Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Disclosure Ordinance
Disclosure Ordinance
§ 196.01 - PURPOSE
T
A. The purpose of this Chapter is to ensure that those with a bona fide interest in the affairs,
business, or activity of the City of Pittsburgh may access information relevant to a potential
conflict of interest as it relates to the Offices of Mayor, City Controller, and City Council, and to
encourage greater transparency on the part of these officeholders to the benefit of the public.
§ 196.02 - DEFINITIONS
AF
A. Candidate Committee: The political committee, any money or assets associated with it, and
any associated bank account into which all contribution in support of a campaign for City elected
office shall be made, and out of which all expenditures shall be made.
B. City Elected Office: The offices of Mayor, City Controller, and City Council.
DR
C. Conflict of Interest: The exertion of influence with respect to property or a business with
which an individual holding City elected office or a member of their direct family is associated.
D. Disclosure of Interests: The disclosure that, per the City of Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter,
Article VII: General Provisions, Chapter 801: Disclosure of Interests, all holders of City elected
office shall file yearly with the City Controller that contains the following information:
a. With which the official has any connection as an owner, officer, employee,
consultant, contractor, creditor, shareholder, member, partner, joint venture,
trustee, beneficiary or participant; or
b. In which the official has any financial or property interest in any form, whether
a legal interest or equitable interest or otherwise: stating as to each name, the
nature of the connection or interest.
2. A brief description of all legal and equitable interests of any degree in real property
held by the official;
3. A statement of the remaining amounts of any funds and contributions related to the
officials most recent nomination and election, and by whom and how held; and
4. The names of all creditors of the official and debts as to which the official is co-signer,
surety or guarantor in excess of $1,000.
E. Lobbying Activities: Includes the following and similar compensated conduct taken on
behalf of the City of the Pittsburgh for the purposes related to communication, legislation, and
regulation:
T
1. Engaging in, either personally or through an agent, written or oral direct
communication with state and / or federal government officials; and
5. Seeking to influence the position of state and / or federal government officials by any
means, including but not limited to engaging in community, public, or press activities;
and
DR
F. Lobbyist: Any individual who is compensated to spend thirty (30) or more hours in any
consecutive three-month period engaged in lobbying activities which include at least one (1)
direct communication with a City official or employee, conducted either personally or through
agents, for the purpose of attempting to influence municipal legislation on behalf of any other
person. Compensation does not include reimbursement of or payment for reasonable travel
expenses. A person receives compensation within the meaning of this definition whether or not
the compensation is received solely for activities regulated by this Section or is received for both
lobbying activities and other activities as well. However, only the compensation for the lobbying
activities shall be calculated to determine whether an individual qualifies as a lobbyist. An
individual becomes entitled to receive compensation when the individual agrees to provide
services regulated by this Section, or performs those services, regardless of whether payment is
contingent on the accomplishment of the client's purposes. A lobbyist includes a person who
owns an investment in a business entity if that person attempts to influence municipal legislation
on behalf of the business entity and if the person acquires the investment as compensation for
his or her lobbying services or in contemplation of performing those services.
1. Exemptions: The following persons are exempt from this definition for the purposes of
this Chapter:
a. Any public official acting in his or her official capacity, and any government
employee acting within the scope of his or her employment.
T
influence municipal legislation, if such activity otherwise regulated by this
Section.
City Council or their staffs, or any board or commission member with regard to
any such contract.
G. Outside Employment: Employment for which an individual who holds City elected office
receives compensation.
H. Plain Language: Writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best
practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience, wherein best practices
include:
1. Being clear and concise, including only important and directly relevant information;
and
3. Defining the purpose of the document and the application or submission process; and
4. Understanding and writing for the audience, taking into consideration their needs and
presumed knowledge about the topic; and
T
6. Keeping sentences and paragraphs short; and
9. Making any submission process clear, intuitive, and as easy as possible, with the
option to submit documents through online forms.
J. Salary: The compensation that an individual who holds City elected office receives for their
employment by the City.
L. Web Page: A publicly-accessible online internet web page hosted through the City’s primary
website.
§ 196.03 - COLLECTION
A. This information shall be collected yearly by the Office of the City Controller.
1. The City Controller shall, as necessary and appropriate, circulate requests for
information to individuals who:
b. Are registered as lobbyists with the City, per Title I: Administrative, Article VII:
Procedures, Chapter 161: Contracts, § 161.37: Lobbyist Registration of the
Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances; and / or
2. The City Controller shall, at their discretion, decide the appropriate submission date
for this information.
T
3. No Section of this Chapter shall be construed as to conflict with, supersede, negate,
or diminish reporting requirements for comparable information required for submission
by individuals who hold City elected office elsewhere in the Pittsburgh Code of
Ordinances.
AF
B. Where relevant and possible, the City Controller may choose to allow for concurrent
collection periods for information required for reporting both by this Chapter and other relevant
Chapters of the Pittsburgh Code of Ordinances.
C. The City Controller shall collect the following information from individuals who hold City
elected office:
DR
1. The name of any candidate committee associated with an individual holding City
elected office; and
3. The name of employers through which individuals who hold City elected office hold
outside employment; and
4. The salary that an individual who holds City elected office receives.
5. A Statement of Affiliations.
D. The City Controller shall collect the names and employers of individuals who engage in
lobbying activities on behalf of the City in exchange for compensation.
E. Pursuant to Title One: Administrative, Article VII: Procedures, Chapter 161: Contracts, §
161.37: Lobbyist Registration, the City Controller shall collect the names and other relevant
information of individuals registered as lobbyists on behalf of clients with business related to
issues before the City.
A. The Office of the City Controller shall create, publish, and maintain a publicly-accessible web
page containing the information collected, per § 196.03.
B. The Office of the City Controller shall make every reasonable effort to keep this web page up-
to-date.
C. The Office of the City Controller shall make every reasonable effort to present this
information in plain language, as defined in this Chapter.
T
§ 196.04 - SEVERABILITY
1. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Chapter is held
AF
to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, then that decision
shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Chapter.
DR