[{"_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",6213415,"mediaKeyId","3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228","parentId",3676706,"title","Will County committee hears federal reconciliation bill could expand Medicaid, tighten SNAP and unsettle FEMA grant programs","audioSeconds",2074,"startMs",192000,"endMs",2266000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228&start=192&end=2266","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228/thumbnail_192000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6213415/Will-County/Illinois/Will-County-committee-hears-federal-reconciliation-bill-could-expand-Medicaid-tighten-SNAP-and-unsettle-FEMA-grant-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6213415-7d4450d63f6f8d5094e322b525a9b9fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452817&Signature=X5bV~~WbQHO7KzwCjbMMy~lgRq1eORyjevLUyc79Af7FmTe7HwFJ~jzccOywGtgvwMXJgXZQfuHmZpZqQpVIHewQsHEA0iB443Fi5bYEzrDKshBfHrNQ-NPv6YuYQk7D6iqTnq83KkqlmEhSQJkqOKz~2F529y2owvQzZ9apRQanN1acLbYH6vWbAEMknxz3Kl7VVSXiHkBI-1W029xg2RNJ8ZJt70JNOBxXXZJb34k8afnDKftLx3HDDC7FhO8V1KU-sjWAjdHCnhQlQdjxJujUNO6QA8u8wwV7N2lgqt6YUv-1ha4I-0YXxH7O8HeHKM1k0T-cSSD6DsvI92KbcQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Will County, IL","date","2025-06-04T19:16:47Z","article","Will County Board Legislative Committee members heard a briefing May 6 on a House-passed reconciliation bill and the county's federal agenda, including potential changes to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility and uncertainty around federal resilience grants.

The reconciliation bill, passed narrowly in the U.S. House, \"passed with a very, very small margin,\" a federal lobbyist told the committee, and lawmakers \"want to get this bill passed in the Senate by July 4,\" the lobbyist said. Committee members were told the Senate's version is expected to be moderated but that substantial program changes remain possible.

The county's federal lobbyists said the House text would expand work requirements in Medicaid and SNAP, raise the age range covered by able-bodied work rules and could require larger state financial contributions to Medicaid. \"There is a lot going on in Washington,\" one lobbyist said, and the package is large and complex.

Committee members pressed for specifics. Member Butler asked whether the changes the lobbyists described were new; the lobbyists replied they appear to expand existing work-requirement frameworks and that the bill is lengthy and detailed. One lobbyist told the committee, \"this is a 4,000 page bill,\" and offered to provide the committee the precise language and follow-up briefings.

The lobbyists also discussed administration actions affecting federal resilience and hazard-mitigation funding. Committee members were told that FEMA has canceled the BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) program, and that while Flood Mitigation Assistance has not been eliminated in the materials the lobbyists reviewed, the status of grant solicitations and program administration is changing. \"I haven't heard that they're eliminating [Flood Mitigation Assistance], and there should be opportunities with it,\" a lobbyist said, adding they would double-check and confirm application timelines.

Members raised local implications. Member Berglitz said health departments, schools and the judicial system could be affected if Medicaid and SNAP are cut, and asked for exact citations for the proposed changes. Member Freeman requested clarification about specific SNAP provisions (age cutoffs and marital exemptions) and was told the lobbyists would provide written answers because the bill is long and details vary across provisions.

County staff and lobbyists urged departments to furnish any specific questions in writing so the office can provide precise citations and to watch the Senate process closely. The lobbyists also described the county's federal agenda priorities (transportation, public health, workforce and infrastructure) and encouraged members to submit redlines to the draft agenda for inclusion with delegation outreach.

The committee took no formal votes related to the reconciliation bill; members directed staff to obtain the precise bill language and to report back.

County officials said they will continue monitoring the Senate process and federal grant notices and will circulate follow-up materials and legal citations to the committee when available.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Will County Legislative Committee Meeting June 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Will County Board Legislative Committee members heard a briefing May 6 on a House-passed reconciliation bill that lobbyists said could expand Medicaid and SNAP work requirements and on changing federal grant programs such as FEMA's BRIC.","taxTitle","Will County, Illinois","taxId",2549,"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},6213406,"Will County members raise concerns about letters to Springfield that cited board support",1124,3882000,5006000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228&start=3882&end=5006","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228/thumbnail_3882000.jpg","/articles/6213406/Will-County/Illinois/Will-County-members-raise-concerns-about-letters-to-Springfield-that-cited-board-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6213406-994d636883021b2a8b6793a928e3df13/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452817&Signature=WInY5s9UNMbarrapoUq3qmXg6b1yKG7tMcIs25wdwnFNp~i6H0bQ1n2LBEr8n98whhu~YZoUS1x-c2ehhi~NLbZkWQ3B50cafCL2TXxtE3d1IDyxUoQfAzDSDDJ5fDdJEOcLC9nhgashB1a1XitYiJ7GIRXF6ioKi6Zjuyv5zJAK5HD46UwQBMDSMoR1b7Rt5UTMbTSL1n4w8I4h7Q-He5Dg1-xhqUShTUbQ6GzDfdfPssPsiehYq54LeyXbXfP1yITUlaCE~S4ckx2ax1A9QkVXrNnM4QwM7UM-fA-ZCdt3FsR22BOvWPZ59yk~OvZwHr~j8ICOwssmZc2-1Z95AA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A dispute over letters sent to state legislators surfaced at the May 6 Will County Board Legislative Committee meeting after members said correspondence dated May 29 and May 30 urged state lawmakers to hold a particular bill and listed county board members as signers.

