Cook County Board President Richard Phelan (D-Winnetka) will bring his campaign against burdensome state laws to Lake County on Wednesday, when he will appear with local officials to call for change.
Phelan is launching a drive to amend the Illinois Constitution to outlaw unfunded mandates, a spokeswoman said Monday.
Local officials have long criticized such state laws, which sometimes require local government to implement costly programs but do not provide money for them.
Democratic officials from Lake County are scheduled to join Phelan for the conference, among them Lake County Clerk Linda Hess.
Phelan is expected to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in next spring’s primary.
One of Lake County’s leading advocates for abolition of unfunded mandates is County Board Chairman Robert Depke (R-Gurnee). Depke will be out of town for a public hearing on the future of the Great Lakes Naval Training Center Wednesday.