Kane County Reporter

Kane County Legislative Committee met June 21.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call To Order

Madam Co-Chair Gumz called the meeting to order at 10:15 AM.

PRESENT Board Member Michelle Gumz

Board Member Michael Linder

Board Member Mavis Bates

Board Member Myrna Molina

Board Member Monica Silva

Board Member Cherryl Strathmann

Ex-Officio County Board Chair Corinne M. Pierog

Ex-Officio County Board Vice Chair Vern Tepe

ABSENT Board Member Gary Daugherty

Also present: Bd. Members Juby*, Kious*, & Roth; Illinois Association of County Board Members (IACBM) Exec. Dir. Murray & Lead Legislative Consultant Anderson; IL State Rep. Hanson; Trans. Chief of Staff Rickert*; Sp. ASA Shepro; ITD staff Peters; and members of the press and public.

2. Roll Call

3. Approval of Minutes: May 17, 2023

RESULT: APPROVED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT

MOVER: Cherryl Strathmann

4. Public and Employee Comment

Madam Co-Chair Gumz announced the loss of Aurora Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns and recognized her with a moment of silence.

5. New Business

A. Legislative Update

IACBM Exec. Dir. Murray provided a brief background of her organization within the State of Illinois. She stated that IACBM began around 1960 and is the longest running association that represents counties in the state. She noted that advocacy and lobbying are some of the largest services provided. She

mentioned that the Illinois General Assembly runs on a two-year cycle, with the first year usually introducing an average of six thousand bills. She spoke on the process of bill approval, monitoring voting sessions, and communicating regularly with counties.

B. IACBM Presentation (Kelly Murray, Exec. Dir.)

IACBM Exec. Dir. Murray presented current House and Senate Bills making their way through the legislative process. She highlighted a number of proposed bills, including House Bill 2539 that would allow state stipends to be administered at the county level via the Treasurer's Office. She noted that six bills have been passed that would impact the Human Resources department of Illinois counties. Some of which include Senate Bill 214 that expands employee disability benefits and Senate Bill 2034 that extends bereavement leave to employees that have lost a child to suicide or homicide. She spoke on Senate Bill 1515 that seeks to protect immigrant employees and House Bill 2493 that limits unpaid leave for specified reasons relating to a household or family member who is killed in a crime of violence. (Silva left - 10:37am) Murray discussed House Bill 3129 that would require Illinois employers with 15 or more employees to include pay scale and benefits information in any job posting, as well as House Bill 3733 that would require employers to provide copies of personnel records to employees upon request. She concluded with House Bill 1286, which would allow businesses and public institutions to adopt gender-inclusive multi-occupancy restrooms. She stressed that this bill is permissive, rather than mandated.

IACMB Lead Legislative Consultant Taylor Anderson spoke on a statewide budget increase of $85M to communities through the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF). He provided the history of the LGDF, which is a designated portion of state income tax revenues. He detailed Senate Bills that would address delinquent tax payers and prevailing wages, as they relate to intergovernmental agreements. He further explained multiple House Bills that would expand prevailing wage rates for various industries. He concluded with House Bill 3902 that was recently signed into law by the Governor. This allows law enforcement officers to use drones to monitor special events, parades, and festivals to identify public safety issues. Discussion ensued.

Illinois State Rep. Matt Hanson spoke on a number of bills he has sponsored, such as Senate Bill 1570. This bill aims to streamline the design and build process for projects that cost less than $12M, which would benefit school districts. He noted that the Springfield sessions were successful and collaborative. Much discussion ensued.

C. Letter of Support for Ethan’s Law

Madam Co-Chair Gumz briefly summarized Ethan's Law and requested consensus from the Committee to send out the attached letter of support to our Legislative branch of government. The Committee had no objection. Discussion ensued.

6. Old Business

Madam Co-Chair Gumz expressed apologies to Dr. Iqbal in reference to a broadband resolution that had not been submitted in time for the Legislative Committee meeting. She noted that the lobbyist will be working to clean up a finalized copy of that resolution for a future vote.

7. Co-chair Comments

Co-Chair Linder stressed the importance of a legislative platform and regularly communicating with department heads on the legislative process, as that may affect them.

8. Executive Session (if needed)

None.

9. Adjournment

RESULT: APPROVED BY VOICE VOTE

MOVER: Mavis Bates

SECONDER: Cherryl Strathmann

This meeting was adjourned at 11:42 AM.

https://www.countyofkane.org/MeetingMinutes/6652/23-6-21.pdf