Chicago: Mayor Johnson Signs Executive Order Strengthening Accountability, Anti-Corruption Standards, And Responsible Business Practices in City Contracting

CHICAGO — Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order establishing new ethical procurement standards for companies seeking to do business with the City of Chicago, using the City's purchasing power to support businesses that respect Chicago's workers, communities, and values. Executive Order 2026-06 makes Chicago part of a growing national movement, supported by Not With Our Money, to use public purchasing power to strengthen corporate accountability and ensure taxpayer dollars serve the public interest.

"Chicagoans work hard for their tax dollars, and they deserve to know those dollars are being used responsibly. Public money should strengthen our neighborhoods, create opportunity, and serve the people who call Chicago home, not support practices that harm our communities," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "This executive order is about raising the standard for who we do business with, increasing transparency, and making sure our purchasing power reflects the values of the people we serve. Taxpayer dollars should build stronger communities, not bankroll practices that undermine them."

Mayor Johnson was joined by Dorian Warren, Co-President of Community Change Action and founder of Not With Our Money, along with Chicago community advocates. Chicago is the first major municipality in the country to join Not With Our Money, a national civic accountability initiative focused on ensuring public procurement, purchasing, and pension dollars are not directed toward corporations that enable abuses, authoritarian governance, or the militarization of civil immigration enforcement. The initiative provides a framework for cities to examine whether current and prospective vendors meet basic standards of public accountability.

"Follow the money and you find the same pattern in city after city: companies enriching this White House's political operation or underwriting the President's pet construction projects, are winning lucrative federal contracts in return, and then showing up on municipal vendor lists for the cities they helped attack," said Dorian Warren, Co-President of Community Change Action and spokesperson for Not With Our Money. "The people's checkbook is not a getaway car. If you want the privilege of doing business with the City of Chicago, you have to do business the right way."

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The Executive Order responds to growing concerns about corporate conduct that undermines democratic norms, weakens labor and civil rights protections, and enables government overreach and the militarization of civil immigration enforcement. It recognizes that Chicago residents ultimately bear the costs when corporations profit from practices that make communities less safe or undermine fundamental rights. At the same time, the Order makes clear that companies that choose to act responsibly should not be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Chicago will use its purchasing power to promote ethical commerce and responsible business practices while establishing clear standards for companies seeking to do business with the City.

Mayor Johnson's executive order directs the Chief Procurement Officer to establish rules prohibiting individuals and business entities with certain public integrity violations within the previous five years from entering into contracts or subcontracts with the City. Prospective contractors will also be required to certify their compliance with these standards and their continuing obligation to refrain from covered public integrity violations throughout the term of a City contract. Remedies for violations during an existing contract may include termination, suspension, or debarment.

The order strengthens transparency around the companies that receive taxpayer dollars. Within 60 days, current contractors and subcontractors will be required to disclose certain information, including whether they have received more than $500,000 through contracts with government entities or law enforcement agencies during the previous five years and whether they have faced certain civil or administrative proceedings alleging excessive force, unlawful detention, unconstitutional policing, discrimination, or other violations of federal or state civil rights laws. Entities with more than $100,000 in City contracts will also be required to disclose certain workplace antidiscrimination violations, worker protection violations, board composition, and charitable giving. These requirements will provide greater transparency into corporate leadership and the companies benefiting from taxpayer-funded contracts.

These disclosures will be made public by the City within 30 days of receipt, giving Chicagoans greater visibility into the companies doing business with their city and helping ensure that public dollars are subject to public accountability.

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The executive order also strengthens Chicago's commitment to diversity and equal opportunity and protections for Chicago workers. For new, renewed, or extended City contracts, contractors will be required to notify employees working at Chicago workplaces of their rights under applicable workplace antidiscrimination laws, the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, and other workplace protections. The order directs the City to further develop guidance informing workers of their rights under workplace protections and the Fourth Amendment in situations involving potential immigration enforcement.

"Workers deserve a fair chance to succeed, support their families, and build a strong future in Chicago," said Ald. Rossana Rodríguez-Sánchez (33rd). Our city's contractors play an important role in creating those opportunities, and this Executive Order helps ensure that taxpayer dollars support businesses that value their workers and invest in our communities. This is about raising the standard together and making sure that the growth and opportunity created by public investment reaches working people across Chicago."

To build on these standards, the executive order establishes an Ethical Procurement Standards Task Force that will bring community and subject-matter expertise into the next phase of the City's procurement reforms. The Mayor will appoint up to 12 members with expertise in ethics, procurement integrity, and the impacts of corruption and militarization on Chicago communities and the economy. The Task Force will help establish additional criteria for evaluating vendor and contractor conduct and promote responsible stewardship of public resources, compliance with civil rights and workplace protections, and ethical business practices.

Within 60 days of the order taking effect, the Task Force will convene public hearings to hear directly from Chicagoans and gather input on potential enhancements to the City's procurement standards. Within 120 days, the Task Force will propose additional standards, including potential legislation or rulemaking, stronger whistleblower protections, guidelines to inform workers of their rights, and procedures for reviewing vendor compliance. Within 150 days, the Chief Procurement Officer will update relevant procurement rules, regulations, and guidance to reflect the requirements of the order.

The executive order reflects the City's responsibility to be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars and to use its purchasing power to encourage ethical business practices. By raising the standards for companies that do business with Chicago, the City is working to ensure public dollars strengthen the communities they are intended to serve, support workers who keep Chicago moving, and promote accountability among those who benefit from doing business with the City.

Mayor Johnson's executive order takes effect immediately upon signing and filing with the Chicago City Clerk. The signed executive order will be posted on the City Clerk's website.

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