DuPage County Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee met April 26.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
1. CALL TO ORDER
11:30 AM meeting was called to order by Chair Dawn DeSart at 12:06 PM. 2. ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Selmon, DeSart, LaPlante, Chaplin
ABSENT: Renehan, Zay
Other County Board Members in Attendance: Paula Deacon Garcia (County Board Member)
Staff in Attendance: Joan Olson (Chief Communications Officer), Jason Blumenthal (Policy and Program Manager), Nick Alfonso (State's Attorney's Office)
Guests in Attendance: Marc Poulos (State Lobbyist) and Chip Humes (State Lobbyist)
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee - Regular Meeting - Mar 22, 2022 11:30 AM
RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Dawn DeSart, Chair
SECONDER: Elizabeth Chaplin, District 2
AYES: Selmon, DeSart, LaPlante, Chaplin
ABSENT: Renehan, Zay
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment was offered.
5. CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS - CHAIR DESART
Chair DeSart did not offer Chairman's Remarks.
6. DISCUSSION
A. End of Session Update
Chair DeSart welcomed State Lobbyists Marc Poulos and Chip Humes to provide a thorough overview on the end of the Spring Legislative session. Mr. Poulos provided an extensive summary of the session, and highlighted many budget bills including House Bill 900, Senate Bill 2803, House Bill 4700, Senate Bill 1975, the motor fuel tax suspension, and detailed many funding programs. Mr. Poulos provided an update on bills specific to DuPage County as well, including House Bill 4643 (the Animal Welfare Act).
Chair DeSart requested an update for the items on the DuPage County 2022 State Legislative Agenda, with a focus on local public health infrastructure. Mr. Poulos provided an update on appropriations and grants that may be able to support the local public health infrastructure in DuPage County.
Member Garcia, Chair DeSart, Member Chaplin, and Mr. Poulos had a discussion regarding grants and the process of applying for grants.
Chair DeSart and Member Chaplin thanked Mr. Poulos and Mr. Humes for the detailed end of session report.
7. OLD BUSINESS
No old business was offered.
8. NEW BUSINESS
No new business was offered.
9. ADJOURNMENT
This meeting was adjourned by Chair DeSart without objection at 12:39 p.m.
1. ***11:30 AM OR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE COUNTY BOARD MEETING***
2. CALL TO ORDER
11:30 AM meeting was called to order by Chair Dawn DeSart at 11:42 AM.
3. ROLL CALL
PRESENT: Selmon, Renehan, DeSart, LaPlante, Chaplin, Zay
ABSENT:
Other County Board Members in attendance: Sheila Rutledge
Staff in attendance: Sheryl Markay (Chief Policy and Program Officer), Nick Alfonso (State's Attorney's Office), Jason Blumenthal (Policy and Program Manager)
Guests in attendance: Dave Sullivan (State Lobbyist) via Zoom
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A. Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee - Regular Meeting - Mar 8, 2022 11:30
RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Dawn DeSart, Chair
SECONDER: Elizabeth Chaplin, District 2
AYES: Selmon, Renehan, DeSart, LaPlante, Chaplin, Zay
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment was offered.
6. CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS - CHAIR DESART
Chair DeSart introduced House Bill 4729, as a public awareness bill regarding safe gun storage.
She asked this committee to consider a federal bill called Ethan’s Law that has enforcement provisions against irresponsible gun owners and provided a brief overview and history of Ethan’s Law.
7. ACTION ITEMS
A. Action Item -- Support of House Bill 4729, Safe Gun Storage
Member Chaplin discussed that many departments in DuPage County play a role in supporting public safety, not just the Sheriff’s Department, and this should be considered while reviewing this bill. Member Zay inquired what role DuPage County plays in gun safety. He mentioned that this bill is a great concept, but it is ultimately something that is not addressed at the County level.
There was a further discussion, and Chair DeSart invited State Lobbyist, Dave Sullivan, to speak to the status of the bill, and he stated this bill is still in the Senate Assignments Committee and may not advance this Spring.
Member LaPlante and Chair DeSart discussed the purpose of this committee voting on this bill if it will not advance this session. Mr. Sullivan let the committee know that they could vote in support of this bill during this meeting, or in the future, and stated that either way would be acceptable.
Member Selmon asked Mr. Sullivan if there was an appropriation to fund this campaign.
Mr. Sullivan said there had been some discussions, but funding for this legislation is not currently in the budget.
Member Chaplin said that when the committee supports a bill, it sends a message to constituents, and it tells the County’s delegation what constituents would like to support.
A motion to support House Bill 4729 on Safe Gun Storage was made by Chair DeSart.
RESULT: APPROVED [5 TO 1]
MOVER: Dawn DeSart, Chair
SECONDER: Elizabeth Chaplin, District 2
AYES: Renehan, DeSart, LaPlante, Chaplin, Zay
NAYS: Selmon
8. DISCUSSION
A. Motion to add Member Sheila Rutledge as a committee member for quorum purposes
Member LaPlante, Member Zay and Member Chaplin left the meeting at 11:55 a.m. In order to meet a quorum, Member Rutledge was added as a committee member.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Dawn DeSart, Chair
SECONDER: Julie Renehan, District 3
AYES: Selmon, Renehan, DeSart
ABSENT: Zay
ABSENT: LaPlante, Chaplin
B. Springfield Update
Chair DeSart welcomed State Lobbyist Dave Sullivan to provide a status update on legislation that the committee would like to address. Mr. Sullivan provided an overview of the LGDF (Local Governmental Distributive Fund), the Gas Tax, House Bill 5690, Medicaid Funding, and the SAFE-T Act Trailer Bill. He mentioned there will be more clarity on these items after the Spring session concludes in a few weeks.
9. OLD BUSINESS
No old business was offered.
10. NEW BUSINESS
Member Renehan mentioned that she spoke with Janelle Chadwick, the Administrator at the
DuPage Care Center, about funding for nursing homes. She stated she would like to educate a members of the Health and Human Services committee on the Medicaid reimbursement process and invited members of the Legislative committee to attend as well.
11. ADJOURNMENT
Without objection, the meeting was adjourned at 12:12 p.m.
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