Florida Senate - 2014                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 846
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì775920'Î775920                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/05/2014           .                                
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       following:
       
       
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3  
    4         Delete lines 404 - 624
    5  and insert:
    6         Section 8. Section 112.3261, Florida Statutes, is created
    7  to read:
    8         112.3261 Lobbying before governmental entities;
    9  registration and reporting.—
   10         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   11         (a) “Governmental entity” means a water management
   12  district, a hospital district, a children’s services district,
   13  an expressway authority as the term “authority” is defined in s.
   14  348.0002, a port authority as the term is defined in s. 315.02,
   15  or an independent special district with annual revenues of more
   16  than $5 million, which exercises ad valorem taxing authority.
   17         (b) “Principal” has the same meaning as in s. 112.3215.
   18         (2) A person may not lobby a governmental entity until such
   19  person has registered as a lobbyist with that entity. Such
   20  registration shall be due upon initially being retained to lobby
   21  and is renewable on a calendar-year basis thereafter. Upon
   22  registration, the person shall provide a statement signed by the
   23  principal or principal’s representative stating that the
   24  registrant is authorized to represent the principal. The
   25  principal shall also identify and designate its main business on
   26  the statement authorizing that lobbyist pursuant to a
   27  classification system approved by the governmental entity. Any
   28  changes to the information required by this section must be
   29  disclosed within 15 days by filing a new registration form. The
   30  registration form shall require each lobbyist to disclose, under
   31  oath, the following:
   32         (a) The lobbyist’s name and business address.
   33         (b) The name and business address of each principal
   34  represented.
   35         (c) The existence of any direct or indirect business
   36  association, partnership, or financial relationship with any
   37  officer or employee of a governmental entity with which he or
   38  she lobbies or intends to lobby.
   39         (d) In lieu of creating its own lobbyist registration
   40  forms, a governmental entity may accept a completed legislative
   41  branch or executive branch lobbyist registration form.
   42         (3) A governmental entity shall make lobbyist registrations
   43  available to the public. If a governmental entity maintains a
   44  website, a database of currently registered lobbyists and
   45  principals must be available on the entity’s website.
   46         (4) A lobbyist shall promptly send a written statement to
   47  the governmental entity cancelling the registration for a
   48  principal upon termination of the lobbyist’s representation of
   49  that principal. A governmental entity may remove the name of a
   50  lobbyist from the list of registered lobbyists if the principal
   51  notifies the entity that a person is no longer authorized to
   52  represent that principal.
   53         (5) A governmental entity may establish an annual lobbyist
   54  registration fee, not to exceed $40, for each principal
   55  represented. The governmental entity may use the moneys
   56  collected only to administer the provisions of this section.
   57         (6) A governmental entity shall be diligent to ascertain
   58  whether persons required to register pursuant to this section
   59  have complied. A governmental entity may not knowingly authorize
   60  a person who is not registered pursuant to this section to lobby
   61  the entity.
   62         (7) Upon discovery of a violation of this section, a
   63  governmental entity or any person may file a sworn complaint
   64  with the commission.
   65  
   66  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   67  And the title is amended as follows:
   68         Delete lines 58 - 75
   69  and insert:
   70         from lobbying a governmental entity until registering;
   71         establishing registration requirements; requiring
   72         public availability of lobbyist registrations;
   73         establishing procedures for termination of a
   74         lobbyist’s registration; authorizing a governmental
   75         entity to establish a registration fee; requiring a
   76         governmental entity to monitor compliance with
   77         registration requirements; authorizing a governmental
   78         entity or person to file a complaint with the
   79         commission; amending s. 288.901, F.S.; specifying