Florida Senate - 2017 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1770
Ì176984ZÎ176984
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
04/18/2017 .
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Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development (Lee) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Between lines 61 and 62
4 insert:
5 Section 1. Section 112.327, Florida Statutes, is created to
6 read:
7 112.327 Lobbying before community redevelopment agencies;
8 registration and reporting.—
9 (1) As used in this section, the term:
10 (a) “Agency” or “community redevelopment agency” means a
11 public agency created by, or designated pursuant to, s. 163.356
12 or s. 163.357 and operating under the authority of part III of
13 chapter 163.
14 (b) “Lobby” means to seek to influence an agency with
15 respect to a decision of the agency in an area of policy or
16 procurement or to attempt to obtain the good will of an agency
17 official or employee, on behalf of another person. The term
18 shall be interpreted and applied consistently with the rules of
19 the commission implementing s. 112.3215.
20 (c) “Lobbyist” has the same meaning as provided in s.
21 112.3215.
22 (d) “Principal” has the same meaning as provided in s.
23 112.3215.
24 (2) A person may not lobby an agency until he or she has
25 registered as a lobbyist with that agency. Such registration
26 shall be due upon initially being retained to lobby and is
27 renewable on a calendar-year basis thereafter. Upon
28 registration, the person shall provide a statement signed by the
29 principal or principal’s representative stating that the
30 registrant is authorized to represent the principal. The
31 principal shall also identify and designate its main business on
32 the statement authorizing that lobbyist pursuant to a
33 classification system approved by the agency. Any changes to the
34 information required by this section must be disclosed within 15
35 days by filing a new registration form. An agency may create its
36 own lobbyist registration forms or may accept a completed
37 legislative branch or executive branch lobbyist registration
38 form. In completing the form required by the agency, the
39 registrant must disclose, under oath, the following:
40 (a) His or her name and business address.
41 (b) The name and business address of each principal
42 represented.
43 (c) The existence of any direct or indirect business
44 association, partnership, or financial relationship with any
45 officer or employee of an agency with which he or she lobbies or
46 intends to lobby.
47 (3) An agency shall make lobbyist registrations available
48 to the public. If an agency maintains a website, a database of
49 currently registered lobbyists and principals must be available
50 on that website. If the agency does not maintain a website, the
51 database of currently registered lobbyists and principals must
52 be available on the website of the county or municipality that
53 created the agency.
54 (4) A lobbyist shall promptly send a written statement to
55 the agency canceling the registration for a principal upon
56 termination of the lobbyist’s representation of that principal.
57 An agency may remove the name of a lobbyist from the list of
58 registered lobbyists if the principal notifies the agency that a
59 person is no longer authorized to represent that principal.
60 (5) An agency may establish an annual lobbyist registration
61 fee, not to exceed $40, for each principal represented. The
62 agency may use registration fees only for the purpose of
63 administering this section.
64 (6) An agency shall be diligent in ascertaining whether
65 persons required to register under this section have complied.
66 An agency may not knowingly authorize an unregistered person to
67 lobby the agency.
68 (7) Upon receipt of a sworn complaint alleging that a
69 lobbyist or principal has failed to register with an agency or
70 has knowingly submitted false information in a report or
71 registration required under this section, the commission shall
72 investigate a lobbyist or principal pursuant to the procedures
73 established under s. 112.324. The commission shall provide the
74 Governor with a report of its findings and recommendations in
75 any investigation conducted pursuant to this subsection. The
76 Governor may enforce the commission’s findings and
77 recommendations.
78 (8) Community redevelopment agencies may adopt rules to
79 establish procedures to govern the registration of lobbyists,
80 including the adoption of forms and the establishment of the
81 lobbyist registration fee.
82
83 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
84 And the title is amended as follows:
85 Between lines 2 and 3
86 insert:
87 creating s. 112.327, F.S.; defining terms; prohibiting
88 a person from lobbying a community redevelopment
89 agency until he or she has registered as a lobbyist
90 with that agency; providing registration requirements;
91 requiring an agency to make lobbyist registrations
92 available to the public; requiring a database of
93 currently registered lobbyists and principals to be
94 available on certain websites; requiring a lobbyist to
95 send a written statement to the agency canceling the
96 registration for a principal that he or she no longer
97 represents; authorizing an agency to remove the name
98 of a lobbyist from the list of registered lobbyists
99 under certain circumstances; authorizing an agency to
100 establish an annual lobbyist registration fee, not to
101 exceed a specified amount; requiring an agency to be
102 diligent in ascertaining whether persons required to
103 register have complied, subject to certain
104 requirements; requiring the Commission on Ethics to
105 investigate a lobbyist or principal under certain
106 circumstances, subject to certain requirements;
107 requiring the commission to provide the Governor with
108 a report of its findings and recommendations in such
109 investigations; authorizing the Governor to enforce
110 the commission’s findings and recommendations;
111 authorizing community redevelopment agencies to adopt
112 rules to establish procedures to govern the
113 registration of lobbyists;