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SUBSTITUTE PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT
Sponsored by
LARRY SUFFREDIN, COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER
AN AMENDMENT TO THE CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT
NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED, by the Cook County Board of Commissioners that Part I, Chapter 2, Article VII, Division 2, Sections 2-583 and 2-585 of the Cook County Code, is hereby amended as follows:
Sec. 2-583. Political activity.
(a) No official, board or commission appointee or employee shall compel, coerce or intimidate any County official or employee to make or refrain from making any political contribution. No official, board or commission appointee shall directly solicit any political contribution from his or her employees, the spouses, domestic partners or civil union partners of or immediate family living with his or her employees. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent any official, board or commission appointee or employee from voluntarily making a contribution or from receiving a voluntary contribution, except as stated in this section. Board or commission appointees shall not make political contributions to the President of the Cook County Board and/or Members of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County.
(b) No employee with contract management authority or Bboard or commission appointee of a County official whose board or commission appointment provides for compensation and requires confirmation by the Cook County Board of Commissioners shall serve on the political fundraising committee of any elected official or candidate for County office.
(c) County employees shall not intentionally perform any prohibited political activity during any compensated time (other than vacation, personal, or compensatory time off). County employees or officials shall not intentionally misappropriate any County property or resources by engaging in any prohibited political activity for the benefit of any campaign for elective office or any political organization.
(d) At no time shall any official or employee intentionally misappropriate the services of any County employee and at no time shall any board or commission appointee misappropriate the services of any board or commission employee by requiring that employee to perform any prohibited political activity:
(1) As part of that employee's County duties or in the case of a board or commission, as part of that employee's board or commission duties;
(2) As a condition of County employment or in the case of a board or commission, as a condition of board or commission employment; or
(3) During any time off that is compensated by the County or board or commission (such as vacation, personal, or compensatory time off).
(e) A County employee or board or commission appointee shall not be required at any time to participate in any prohibited political activity in consideration for that employee being awarded any additional compensation or employee benefit, in the form of a salary adjustment, bonus, compensatory time off, continued employment, or otherwise.
(f) A County employee or board or commission appointee shall not be awarded any additional compensation or employee benefit, in the form of a salary adjustment, bonus, compensatory time off, continued employment, or otherwise, in consideration for the employee's participation in any prohibited political activity.
(g) Nothing in this section prohibits activities that are otherwise appropriate for a County employee or board or commission appointee to engage in on a voluntary basis as permitted by law.
Sec. 2-585. Limitations of contributions to candidates and elected officials.
(a) No person shall make contributions exceeding the limits established by the Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/9-1 et seq., when making contributions to any of the following elected officials or candidates for such office: County Board President; Cook County Commissioner; Cook County State's Attorney; Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court; Cook County Assessor; Cook County Treasurer; Cook County Board of Review Commissioner; Cook County Clerk; and Cook County Recorder of Deeds except as otherwise provided in Section 2-585.
(b) No person who does business with the County or who has done business with the County within the preceding four years or is seeking to do business with the County or is a person required to register as a lobbyist with the County shall make contributions in an aggregate amount exceeding $750.00:
(1) To any candidate for County office or elected County official during a single candidacy; or
(2) To any elected official of the government of the County during any nonelection year of his or her term.
(3) To any local, state, or federal campaign committee that is controlled by, or established in support of, a candidate for County office or an elected County official.
The combined effect of these provisions is intended to permit total contribution up to, but not exceeding, $1,500.00 in a year in which a candidacy occurs. A year, for purposes of this section, is from January 1 to December 31 of each year.
(c) For purposes of Subsection (b) of this section, an entity and its subsidiaries, parent company or otherwise affiliated companies, and any of their employees, officers, directors and partners who make a political contribution for which they are reimbursed by the entity or its affiliates shall be considered a single person. However, nothing in this provision shall be construed to prohibit such an employee, officer, director or partner from making a political contribution for which he is not reimbursed by a person with whom he or she is affiliated, even if that person has made the maximum contribution allowed under Subsection (b) of this section.
(d) Effective October 2, 2013, no Board or commission appointee of a County official whose board or commission appointment provides for compensation and requires confirmation by the Cook County Board of Commissioners shall make contributions in an aggregate amount exceeding $750.00:
(1) To the appointing County official or the Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners during a single candidacy; or
(2) To the appointing County official or the Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners during any nonelection year of his or her term.
The combined effect of these provisions is intended to permit total contribution up to, but not exceeding, $1,500.00 in a year in which a candidacy occurs. A year, for purposes of this section, is from January 1 to December 31 of each year.
(d e) Any contributions made under this section shall be reported as required by the Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/1-1 et seq.
(e f) For purposes of Subsection (b) of this section, "done business" or "doing business" means any one or any combination of sales, purchases, leases or contracts to, from or with the County or any County agency in excess of $10,000.00 in any 12 consecutive months or during the previous four years. "
(f g) For purposes of Subsection (b) of this section, "seeking to do business" means taking action within the past six months to obtain a contract or business with the County when, if such action were successful, it would result in the person doing business with the County as defined in Subsection (e f) of this section.
(g h) Any firm, or its officers, directors or partners, contracted by the County to provide financial audits of county finances are prohibited from making campaign contributions to any county official or candidate for county office.
(h i) Any firm, or its officers, directors or partners, contracted by the County to act as financial counsel, bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, legal counsel, or financial manager for the issuance of any bond is prohibited from making campaign contributions to any county official or candidate for county office.
(i j) Any candidate for any county office or any current elected official in Cook County government shall return contributions found in excess of the limitations set forth in this section within 30 days of notification from the Board of Ethics. Failure to return contributions within 30 days shall be a violation of this section and subject to fines under Section 2-602(d).
Effective date: This ordinance shall be in effect end
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