State Lobbyists Update County on Springfield Action as Legislative Deadlines Approach

County officials received a comprehensive update on pending state legislation Thursday as lawmakers in Springfield approach critical deadlines for moving bills forward this session.

Representatives from Mac Strategies, the county’s lobbying firm, told the Legislative Committee that the General Assembly is at approximately the halfway point of its session, with committee deadlines either passed or being extended in some cases.

“The legislators have been moving legislation through. The House has held its committee deadlines, and while the Senate technically has, they’ve offered some extensions for several bills,” said Ann Schaefer of Mac Strategies. “Next week both chambers will be in, and it will be the deadline to move bills from the floor in the House.”

Schaefer noted that while the House is adhering strictly to its deadlines, the Senate is more flexible with extensions. This week only the Senate is in session; next week both chambers will meet as the April 11 floor deadline approaches in the House.

The lobbyists provided updates on several bills of interest to Will County, including Senate Bill 93, which would prohibit certain food additives. The bill has advanced out of committee but is scheduled for another hearing this week on an amendment that would narrow the list of banned additives from four to two.

Matt Murphy of Mac Strategies highlighted several transportation-related bills, including the “United We Move Illinois” legislation, which contains proposals for transit governance reform and a pilot program for road usage charges.

“The idea would be that the tax would be assessed on electric vehicles,” Murphy explained in response to committee questions about potential double taxation. “The way they’ve described it is you would join this pilot program, you would be exempt from gas tax, and they would see how it would function in the state.”

Murphy cautioned that the state budget situation could be more challenging than initially anticipated when Governor Pritzker unveiled his budget proposal in February.

“The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability indicated that their revenue projection was about $750 million less than what the governor based his budget on,” Murphy said. “If the revenue estimate is lowered, in addition to federal money being withheld, which we’re seeing potentially occurring at the state level, the budget could be a little bit more of a challenge than it appeared.”

Committee members inquired about several specific bills affecting Will County, including House Bill 3517, which would appropriate $3.5 million for renovations at the former Joliet Correctional Center for a historical museum, and another competing bill that would transfer the property to the Will County Forest Preserve.

The lobbyists reported that House Bill 1364 regarding the Joliet Arsenal Authority is “very viable” and currently on third reading in the House, while quick-take authority bills for Will County (House Bill 1397 and Senate Bill 2189) did not advance through committees by the deadline but could be added to other legislation.

Murphy explained that bills related to appropriations typically don’t advance on their own but may be incorporated into the final budget package, which will likely come together in the final days of May.

“There have been conversations on this subject,” Murphy said regarding the Joliet Historical Museum funding. “I do think this is viable as a potential appropriation at some level in the budget.”

The committee also learned that bills related to the South Suburban Airport and a bill addressing individuals convicted of felonies running for local office did not advance out of committee.