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About the Philadelphia Board of Ethics

The five-member, independent Philadelphia Board of Ethics was established by ordinance, approved by voters in May 2006, and installed on November 27, 2006. It is charged with providing ethics training for all city employees and enforcing city campaign finance, financial disclosure, and conflict of interest laws, and has authority to render advice, investigate complaints and issue fines. More…


About the Ethics Rules

The ethics rules apply to City officials and workers and are generally designed to ensure that they act with the best interests of the public in mind as they exercise their authority.

There are several sources of ethics rules that apply to City officials and employees, including the State Ethics Act, the Philadelphia Code of Ethics, certain provisions in the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter and several executive orders issued over the past few decades.



About Philadelphia’s Campaign Finance Law

Philadelphia recently passed a campaign finance law that applies to candidates for City elective offices. The City’s campaign finance law sets limits on political contributions to candidates, requires candidates and political committees to disclose campaign finance information to the Ethics Board and gives authority to the Board to enforce and provide guidance on the law.

The intent of the campaign finance law is to reduce the influence of large political contributors and to promote public confidence in our elected officials. As such, the City’s campaign finance law is an integral part of the City’s recent set of ethics reform measures.

Regulation No. 1: Electronic Filing of Campaign Finance Reports
Exhibit A
 

Ethics Training
Board and Commission Annual Training
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Ethics Training


Recent

August 4, 2008: Regulation No. 4: Seeking Advice From the Board of Ethics Takes Effect

May 12, 2008: Ethics Board Announces May 30th Hearing on Regulation No. 4

April 16, 2008: Ethics Board Approves for Public Consideration Proposed Regulation on the Process of Asking for and Receiving Advice from the Board.

March 28, 2008: Ethics Board Release First Annual Report

March 19, 2008: Ethics Board Announces Settlement Agreement with Former City Councilman Juan Ramos for Accepting Excess Contribution.

December 18, 2007: Ethics Board issues Opinion on Political Activity for Boards and Commissions

December 5, 2007: Ethics Board Advises Mayor-Elect Michael Nutter on Inaugural & Transition Fundraising Issues

November 15, 2007: Executive Director Issues Advisory Alert to Remind Vendors About Mayor's Gift Ban Policy

November 5, 2007: Ethics Board Issues Advisory Opinion on how the ethics laws apply to the process of exploring and pursuing potential future employment opportunities, to follow the official’s service with the City, while the official is still on the City payroll.

October 16, 2007: Ethics Board Issues Advisory Opinion Concerning the Application of Political Restrictions to Certain Boards and Commissions

October 16, 2007: Ethics Board Issues an Opinion Regarding the Appointment of a Close Relative to an Unpaid City Position

Archives


Meetings

Next Meeting:

The Ethics Board will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, October 15th at 1 pm, Packard Building, 1441 Sansom Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. The meeting is open to the public.

September 17, 2008 Meeting Agenda

Board Meeting Schedule & Minutes