\"The letters were sent out on May 29 and May 30 from members of this board urging our state legislators to hold s b 2 50,\" a committee member said during new-business discussion, identifying the dates and the two letters. The member said one letter was signed by both party leaders and another by a single board member and that both letters claimed a total of 12 county board members were in agreement.

Several committee members objected that the correspondence appeared to use the board's letterhead and included names and leadership roles, creating the impression of full-board endorsement. \"It feels to me that it was sent out in a way that it was to put the weight of the board behind it,\" the speaker said. Other members said they had not seen the letter and that some people whose names appeared told them they had not agreed to be included.

County staff said they had not circulated the letter to all members and that they would distribute the correspondence and recommended materials to the committee. \"Staff is gonna send that out to every member of the committee,\" a staff member said during the meeting.

Participants debated whether caucus statements or individual members contacting legislators are permissible. One member said they have used caucus letterhead in the past to show others were co-signers, while others said the practice risks creating confusion about official county positions. Several members asked for guidance about appropriate use of county letterhead and whether the matter implicates Open Meetings Act procedures.

The committee did not take formal action. Members asked staff to circulate the letters and to obtain an opinion from the state's attorney on whether any rules or Open Meetings Act issues apply. Committee leadership said the item will be revisited after members review the circulated materials.","Committee members questioned whether letters sent May 29'30 to state legislators used county letterhead and listed board members who said they had not approved or signed the correspondence, prompting discussion about caucus practices and the need for a rules review.",{"_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},6213409,"State session leaves Will County watching transit funding shortfall, energy and local land-use rules",461,2322000,2783000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228&start=2322&end=2783","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3676706-89762ca5b52f7129527d1a5a742f4228/thumbnail_2322000.jpg","/articles/6213409/Will-County/Illinois/State-session-leaves-Will-County-watching-transit-funding-shortfall-energy-and-local-land-use-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6213409-d84ede4a4bf752356b56f3d9c6e514c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770452817&Signature=E09qSeifXI0dLrXztendacVHc2lAkTrH9Xlni05tG6cpSBK5wPemXLJFMyHqC2oBmnLbGjwLv6mhAntu9b0r0ehAmsteaEk~Jj~ZUyuBYEpmy7NDjRTEEboPcMAXjpraPi8gAihP74flzTVnVhan9DYO~RMmihORXTW6QM-QC0V2tiBXNsjaP8QIxy8Imk9xIewNPtpxq1Kq1ormRy8fRnvMMaZpss~-~oxujC0TUbpf6IeJhOntsYg36tMpWEC5QV3pIRCVoh5YfdhOAkA6zQQ-xAJGYJWSlMIQhO2YNoVK7aLDjQiveTFKwmxz6RRnjtNceova-UYh4R0Ih2~qjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Will County Board Legislative Committee members received a state legislative briefing May 6 that covered bills relevant to county operations, an unresolved transit funding shortfall, and proposed state changes that further limit county control over renewable energy projects.

State lobbyists from MacStrategies summarized session outcomes and bills the county had tracked. \"House Bill 1364, the Joliet Arsenal Development Authority bill, passed both chambers,\" one presenter said, and other measures such as House Bill 663 (a sanitary-district consolidation) were enacted. Several bills the county followed either passed the budget with partial funding (local health protection grants) or stalled in the Senate.

Presenters described a looming transit \"fiscal cliff.\" State analysts estimate a shortfall for transit agencies in the Chicago region at roughly $770 million for the upcoming fiscal period; presenters warned that, without additional funding, agencies could face service outages. The Senate debated several funding proposals including redirecting revenue streams from collar counties and a per-delivery fee; one package that passed the Senate would have placed a $1.50 delivery fee on most deliveries but excluded groceries and prescriptions. That package did not advance in the House before adjournment, leaving no enacted fix when the legislature recessed.

County members raised questions about bills the board has tracked. The presenters said House Bill 3517 (a DCEO grant for the Joliet Historical Museum) was included in the final budget and that a Quick Take request for 143rd Street (referred to in committee materials as the Will County Quick Take, Hundred And 40 Third Street bill) passed the county board previously and remains a live legislative matter. County staff later told the committee the county's earlier board resolution asking the state for Quick Take powers passed the county board after a tie vote was broken by the county executive.

On energy policy, the presenters said a proposed state energy package stalled late in the session, in part because of concerns that aggressive battery-storage provisions could impose high costs on refineries and risked causing closures. Presenters also said the spring'session included language reaffirming that the state has narrowed counties'authority over siting large renewable-energy projects; the presenters cautioned that the legislature's direction leaves counties with limited permitting levers.

Board members asked for follow-up on several items: the specific status of the Quick Take matter in Springfield, progress on bills that would change truck weights or EV weight exemptions, and tracking of the forest-preserve referendum proposal. Presenters said they would keep the committee updated and add items of local concern (sewers, water outages in Joliet, Asian carp funding) to the county's state agenda for legislators.

No county votes were taken on state bills at the meeting; members directed staff to provide updated bill trackers and to circulate proposed redlines for the county's state legislative agenda.","Will County's legislative update covered a range of state bills that advanced or stalled in Springfield, and flagged a regional'scale transit funding shortfall that lawmakers did not resolve before adjournment. The committee also discussed state moves affecting county authority over renewable-energy siting.","actionData","errors"]

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Will County committee hears federal reconciliation bill could expand Medicaid, tighten SNAP and unsettle FEMA grant programs

Will County members raise concerns about letters to Springfield that cited board support

State session leaves Will County watching transit funding shortfall, energy and local land-use rules