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PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT
AN AMENDMENT TO THE ORDINANCE LIMITING CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES AND ELECTED OFFICIALS
BE IT ORDAINED, by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, that Chapter 2 - Administration, Article VII - Ethics, Division 2 - Code of Ethical Conduct, Section 2-585 - Limitations of contributions to candidates and elected officials of the Cook County Code is hereby amended as Follows:
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 Sheriff, 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; or who has sought official action by the County within the preceding four years, or is an officer, director or partner of a firm, 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 and directly working on said bond transaction; or firm, officers, directors or partners, contracted by the County to provide financial audits of County finances and directly working on said contract 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 political committee that is established in support of, a specific 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 (including a separate segregated fund of an entity, as that term is described in 52 U.S.C. § 30118(b)), shall be considered a single person. The political contributions of an entity's employees, officers, directors, and/or partners for which they are reimbursed by the entity or its affiliates shall also be considered those of 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.
(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.
(e) Any contributions made under this Section shall be reported as required by the Election Code, 10 ILCS 5/1-1 et seq.
(f) 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.
(g) Ethics shall be transparent and apparent to the public.
Effective date: This ordinance shall be in effect immediately upon adoption.
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