| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to state-federal relations; amending s. |
| 3 | 14.23, F.S.; revising legislative intent; providing for |
| 4 | direct access of the Legislative Committee on |
| 5 | Intergovernmental Relations to staff of the Office of |
| 6 | State-Federal Relations; expanding duties of the office; |
| 7 | providing for appointment of a Florida Federal Grants |
| 8 | Coordinator by the President of the Senate and the Speaker |
| 9 | of the House of Representatives; providing that the |
| 10 | coordinator serve at the pleasure of the President of the |
| 11 | Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives; |
| 12 | requiring the coordinator to report to the committee; |
| 13 | providing duties and responsibilities of the coordinator; |
| 14 | providing an effective date. |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Section 1. Section 14.23, Florida Statutes, is amended to |
| 19 | read: |
| 20 | 14.23 State-Federal relations.-- |
| 21 | (1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--It is the intent of the |
| 22 | Legislature to establish mechanisms through which the |
| 23 | legislative and executive branches of state government can work |
| 24 | together in a cooperative alliance, to strengthen the state's |
| 25 | relationship with our Congressional Delegation and with federal |
| 26 | executive branch agencies, to improve our position in relation |
| 27 | to federal legislative initiatives which have a fiscal impact or |
| 28 | substantive policy impact on the state, and to establish and |
| 29 | maintain a viable network and communications structure to |
| 30 | facilitate the transmittal of essential information between |
| 31 | executive and legislative branch state officials and |
| 32 | congressional and federal officials, and to take all necessary |
| 33 | steps to maximize the receipt of various federal funds by the |
| 34 | State of Florida. Florida's Congressional Delegation is, in this |
| 35 | regard, the most important linkage in representing Florida's |
| 36 | interests in the nation's capital. Therefore, the mechanisms and |
| 37 | resources created herein, for the furtherance of the state's |
| 38 | intergovernmental efforts, shall include the Congressional |
| 39 | Delegation and be available to meet its needs. |
| 40 | (2) CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF STATE-FEDERAL RELATIONS; |
| 41 | FLORIDA FEDERAL GRANTS COORDINATOR.-- |
| 42 | (a) There is created, within the Executive Office of the |
| 43 | Governor, the Office of State-Federal Relations for the State of |
| 44 | Florida, hereinafter referred to as the "office," to be located |
| 45 | in Washington, D.C. The office shall represent both the |
| 46 | legislative and executive branches of state government. The |
| 47 | Legislature and the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental |
| 48 | Relations shall have direct access to the staff of the office. |
| 49 | (b) The duties of the office shall be determined by the |
| 50 | Governor, in consultation with the President of the Senate and |
| 51 | the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and shall include, |
| 52 | but not be limited to, the following: |
| 53 | 1. To provide legislative and administrative liaison |
| 54 | between executive and legislative branch state officials and |
| 55 | federal officials and agencies and with Congress. |
| 56 | 2. To provide grants assistance and advice to state |
| 57 | agencies. |
| 58 | a. In furtherance of this goal, the President of the |
| 59 | Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall |
| 60 | appoint a Florida Federal Grants Coordinator within the office |
| 61 | who shall have direct access to the staff of the office for |
| 62 | necessary support. The Florida Federal Grants Coordinator shall |
| 63 | serve at the pleasure of the President of the Senate and the |
| 64 | Speaker of the House of Representatives and shall report to the |
| 65 | Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. |
| 66 | b.(I) The Florida Federal Grants Coordinator shall ensure |
| 67 | that the Legislature and state agencies are kept informed of |
| 68 | grants-funding activities and opportunities in Washington, D.C., |
| 69 | that will affect the state. |
| 70 | (II) The Florida Federal Grants Coordinator shall maintain |
| 71 | an economic information clearinghouse that includes federal |
| 72 | economic stimulus awards data and other federal awards data |
| 73 | received in this state. The Florida Federal Grants Coordinator |
| 74 | shall maintain continuous contact with all state agencies to |
| 75 | facilitate their federal funding efforts. |
| 76 | (III) In cooperation with the Chief Financial Officer, the |
| 77 | Florida Federal Grants Coordinator shall be responsible for |
| 78 | gathering information and data concerning the mortgage |
| 79 | foreclosure situation and the state and federal opportunities |
| 80 | available to remedy the situation. The Florida Federal Grants |
| 81 | Coordinator shall promote mediation and arbitration efforts |
| 82 | between lenders and borrowers to restructure loans. |
| 83 | 3. To assist in the development and implementation of |
| 84 | strategies for the evaluation and management of the state's |
| 85 | federal legislative program and intergovernmental efforts. |
| 86 | 4. To facilitate the activities of Florida officials |
| 87 | traveling to Washington, D.C., in the performance of their |
| 88 | official duties. |
| 89 | (c) The head of the office shall be the director, who |
| 90 | shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. |
| 91 | (3) COOPERATION.--For the purpose of centralizing the |
| 92 | state-federal relations efforts of the state, state agencies and |
| 93 | their representatives shall cooperate and coordinate their |
| 94 | state-federal efforts and activities with the office. The office |
| 95 | shall, in all matters vital to the Legislature, cooperate with |
| 96 | the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. State |
| 97 | agencies which have representatives headquartered in Washington, |
| 98 | D.C., are encouraged to station their representatives in the |
| 99 | office. |
| 100 | (4)(a) NOMINATIONS TO FEDERAL REGIONAL FISHERIES |
| 101 | MANAGEMENT COUNCILS.--The Governor is prohibited from nominating |
| 102 | for appointment to any one of the federal fisheries management |
| 103 | councils established under 16 U.S.C. ss. 1801 et seq., as |
| 104 | amended, the name of any person who is, or who has been at any |
| 105 | time during the 24 months preceding such nomination, a lobbyist |
| 106 | for any entity of any kind whatsoever whose interests are or |
| 107 | could be affected by actions or decisions of such fisheries |
| 108 | management councils. |
| 109 | (b) For purposes of this section, the term "lobbyist" |
| 110 | means any natural person who is required to register pursuant to |
| 111 | s. 11.045 or the equivalent federal statute and who, for |
| 112 | compensation, seeks, or sought during the preceding 24 months, |
| 113 | to influence the governmental decisionmaking of a reporting |
| 114 | individual or procurement employee, as those terms are defined |
| 115 | under s. 112.3148, or his or her agency, to encourage the |
| 116 | passage, defeat, or modification of any proposal or |
| 117 | recommendation by such reporting individual or procurement |
| 118 | employee or his or her agency. |
| 119 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |