News

The 2021 National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference is going virtual! The event will take place over several days throughout the month of March, with bonus content throughout April. Click the title of this story for information about the conference schedule and to register as an attendee.

Building on guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Governor JB Pritzker announced guidelines for the next stage of COVID-19 vaccine distribution across Illinois - Phase 1B.

Republican Leader Bill Brady resigned from the Senate seat he has held since 2002. Senator Brady has served as Senate Republican Leader since 2017.

Illinois’ minimum wage is set to increase to $11 an hour on Friday, January 1, 2021. This is the latest increase in the law that will ultimately raise Illinois' minimum wage rate to $15 per hour by 2025. During 2020, the minimum wage was increased to $9.25 per hour in January followed by an increase to $10 per hour in July.

On Wednesday, December 23, 2020, Governor JB Pritzker announced the administration is directing additional funding to support child care providers that are part of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) which helps low-income working families access high-quality childcare, impacting 100,000 children annually. The administration will utilize funding allocated to Illinois through the federal CARES Act to cover all eligible days of CCAP payments for December, January, and February regardless of attendance.

Counties are on the front lines protecting our communities from the coronavirus and other illnesses that have the potential to become a pandemic. Counties support over 900 hospitals and operate over 1,900 public health departments, which are the ground troops in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. During this crisis, the National Association of Counties (NACo) is focused on disseminating useful information to our members, and facilitating the exchange of effective strategies and approaches.

The ISACo weekly News and Views e-newsletter for December 7, 2020, reports on the latest guidance by the U.S. Treasury Department on Coronavirus relief fund reporting requirements, provides information about a new COVID-19 stimulus package announced by Congress, offers an update on COVID-19 vaccine distribution within Illinois, shares information about a new report released by the Worker Protection Task Force, references an upcoming NACo webinar opportunity, spotlights ISACo corporate partner Nationwide and invites counties to join ISACo.