The Illinois General Assembly enacted Public Act 102-0410, which provides that in counties with populations greater than 3 million, the public defender may represent noncitizens in immigration cases.

The Illinois General Assembly amended the Counties Code to provide an additional remedy for counties that find residential properties of one acre or less containing concentrations of unsafe garbage and other waste.

Illinois lawmakers recently amended the Drug Court Treatment Act to allow counties in the same judicial district to form a single drug court.

The Illinois General Assembly amended section 5-1006.5 of the Counties Code by adding terms which address "public facilities" in the "Special County Retailers' Occupation Tax" provision.

The Counties Code has been amended by adding section 42000 dealing with county ownership of a wind farm. 55 ILCS 5/42000. This new section provides that a county may "own and operate a wind generation turbine farm [wind farm]." 

In expanding the Counties Code, 55 ILCS 5/1-1001 et seq, the Illinois General Assembly has provided county boards or the "board of county commissioners of any county" with the authority to regulate "AM broadcast towers and facilities," in addition to the facilities of telecommunications carriers. 

Effective November 23, 2004, the Counties Code (55 ILCS 5) was amended by changing section 5-1097.5 to prohibit adult entertainment facilities from locating within 3,000 feet of the property boundaries of any school, day care center, cemetery, public park, forest preserve, public housing, and place of religious worship.