Voters may get say in state ethics
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission on Monday advanced a sweeping ethics package, which includes a proposed six-year lobbying ban for former state lawmakers, agency heads and local government officials.
The 28-5 vote on the measure (Proposal 39) marked the beginning of the process of sorting through three dozen potential changes to the state Constitution. The commission, which meets every 20 years, has the unique power to place issues directly on the November 2018 ballot.
In addition to the ethics measure, the 37-member commission advanced seven other proposals to the panel’s Style and Drafting Committee, which has the authority to revise the measures and group proposals on the ballot. Once approved by the committee, proposals will return to the full commission for a final vote, which will require support from at least 22 members. The commission faces a May 10 deadline for its final decisions.
The ethics proposal, sponsored by Commissioner Don Gaetz, a former Senate president from Niceville, would prohibit state lawmakers, the governor and Cabinet members from lobbying any state agency or the Legislature for six years after they leave office. The current ban is two years. The six-year ban would also be extended to state agency heads.
The measure would also impose a six-year lobbying ban on many local government officials, including county commissioners, city commissioners and school members. They would be prohibited from lobbying their former governmental bodies.
State elected officials as well as local government officials would be prohibited from lobbying other governmental agencies while in office, including the federal government.
Judges would be banned from lobbying the Legislature, state agencies and the judicial branch for six years after leaving office, although they would be allowed to represent clients in court proceedings.
The proposal also would establish a stronger ethics standard for public officials, prohibiting them from using their offices “to obtain a disproportionate benefit” for themselves, their families or their businesses. It would be up to the Florida Commission on Ethics to define “disproportionate benefit.”
Other measures advanced Monday by the commission included:
A proposal (Proposal 49) that would establish survivor benefits for law- enforcement officers and other first responders, including active military members stationed in Florida, if they are killed “while in the line of duty.”
A measure (Proposal 41) that would raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75.
A proposal (Proposal 11) that would close the so-called “writein loophole,” which allows primary elections to be limited to a single party if there are write-in candidates.
A measure (Proposal 13) that would prohibit counties from abolishing elected offices for sheriff, property appraiser, elections supervisor and other constitutional offices if they become charter counties. It would also force charter counties that have changed those offices to return to an elected system.