[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6272363,"mediaKeyId","3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a","parentId",3027899,"title","Kane County emergency management and public health warn grant delays and cuts could strain local programs","audioSeconds",478,"startMs",2292000,"endMs",2770000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a&start=2292&end=2770","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a/thumbnail_2292000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6272363/Kane-County/Illinois/Kane-County-emergency-management-and-public-health-warn-grant-delays-and-cuts-could-strain-local-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272363-a273caec378fedb32488b0609883eac7/orig.mp4?Expires=1777643625&Signature=hRIHJ1d1O9FjCnTcpTVC17zXJPwqaS83OVP50Ivtf8Nz5hXPmac0sscs7ZXWwO1Pwx3CmTcdGhub5YqqTxecvn6smrtAzXNPOIqvD8QDa18TROVETiIbThdqc74S29NJG4ZqEKV~aaY8bUSB36UUfX8bYLv0WsM7hBqftT7UUPBmr2YGPAZn9abz4~gKFcFdLFTbeYjLSDpoz3gnBR~-PBpvUuVdphjndp8gXFd~CvOVHdiiBgfHcmmqUOrDomZq0dciPT5wWQg-KYFLWXGf3nDP1JqTKLXruS-68UxnrTFGKsttLoCvhpMoqqioiGJTHtgqeRG-gFWWEjRn5pKu1Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kane County, IL","date","2025-04-16T15:29:20Z","article","Scott Busecki, director of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), briefed the committee on recent state legislative negotiations and a series of federal grant risks that OEM and local public-health officials say could strain county operations.

Busecki described work on Senate Bill 71 (rail and school safety). He said an earlier version of the bill would have required the county emergency-management office to develop evacuation plans for every school in the county — public and private — which he said would have been “a monumental task.” He said Kane County has about 175 public schools and an unknown number of private schools; McHenry County, which is smaller, estimated it would have needed four planners to comply. After negotiations involving county lobbyists and local partners, he said the current language places primary responsibility for school plans with the schools while the county provides technical assistance and data.

Busecki also described immediate federal funding concerns. He said the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) allocation to Kane County this year is about $85,000 and that the payment — although approved — had not yet been received; staff were told the disbursement was being “slow-walked” and might require additional paperwork despite an existing lawsuit that ordered payment. Busecki said longer-term uncertainty about federal mitigation grants (sometimes referred to as BRIC — Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) and cancellation of certain grant opportunities threatens planned mitigation work, including future updates to the county’s natural-hazard mitigation plan and the emergency operations plan (EOP), both of which have statutory update cycles.

Michael Isaacson, the health department legislative liaison, told the committee federal funding reductions are already affecting public-health programs. He said one grant reduction would create roughly a $700,000 hit to the health department and could affect multiple positions. Isaacson said much local public-health work depends on federal dollars that flow through state agencies and then to counties.

Why it matters: OEM and public-health planning and staffing rely on federal grants that county officials say are already approved or expected; delays, reduced awards or changed federal priorities could force staff reductions, delay mitigation planning and raise costs for the county.

Committee members discussed possible engagement with national associations (including NACo) and the role of lobbyists in safeguarding grant flows. No formal county vote was taken at the meeting; staff requested continued lobbyist assistance to press for timely disbursement and to pursue mitigation and planning grants.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","KC Legislative Committee April 16 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Kane County emergency-management and public-health officials warned the county faces grant delays and cuts that could force staffing impacts and complicate mandated planning work.","taxTitle","Kane County, Illinois","taxId",12845,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6272367,"Kane County lobbyists outline federal funding push and list state bills for county attention",370,904000,1274000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a&start=904&end=1274","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a/thumbnail_904000.jpg","/articles/6272367/Kane-County/Illinois/Kane-County-lobbyists-outline-federal-funding-push-and-list-state-bills-for-county-attention","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272367-8f17bcce155cd372914f94359298d90a/orig.mp4?Expires=1777643625&Signature=FrFzHRWSpupRcyVkHB5dVbzDDmuEic7asdCJIodYVR~Tx9IhCqFIja9P1MZvRHO2SO4qGIYEftejNIRLWSTXti1kh76hjfxVXVCr0rAsFWmojPlCvDGUuAlNX6VzwC4LSxWv3fFmgGG0RICzFnLeKQf4kZ~LHx6mawf7D4NeZZYEhLN-R7~9YektsmgR2nlAwE~U3DstTPcjadVlFts5unm6reeE2MzimHyBM0IteCFggBe8HPy5m7QASIm0kqTmq5oW0gw5qI4RBFPQQ~fbuRYMRFNdnslCgN8qiPxOpMEQhdgEdLaZCutBef~qMnaXSvO-ONEFJkWdeEBI14SjzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Greg, a lobbyist from McGuireWoods, gave the legislative committee a combined federal and state update focused on two priorities: (1) the federal budget and congressional-directed spending for fiscal year 2026 and (2) a set of state bills the county has tracked or helped negotiate.

On the federal side, Greg said two items were central: the budget reconciliation process and the resubmission of congressional-directed spending (community project funding) requests. He said the House recently passed a budget resolution that instructs authorizing committees to devise spending plans, and that affected committees are expected to schedule hearings in early May. He told the committee that many congressionally directed projects that county staff had secured for fiscal year 2025 were lost when a continuing resolution (CR) eliminated such earmarks; as a result the county is resubmitting requests for FY2026.

