The Illinois House of Representatives reconvened for a special session on May 20 in the Bank of Springfield Center to accommodate social distancing due to COVID-19 concerns.

Members were spread across the center’s makeshift House floor, sat at folding chairs and desks with a free-standing microphone beside each lawmaker’s workstation.

Both House Republicans and Democrats went into caucus at the Bank of Springfield center shortly after they convened the special session.

The Republicans moved to another space within the convention center, and Democrats remaining on the floor.

The Senate reconvened on May 18 at the Capitol.

At the request of the Executive Director of the Board of Ethics, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, at the last City Council meeting, proposed an amendment to the lobbying ordinance passed late last year.

Lightfoot’s proposed Ordinance 2020-2328 would amend Chapter 2-156 of the Municipal Code regarding lobbying to allow elected officials from outside Chicago to lobby the City Council, the mayor’s office and other city government offices, as long as the public body they represent doesn’t have pending or recurring legislative or contractual matters involving the city of Chicago.

If passed the ordinance would become effective immediately.

The Board of Ethics is extending the first quarterly report filing deadline from April 20 to June 1 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

First quarter reports cover the period from January 1 to March 31 and must be filed even if there was no activity.

In addition, 2020 mandatory online lobbyist training has not been posted and the training deadline has been extended past June 30.

The Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform missed the March 31 deadline for submitting their draft report.

The commission cited the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commission was established in December of 2019 to consider ethics reform in Illinois.

Since its inception, the commission has conducted six public hearings, heard testimony from 38 witnesses, and received extensive feedback from stakeholders.

It’s work was nearly complete with the only task remaining of issuing a final report.

The commission last met March 5 and had planned to meet once more before the deadline.

Members requested reasonable date extensions for completion of the report, but those requests were denied.

This leaves the completion date for the report open-ended at this time.

Lobbying semimonthly reporting deadlines are now extended for 60 days, pushing the April 5 due date to June 4.

In response to the exponential spread of COVID-19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-18 on April 1.

The order extends prior executive orders for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations, which currently extends through April 30.

The Legislature also remains suspended through next week.

Additionally, lawmakers have been asked to keep their calendars clear for possible return dates.

Illinois Lawmakers canceled a second week of legislative sessions to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The General Assembly was scheduled to come back to Springfield on March 24.

The deadline for House bills to move out of committee, March 27, has been extended to April 3.

Members may end up meeting during the scheduled spring break period, April 6-17.

The deadline to move bills out of Senate committee is still set for March 27.

The Illinois Constitution requires lawmakers pass a budget before they adjourn on May 31.

Under the Illinois Constitution and state law, the General Assembly cannot hold remote sessions.

The Board of Ethics is delaying implementation of Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305, previously set for April 20 to July 1.

The ordinance imposes new registration and reporting requirements on certain nonprofit interactions with the city.

Steven Berlin, Executive Director for the Chicago Board of Ethics, explained as the city and groups around Chicago work to respond to COVID-19, delaying enforcement until the third quarter is appropriate.

Advisory Opinion Case No. 202012.Q was issued to provide guidance regarding gifts and services to aid the city in its official response to COVID-19.

The Board of Ethics also canceled the two remaining prescheduled March in-person ethics training seminars for March 17 and March 26.

Berlin indicated the training will be posted online as soon as possible and the completion deadline will be extended accordingly.

The quarterly activity reporting deadlines of April 20 and July 20 remain in effect.

The Office of the Secretary of State has closed through March 31 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Online access remains available to all lobbyists and authorized agents.

Statutorily required deadlines, including lobbying semimonthly reports, are extended for 30 days.

The office indicates this status may be updated as operations are reviewed.

On Wednesday March 11, lawmakers cancelled all legislative sessions through next week.

This will also include all other events scheduled to take place at the Capitol in Springfield, including lobby day events and tours of the Capitol.

Senate President Don Harmon announced next week’s legislative sessions are canceled due to public health concerns over the coronavirus.

The General Assembly was set to return to session in Springfield next Wednesday, the day after Tuesday’s primary.

Illinois State District 28 Sen. Laura Murphy announced she is working with District 55 Rep. Martin Moylan on an omnibus bill for ethics reform to fight corruption.

The bill will likely incorporate provisions from six existing bills, including recently passed Senate Bill 1639 and House Joint Resolution 93.

Senate Bill 1639 increases disclosure requirements for registered lobbyists.

Meanwhile House Joint Resolution 93 establishes the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform.

The omnibus bill may also incorporate the following provisions:

• • To require members of the General Assembly to be immediately removed from any leadership position if charged with a crime (Senate Bill 2488).
  • To prohibit members of the General Assembly and members of his or her family from engaging in lobbying (Senate Bill 3020).
  • To prohibit members of the General Assembly from engaging in lobbying for two years after leaving office (Senate Bill 3588).
  • To create a uniform statement of economic interest for anyone required to file under the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (Senate Bill 3318).

The Chicago Board of Ethics released a fourth binding advisory opinion to provide additional guidance on Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305.

Effective April 20, it will impose new registration and reporting requirements on certain nonprofit interactions with the city.

The board states the 14 questions addressed in the new advisory opinion reflect the fundamental principal of Chicago’s lobbying law:

If an individual is paid by another person or organization to influence city administrative or legislative actions, the activity should be done transparently, either through official documented administrative processes or through registration and reporting lobbying activity.

Lawmakers introduced legislation to expand the definition of lobbying  to include promoting or opposing the passage of any local legislative matter by a unit of local government.

House Bill 5468, sponsored by Rep. Maurice A. West, defines local legislative matter as any bill, resolution, nomination, ordinance, or other issue or proposal pending before the unit of local government, its legislative body, or any committee, subcommittee, or commission.

If passed prior to June 1, the bill would become effective January 1, 2021.

If passed after to May 31, the bill would become effective June 1, 2021.

John Cullerton, a Democrat from the North Side, resigned from Senate District 6 after more than four decades in office. Cullerton served as the 38th president of the state Senate.

Sen. Don Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park, was elected unanimously to replace Cullerton as Senate president.

Democratic ward and township committeemen within the 6th District have 30 days after Cullerton’s resignation to name a replacement.

Because Cullerton did not file paperwork for his retirement with the Secretary of the Senate, there will not be a primary for the seat in March.

Local Democratic and Republican party leaders in Cullerton’s district will select who will be on the November ballot to finish out Cullerton’s term ending January 2023.

The Chicago Board of Ethics issued a press release and three binding advisory opinions.

These opinions clarify what does and does not constitute lobbying activity by nonprofit organizations.

The opinions include a total of 44 scenarios or hypothetical situations addressing concerns raised by the nonprofit community in response to recently passed amendments to lobbying laws.

Effective April 20, Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305 imposes new registration and reporting requirements on certain nonprofit interactions with the city.