New Illinois Laws 2018: Ethics, Transparency, Local Government

Election Code Public Question Notice (HB 512): Amends the Election Code to allow notice of public referenda to be up to 60 days prior instead of 30.

Transportation and Technology (HB 607): Permits counties outside of Cook County to abolish road districts through public referendum.

Amends the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act (HB 659): Allows the sanitary district to participate in any available nutrient trading program in the state for meeting quality standards.

Fire Protection Districts (HB 733): Allows the Fire Protection District Board of Trustees to levy a special tax for expenses for emergency and rescue crews and equipment via referendum.

Changes the Illinois Police Training Act (HB 1895): Requires law enforcement agencies to include training in handling stress, trauma, and post‐traumatic stress.

Annexation of a Contiguous Territory (HB 2407): Allows municipalities to annex contiguous territory across a body of water.

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Open Meetings (HB 2538): Requires open meetings of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to be broadcast to the public and maintained in real‐time on the Board's website using a high‐speed internet connections.

Tollway Highway Grade Separations (HB 2581): Requires local municipalities to enter into a maintenance agreement with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority whenever the Authority has constructed or will construct grade separations or interchange improvements in the future.

Legal Notices (HB 2585): Provides that if there isn't a newspaper in an area, then public notices that are required by law may be published in a secular newspaper that has general circulation within the unit of local government or school district.

Proof of Fire Coverage (HB 2778): Allows a fire protection district to annex, by ordinance, property into its jurisdiction for which the district is providing coverage. It stipulates the method in which the property owner must be notified.

IFA-Fire Trucks (HB 3108): Allows fire departments, fire protection districts, or non‐profit ambulance services to receive loans of up to $200,000 for the purchase of ambulances.

Local Government Consolidation (SB 3): Allows local government units to dissolve via referendum.

Competitive Bidding (SB 422): Allows townships to be exempt from competitive bidding for purposes ofbuying used fire and safety equipment only.

Abandoned Housing Rehab Terms (SB 1562): Requires that anyone looking to claim temporary possession of a property for rehabilitation must show the court that the municipality or local governing body has provided approval of their rehabilitation plan.

Construction and Demolition Debris (SB 1807): Bars municipalities from contracting with people or companies for the disposal of general construction or demolition debris.

Public Health Jurisdiction (SB 2057): Prohibits the health department from having jurisdiction over or regulating a private residential leasehold unless it regulates private single‐family residential property in a similar manner

Local Government Unfunded Mandates (SB 2066): Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to submit a yearly report on mandates, including the estimated compliance cost, to the General Assembly.

Also Watch: New Illinois Laws in 2018 That Could Change Your Life