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On July 27, 2021, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced it is fully adopting updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) masking recommendations to protect against COVID-19 and the Delta variant. CDC recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated individuals, wear a mask in public indoor setting in areas with substantial and high transmission. CDC is also recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

On July 27, 2021, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director John J. Kim announced the issuance of a health advisory for Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) in accordance with Illinois groundwater regulations. Health advisories are issued when there is detection of a chemical substance(s) harmful to human health for which no numeric groundwater standard(s) exists, and resampling confirms the presence in a community water supply well (35 Ill. Adm. Code 620.605).

On Friday, July 23, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker extended the Disaster Proclamation through August 21. Of note, while the Proclamation did not include the remote meeting authority provision found within previous Proclamations, there may still be authority to hold remote meetings pursuant to P.A. 101-0640. ISACo recommends that counties consult with their state's attorney to clarify what is or is not permitted.

On Wednesday, June 16, 2021, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation declaring June 19, Juneteenth, an official state holiday. To commemorate the abolition of slavery throughout the United States and its territories in 1865, Juneteenth will be recognized as National Freedom Day in Illinois.

Governor Pritzker released the provisions of his most recent energy legislation in a June 10, 2021, memo to the Energy Legislation Working Group. The text of the memo is available by clicking on the title to this story. The General Assembly is set to return to Springfield next Tuesday and Wednesday to debate and vote on energy legislation following the inability to reach agreement prior to the adjournment of the spring legislative session last week. Now that the June 30 deadline has passed, it will require a three-fifths vote of each chamber to approve legislation and send it to the Governor. Key sticking points in the debate over an energy bill concern the amount of the subsidy offered to Exelon for its nuclear fleet and whether or not to exempt coal plants owned by municipal utilities from closure. It has also been reported that a second version of energy legislation has surfaced. Of primary concern to counties is whether an approved energy bill includes provisions restricting local control over siting wind and solar facilities. ISACo opposes such restrictions.

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) published its May 2021 Local Tax Division (LTAD) newsletter. This newsletter is intended to provide updates and news about the LTAD. Included within this newsletter is registration information for IDOR's upcoming Local Government Workshop scheduled for June 16, 2021. 

Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirmed today the entire state will move into the Bridge Phase of the Restore Illinois reopening plan tomorrow, Friday, May 14th. The Bridge Phase is the final step before the full reopening of Phase 5.

To further expand convenient opportunities for Illinoisans to get vaccinated, Governor JB Pritzker launched a new program today that offers building workers and returning office staff a chance to get their shot at work.

At the request of the City of Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker is activating 125 personnel from the Illinois National Guard to stand by to support the Chicago Police Department with a verdict expected in the trial of Derek Chauvin. Members of the Guard will deploy to Chicago beginning tomorrow, April 20, to pre-position and support the Chicago Police Department as needed. The Illinois National Guard will carry out a limited mission to help manage street closures and will not interfere with peaceful protestors exercising their First Amendment rights, much the same role as Guard members played in previous deployments.

On February 22, Governor JB Pritzker announced the launch of two additional state-supported mass vaccination sites in Rockford and Collinsville. The sites will launch on Tuesday, February 23 and each will ramp up to provide up to 1,350 doses per day at full capacity. Governor JB Pritzker is also activating additional members of the Illinois National Guard to support Winnebago and Madison counties in standing up additional mobile vaccination sites to reach rural and underserved communities.

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.