Meeting Summary and Briefs: Will County Board Legislative Committee for May 5, 2026

Will County Board Legislative Committee Meeting | May 5, 2026

The Will County Board Legislative Committee navigated a heavy policy agenda during its May 5, 2026, meeting, balancing extensive state and federal legislative updates with the passage of three distinct local resolutions. Beyond the comprehensive briefings from Mac Strategies and Smith Garson regarding state housing mandates and federal homeland security funding, the committee formally advanced resolutions to ban cryptocurrency kiosks and oppose state legislation altering kidney dialysis protocols (see full stories above).

Additionally, the committee formally opened the process for drafting the county’s 2027 Legislative Agendas, receiving over a hundred pages of specific funding and policy requests from internal county departments.

We Are Counties Program Integration
The committee unanimously approved Resolution 26-4804, officially joining the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) “We Are Counties” campaign. Sponsored by Chair Denise Winfrey (D-Joliet), the three-year public affairs advocacy initiative is designed to elevate awareness of county responsibilities, programs, and services. Participation in the program carries no financial cost to the county. The resolution states the county will utilize social media, news releases, and public events to inform constituents about Will County’s work in maintaining infrastructure, administering elections, and coordinating disaster assistance.

2027 Federal and State Legislative Agenda Submissions
Chief of Staff Chuck Pelkie introduced Resolution 26-4757, presenting the initial departmental submissions for the county’s 2027 Federal and State Legislative Agendas. While no formal action was taken to adopt the agendas, the packet revealed extensive lobbying requests from various county agencies. The Will County Health Department is requesting state and federal funding for IT infrastructure modernization (S.3315) to combat ransomware, as well as opposition to SB 2702, which would expand the off-farm sale of unpasteurized raw milk. The Emergency Management Agency is advocating for the Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act (H.R. 744) to streamline FEMA reimbursements, while the Will County Division of Transportation is seeking support for the BASICS Act (H.R. 7437) to secure a larger share of federal formula funding for locally owned bridges. Committee members will have the opportunity to add their own legislative items before the agendas are finalized.