Today, the City Council voted 50-0 to enact an historic package of ethics reforms. These amendments: (i) expand the authority of the Office of Inspector General; (ii) prohibit certain kinds of outside law practice by City elected officials and employees; (iii) change the City’s lobbying laws to require registration by individuals who are paid for lobbying on behalf of non-profit organizations; and (iv) raise fines for most ethics violations from between $500-$2,000 to between $1,000-$5,000. These changes become effective on various dates: those in (i) and (iv) become effective 10 days from passage and publication; those in (ii) 90 days from passage and publication, and those in (iii) on January 1, 2020.

To read these changes, please see this.  To read answers to some FAQ’s prepared by the Board of Ethics and Mayor’s Office, addressing the changes to the lobbying laws, see this and this Fact Sheet.