Greg also reviewed state legislation the county is tracking or has worked on with its lobbyists and county staff. Key items he mentioned include:

- Senate Bill 1909: described as a quick-take authorizing bill. Greg said the measure had moved between the chambers and that Senator DeWitt had been a sponsor on the senate side; the county expects it to progress without significant opposition. The county described the measure as intended to help secure property needed to ensure a large federal grant can move forward.

- House Bill 2442 (traffic signal preemption): Greg said the bill passed unanimously out of the House with bipartisan sponsors and that senators DeWitt and Castro were expected to take it up in the Senate. The measure was requested by county emergency management.

- Senate Bill 1424 (leasing of county property): Greg described this as a negotiated, sometimes tricky bill involving unions and the state's attorney's office. He said the county had an extension on third reading in the Senate through May 9 and that negotiations were ongoing.

- Senate Bill 71 (rail and school safety): Greg said the county worked with local emergency-management officials and the city of Aurora to negotiate language so the bill requires local emergency-management and schools to coordinate plans rather than requiring county staff to develop individual evacuation plans for every school.

Committee members asked for clarification on several items. Commissioner Tepe asked about the status of a property-tax freeze for seniors; Greg said he needed staff specialists (Louie or James) to answer and would follow up after the call. Committee members and staff also discussed ongoing work to resubmit FY25 congressional projects (including a Randall/Big Timber roadway project and radio communications equipment) and federal programs the county is pursuing, such as Safe Streets for All eligibility and 5310 transit submittals.

Why it matters: the federal funding processes and state bills described by the lobbyist affect county projects, grant reimbursements and staff workload. The county’s ability to secure federal funds for roadway, transit and communications projects depends on timely resubmittal and congressional selection; state bills affect county authority for property and leasing and emergency planning obligations.

No formal committee votes were taken on these updates during the meeting; staff and the lobbyist will continue to pursue project resubmissions and negotiations with legislators.","McGuireWoods lobbyist Greg briefed the committee on federal budget processes and congressional directed-spending resubmissions, and reviewed several state bills affecting county operations, including a quick-take authorizing bill, traffic-signal preemption, county property leasing and a rail-and-school-safety measure.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6272372,"Resident urges Kane County committee to track prescription drug affordability bill targeting PBMs",184,696000,880000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a&start=696&end=880","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3027899-a4f0e02d79aea8a22600bf73bf3a506a/thumbnail_696000.jpg","/articles/6272372/Kane-County/Illinois/Resident-urges-Kane-County-committee-to-track-prescription-drug-affordability-bill-targeting-PBMs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6272372-e0c5e695a0ed039704d8f7ef707ce2bf/orig.mp4?Expires=1777643625&Signature=d~8lkOZGz4i~QGFba8HD0EecovdIBsnpYcVUwLwwkYkPaVHSNrGCr9u7nDWCJj2l1NEpJ3Jrgc1ZMOtzqHjYzZGJJ0WoJ7PaVuNN9cJkO~JJn7XTomXLB2KkqA0JELnfOyb7R6Ub1hIcAwZ15-fTE~O6oKPGOxmZN8Vy~niF-NX4TWT2O9MkJeWejimBxHSlR46j-IPtUkqV97M3KXI5ZrfrIRxBipv4MM3JdPiDtzB3-GNAS1nGpvz6n0gQzmJFMMyJw1p6Jl29Wny864Pn92uw8HzcMNYN1jTMrYFqQb2wopQUdAeLKx3CkvVbDKh348UdM0~LLUdxRxTUSHa-KQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Avelar, a member of the public, used the committee's public-comment period to ask the Kane County Legislative Committee to follow state legislation that would regulate pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs.

Avelar told the committee PBMs — including firms commonly known as the big three, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx — are increasingly vertically integrated with insurers and health-care conglomerates and said that regulation of PBMs has lagged behind other drug-affordability efforts. “This is near and dear to me,” Avelar said, describing prior roundtable discussions in Washington about prescription-drug affordability and his own advocacy on the subject.

Avelar asked the committee to add Senate Bill 709 to its watch list. He said SB709 was recently amended by Senate Amendment 1 in a “gut-and-replace” maneuver and was retitled the Prescription Drug Affordability Act. He requested that the committee consider sending the bill forward to the county executive committee’s May 9 meeting if the committee determines it should be on the county’s active legislative priorities.

Avelar also noted a bipartisan letter from 39 state attorneys general, circulated by the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), asking Congress to act on drug affordability. He said he had provided the committee chair with the letter and other materials for review.

Michelle Gumbs, chair of the legislative committee, acknowledged receipt of the materials and said the committee had forwarded them for review; she told Avelar the county would provide a response on May 7.

Why it matters: county legislative tracking and decisions about whether to actively support or monitor state and federal measures affect how county staff and lobbyists prioritize outreach and whether county officials will seek to influence or request amendments to bills that could affect residents’ access to affordable prescription drugs.

The committee did not take a formal vote on SB709 during the meeting; Avelar’s request was recorded in the public-comment record and forwarded to staff for follow up.","During public comment, Mark Avelar asked the Kane County Legislative Committee to add Senate Bill 709 — a renamed “Prescription Drug Affordability Act” that would regulate pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) — to the committee watch list and to consider reporting it to the county executive committee.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Kane County emergency management and public health warn grant delays and cuts could strain local programs

Kane County lobbyists outline federal funding push and list state bills for county attention

Resident urges Kane County committee to track prescription drug affordability bill targeting PBMs