| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Office of State-Federal Relations; |
| 3 | amending s. 14.23, F.S.; requiring the office to submit an |
| 4 | annual report to the Governor, President of the Senate, |
| 5 | and Speaker of the House of Representatives; providing an |
| 6 | effective date. |
| 7 |
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| 8 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Section 1. Section 14.23, Florida Statutes, is amended to |
| 11 | read: |
| 12 | 14.23 State-Federal relations.- |
| 13 | (1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.-It is the intent of the |
| 14 | Legislature to establish mechanisms through which the |
| 15 | legislative and executive branches of state government can work |
| 16 | together in a cooperative alliance, to strengthen the state's |
| 17 | relationship with our Congressional Delegation and with federal |
| 18 | executive branch agencies, to improve our position in relation |
| 19 | to federal legislative initiatives which have a fiscal impact or |
| 20 | substantive policy impact on the state, and to establish and |
| 21 | maintain a viable network and communications structure to |
| 22 | facilitate the transmittal of essential information between |
| 23 | state and federal officials, and to take all necessary steps to |
| 24 | maximize the receipt of various federal funds by the State of |
| 25 | Florida. Florida's Congressional Delegation is, in this regard, |
| 26 | the most important linkage in representing Florida's interests |
| 27 | in the nation's capital. Therefore, the mechanisms and resources |
| 28 | created herein, for the furtherance of the state's |
| 29 | intergovernmental efforts, shall include the Congressional |
| 30 | Delegation and be available to meet its needs. |
| 31 | (2) CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF STATE-FEDERAL RELATIONS.- |
| 32 | (a) There is created, within the Executive Office of the |
| 33 | Governor, the Office of State-Federal Relations for the State of |
| 34 | Florida, hereinafter referred to as the "office," to be located |
| 35 | in Washington, D.C. The office shall represent both the |
| 36 | legislative and executive branches of state government. The |
| 37 | Legislature shall have direct access to the staff of the office. |
| 38 | (b) The duties of the office shall be determined by the |
| 39 | Governor, in consultation with the President of the Senate and |
| 40 | the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and shall include, |
| 41 | but not be limited to, the following: |
| 42 | 1. To provide legislative and administrative liaison |
| 43 | between state and federal officials and agencies and with |
| 44 | Congress. |
| 45 | 2. To provide grants assistance and advice to state |
| 46 | agencies. |
| 47 | 3. To assist in the development and implementation of |
| 48 | strategies for the evaluation and management of the state's |
| 49 | federal legislative program and intergovernmental efforts. |
| 50 | 4. To facilitate the activities of Florida officials |
| 51 | traveling to Washington, D.C., in the performance of their |
| 52 | official duties. |
| 53 | (c) The head of the office shall be the director, who |
| 54 | shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. |
| 55 | (3) COOPERATION.-For the purpose of centralizing the |
| 56 | state-federal relations efforts of the state, state agencies and |
| 57 | their representatives shall cooperate and coordinate their |
| 58 | state-federal efforts and activities with the office. State |
| 59 | agencies which have representatives headquartered in Washington, |
| 60 | D.C., are encouraged to station their representatives in the |
| 61 | office. |
| 62 | (4) ANNUAL REPORT.-By January 1 of each year, the office |
| 63 | shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the President of |
| 64 | the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| 65 | detailing the office's budget, personnel, and activities. |
| 66 | (5)(4)(a) NOMINATIONS TO FEDERAL REGIONAL FISHERIES |
| 67 | MANAGEMENT COUNCILS.-The Governor is prohibited from nominating |
| 68 | for appointment to any one of the federal fisheries management |
| 69 | councils established under 16 U.S.C. ss. 1801 et seq., as |
| 70 | amended, the name of any person who is, or who has been at any |
| 71 | time during the 24 months preceding such nomination, a lobbyist |
| 72 | for any entity of any kind whatsoever whose interests are or |
| 73 | could be affected by actions or decisions of such fisheries |
| 74 | management councils. |
| 75 | (b) For purposes of this section, the term "lobbyist" |
| 76 | means any natural person who is required to register pursuant to |
| 77 | s. 11.045 or the equivalent federal statute and who, for |
| 78 | compensation, seeks, or sought during the preceding 24 months, |
| 79 | to influence the governmental decisionmaking of a reporting |
| 80 | individual or procurement employee, as those terms are defined |
| 81 | under s. 112.3148, or his or her agency, to encourage the |
| 82 | passage, defeat, or modification of any proposal or |
| 83 | recommendation by such reporting individual or procurement |
| 84 | employee or his or her agency. |
| 85 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |