, including:
Optimizing pharmacy benefit design in the new Part D environment
Leveraging value-based care models to reduce hospitalizations and emergency room visits
Implementing site-of-care strategies to lower medical spend
Investing in preventive care and wellness initiatives to improve long-term outcomes
Using data transparency and claims analytics to support smarter decision-making
Designed for county leaders, HR and benefits professionals, finance officers, and pension/OPEB stakeholders, this session will provide practical guidance for navigating the rapidly evolving Group Medicare landscape while balancing affordability, compliance, and retiree satisfaction.
Registration is available via this link.
CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
ClearGov® is the leading planning, budgeting, and reporting solutions provider for local governments. ClearGov helps local agencies modernize and streamline their financial processes to enhance transparency and efficiency. These solutions are utilized successfully by more than 1,200 agencies across all 50 states and are both powerful and affordable enough to support local agencies of every shape and size. ClearGov is proudly endorsed by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and is a Corporate Partner with the Illinois State Association of Counties.
For more information, visit www.cleargov.com.
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.