Lake County Legislative Committee Meeting Summary - October 6, 2026

The Lake County Legislative Committee met on October 6, 2026 at 1:00 PM. The meeting was called to order by Chair Wasek, with remote attendance available via Zoom. The committee reviewed the final draft of the 2027 legislative agenda, received federal and state legislative updates, and discussed potential comments on a proposed Census rule.

Consent Calendar

• The committee approved three sets of minutes (items 8.1, 3.3, and a third set) by voice vote on a motion by Vice Chair Campos, seconded by Member Frank, with no opposition.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were offered.

Discussion Items

• Federal Legislative Update (Clayton W., Washington Representative): Clayton reported that Congress is in recess until after the midterm elections and will reconvene for a lame-duck session with a December 11 deadline for a continuing resolution. He highlighted six expiring pieces of legislation: appropriations, the Build America Act (surface transportation), the farm bill, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Defense Authorization Act, and the Water Resources Development Act. He also noted pending bills on flock camera regulation and the Ratepayer Protection Act (passed House 417-3, stalled in Senate). Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule that would count only full legal citizens in the Census. Comments on that rule are due November 2, 2026. Members discussed the possibility of submitting a county comment letter, with Member Frank expressing interest in understanding NACo’s position. Staff were directed to prepare a summary and circulate for committee feedback, with the option of a special meeting before the next scheduled meeting on November 3 (Election Day).
• State Legislative Update (Derek and Mike, Springfield Representatives): Springfield is in recess until November 17, with a six-day fall veto session (November 17-19 and December 1-3). Possible priority items include data center regulation, excess revenue collections, and a supplemental appropriations bill for the Chicago Board of Education. Derek noted that the Power Act is more likely to be considered in the January 2027 session than in the fall veto session.
• 2027 Legislative Agenda Review (Matt Shepherd, staff): The committee reviewed the proposed 2027 legislative program. Most items remained unchanged from the previous month. A key discussion focused on the Power Act, specifically the attached Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act, which would mandate automated solar permitting software by July 2027. Eric Wagner, Planning, Building & Development Director, explained that the mandate is an unfunded mandate, would require costly software integration, and could weaken safety checks on residential solar installations. He noted that Lake County already achieves SolSmart Gold status and approves most residential solar permits in one to two days. Members expressed concerns: Kevin opposed the mandate as it removes manual review and could compromise safety; Jessica suggested proactive outreach to legislators to offer improvements based on the county’s experience. The committee agreed to support the Power Act overall but oppose the solar mandate component and to convey that position to the delegation and co-sponsors. Two additional topics of interest were noted for future consideration: the Make Polluters Pay Act and plug-in solar legislation, which may emerge in the next legislative session.
• Census Rule Comments: Chair Wasek requested staff to draft potential comments on the DHS proposed Census rule. The deadline is November 2, 2026, one day before the next regular meeting (November 3). Staff will research NACo and ISACo positions and may convene a special meeting if needed.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda Approved: Three sets of minutes were approved unanimously by voice vote.
• 2027 Legislative Agenda Approved: The committee approved the 2027 legislative agenda by voice vote, with the understanding that the county opposes the residential automated solar permitting mandate within the Power Act. Staff were directed to communicate this position to the legislative delegation.
• Census Comment Direction: Staff were directed to prepare a summary of the DHS proposed rule and draft comments for committee feedback, with potential special meeting scheduling before November 2.
• Next Meeting: The next regular meeting is scheduled for November 3, 2026 (Election Day). A possible special meeting may be held the week prior to address Census comments.