The Board of Ethics announced a further delay in the implementation of Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305, previously set for January 1, 2021.

Implementation is set for April 1, 2021, due to the continuing work by the city and many non-profit organizations in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

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

With the announcement, the Board and the Mayor’s Office stated they are committed to working with nonprofit organizations and stakeholders to understand and respond to their concerns about this law and on working toward amendments that increase transparency in Chicago.

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 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.

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.

The city of Chicago announced a three-month delay for the effective date of an ordinance expanding the definition of lobbyist.

The expansion would include persons acting on behalf of a nonprofit if they undertake those efforts as a matter of professional engagement, regardless of pay or compensation.

Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305, originally scheduled to be effective January 1, 2020, will provide exceptions to the registration requirements for persons who, either as a member of, or on behalf of, a not-for-profit entity conduct nonpartisan analysis or research, provide technical advice, or examine broad social and economic problems.

City Council unanimously approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s ethics ordinance on July 24, changing the definition of lobbyist for purposes of registration.

Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305 provides that a person acting on behalf of a nonprofit will not need to register as a lobbyist if he or she is unpaid or is providing technical assistance to the nonprofit.

The ordinance will become effective 90 days after its passage and publication.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is in the process of passing an ethics ordinance related to government ethics and lobbyist registration.

Under Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305, a person acting on behalf of a nonprofit will not need to register as a lobbyist if he or she is unpaid or is providing technical assistance to the nonprofit.

The full City Council is scheduled to consider the mayor’s ethics reform on July 24.