Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot on Wednesday introduced a new package of ethics reforms to the City Council that will increase ethics requirements for members of the City Council and bring greater transparency to the city’s legislative and policymaking processes. If passed by City Council, the ethics reforms proposed will amend the City’s Ethics Code to ensure elected officials and employees of the City Council operates under the same oversight as all city government employees and elected officials. These changes include:

• Restricted outside employment: Aldermen will be banned from certain outside employment that poses a potential conflict of interest with the City of Chicago.

• Expanded Inspector General oversight: To ensure consistency across city government, Aldermen would be subject to the same oversight as city employees. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) would also have the authority to audit council administrative procedures.

• Broadened definition of lobbyists: This proposal expands the definition of lobbyists to include non-profits that lobby the city. Non-profit lobbyists would be required to register and provide quarterly reports, but their registration fees will be waived. This proposal does not pertain to unpaid volunteers.

In the coming months, the new administration will also seek to work with the City Council to bring forward new legislation that increases transparency in City zoning processes.