NONPROFIT LOBBYING RULES DELAYED, AGAIN — A controversial new rule requiring nonprofit groups that advocate on city legislation to register as lobbyists will not take effect until Jan. 1 of next year, leaders of the Chicago Board of Ethics announced Thursday. It marks the third delay for the new rule, which was included in an ethics reform package (SO2019-5305) approved by the City Council in a 50-0 vote last July. The rule became a source of anxiety for nonprofits, even after the board issued three advisory opinions in January to clarify and narrow the scope of the registration requirements. Board of Ethics executive director Steve Berlin wrote in a statement Thursday that delaying implementation until next year — a full year after it was originally supposed to take effect — is “appropriate,” given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Board and Mayor’s Office continue to be committed to working diligently with non-profit organizations and stakeholders to understand and respond to their concerns about this law, and on working toward amendments that increase transparency in Chicago,” Berlin added. [Alex Nitkin]