Florida Senate - 2015                             CS for SB 1114
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senator Stargel
       
       
       
       
       
       578-02391-15                                          20151114c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to membership associations that
    3         receive public funds; creating s. 617.221, F.S.;
    4         defining the term “membership association”; requiring
    5         a membership association that receives a specified
    6         percentage of its budget from public funds to file an
    7         annual report with the Legislature; requiring that
    8         such a report provide specified information;
    9         prohibiting a membership association from expending
   10         public funds on litigation against the state;
   11         providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Section 617.221, Florida Statutes, is created to
   16  read:
   17         617.221 Membership associations that receive public funds;
   18  reporting requirements; restriction on use of funds.
   19         (1)As used in this section, the term “membership
   20  association” means a corporation not for profit, including a
   21  department or division of such corporation, whose membership
   22  includes a majority of elected or appointed public officers, as
   23  defined in s. 112.313(1), and which receives 25 percent or more
   24  of its annual revenue from public funds, as defined in s.
   25  215.85(3). The term does not include a labor organization as
   26  defined in s. 447.02.
   27         (2)A membership association shall file a report with the
   28  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
   29  Representatives by January 1 of each year. The report must
   30  include:
   31         (a)The name and address of the membership association and
   32  any parent membership association or any state, national, or
   33  international membership association affiliate.
   34         (b)The names, titles, telephone numbers, and addresses of
   35  the principal officers and all representatives of the membership
   36  association.
   37         (c)The fee required to become a member of the membership
   38  association, if any, and the annual dues that each member must
   39  pay.
   40         (d)The latest annual financial statements of the
   41  membership association as described in s. 617.1605.
   42         (e)A copy of the current constitution and bylaws of the
   43  membership association.
   44         (f)The assets and liabilities of the membership
   45  association at the beginning and end of the preceding fiscal
   46  year.
   47         (g)The salary, allowances, and other direct or indirect
   48  disbursements, including reimbursed expenses, to each officer
   49  and to each employee who, during the preceding fiscal year,
   50  received more than $10,000 total from the membership association
   51  and any other state, national, or international membership
   52  association affiliate.
   53         (h)The annual dollar amount of the following benefit
   54  packages paid to each of the principal officers of the
   55  membership association:
   56         1.Health, major medical, vision, dental, and life
   57  insurance.
   58         2.Retirement plans.
   59         3.Automobile allowances.
   60         (i)The amount of annual dues for each member sent from the
   61  membership association to each state, national, or international
   62  affiliate.
   63         (j)The total amount of direct or indirect disbursements
   64  for lobbying activity at the federal, state, or local level
   65  incurred by the membership association, listed by the full name
   66  and address of each person who received a disbursement.
   67         (k)The total amount of direct or indirect disbursements
   68  for litigation expenses incurred by the membership association,
   69  listed by case citation.
   70         (3)A membership association may not expend moneys received
   71  from public funds on litigation against the state.
   72         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.