Fioretti Introduces Ethics Legislation at Chicago City Council

CHICAGO, IL – Ald. Bob Fioretti introduced legislation at the Chicago City Council that would make changes to ethics rules.  Find the legislation below.

In brief, these changes are:

Preclude any lobbying activity from taking place at the time meetings are in session.

Ban any elected officials currently holding office from lobbying council members on behalf of any paid clients they may have.

Discharge bills with 48 hour notice before City Council meeting for committee inaction on legislation.

Require recusal from debate for those that also must recuse themselves from a vote.

“Our city government is far too beholden to special interests and it’s time we do whatever we can to change that,” said Fioretti.  “We in City Hall are not here to line our pockets, rather we are here to look out for our constituents.  We need to take steps to show the people we are public servants working for them, not ourselves.”

Legislation:

RESOLUTION ON RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL

BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Chicago that the Rules of Order and Procedure of the City Council, City of Chicago for the years 2011-2015 are hereby amended by adding the language underscored and deleting the language struck-through as follows:

RULE 8. During the session of the City Council, no one, unless by consent of the Council, shall be admitted within the bar of the City Council Chamber except representatives of the press, television, radio, ex-Aldermen except as provided in Rule 56, and persons invited by the Mayor or other Presiding Officer. The Mayor or Presiding Officer shall assign seats for the persons invited by them. The Committee on Committees, Rules and Ethics shall assign an area or areas for said media of communications, and such area or areas shall be for the reporters and for such cameras and recording devices or other equipment as may be necessary for use of said media of communications.

No person registered lobbyist shall, at during any meeting of the Council or meetings of any Council committee or subcommittee, solicit any individual Alderman to vote for or against any person or proposition.

Elected officials currently holding office shall not be allowed to lobby any member of the Council on behalf of any individual or corporation who pays them to do so.

RULE 14. Every member who shall be present when a question is stated from the

Chair shall vote thereon, unless excused by the Council. they have previously recused themselves due to financial interests or other ethical considerations as required by law.

RULE 41. All ordinances, orders, petitions, resolutions, motions, communications or other propositions shall be referred, without debate, to the appropriate committees and only acted upon by the City Council at a subsequent meeting, on the report of the committee having the same in charge; provided, however, that the following shall not be subject to this rule:

(a) Ordinances fixing the time for the next succeeding regular meeting of the City Council.

(b) Motions listed in Rule 21 and purely procedural motions.

(c) Resolutions determining the membership, Chairman or Vice-Chairman of Council committees, Vice Mayor or President Pro Tempore.

(Language omitted for brevity and is unaffected by this resolution)

Whenever any referred matter shall not have been reported back to the City Council by the committee to which referred, within a period of sixty (60) days from the date of referral, any Alderman may move to discharge the committee from further consideration of that matter. The motion to discharge shall be made under the order of “Miscellaneous Business”, and shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of all the Aldermen entitled by law to be elected and call for a vote to be taken on the matter by the entire City Council under the order of “New Business” upon delivering notice that shall be time stamped by the City Clerk, along with copies delivered to all Aldermen, at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the next City Council meeting.

No deferred matter, whether deferred pursuant to these rules or pursuant to statute, may be called for a vote unless written notice, identifying each matter to be called for a vote, is delivered to, and time stamped by, the City Clerk and copies delivered to all Aldermen at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the City Council meeting.

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ROBERT W. FIORETTI

Alderman – 2^nd Ward

O  R  D  I  N  A  N  C  E

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL:

SECTION 1.  Chapter 1-156-080 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago is hereby amended by adding new language underlined as follows:

2-156-080  Conflicts of interest; appearance of impropriety.

(a)    No official or employee shall make or participate in the making of any governmental decision with respect to any matter in which he has any financial interest distinguishable from that of the general public, or from which he has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from which he reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months.

(b)   (1)   With regard to any matter pending before the city council or any council committee, any member of the city council who has any financial interest that is either (1) distinguishable from that of the general public or all aldermen, or (2) from which he or she has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from which he or she reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months shall publicly disclose the nature and extent of such interest on the records of proceedings of the city council, and shall also notify the board of ethics of such interest within 96 hours of delivery by the clerk to the member, of the introduction of any ordinance, resolution, order or other matter in the city council, or as soon thereafter as the member is or should be aware of such potential conflict of interest.  The board of ethics shall make such disclosures available for public inspection and copying immediately upon receipt.  He or she shall abstain from voting on the matter and shall refrain from participating in any manner during any council debate on such matters but shall be counted present for purposes of a quorum.  The obligation to report a potential conflict of interest under this subsection arises as soon as the member of the city council is or should be aware of such potential conflict.

(Language omitted for brevity and unaffected by this ordinance)

SECTION 2.  This ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and publication.

ROBERT W. FIORETTI

Alderman 2^nd Ward