Florida House OKs six-year ban on lobbying by former elected officials

The House gave final passage Thursday to a raft of government ethics reforms, including a proposed constitutional amendment to bar legislators and statewide elected officials from lobbying before any state government body or agency for six years.

CS/HJR 7001, approved on 108-4 vote, would extend the existing two-year ban.

“We’re not casting aspersions on any people who are doing this after two years now,” bill sponsor Larry Metz said.

“What we are trying to do is raise the bar, and say that we’re not going to let any relationships that occur during an eight-year tenure in the Legislature be used for personal gain in another profession related to that very service,” he said.

The House voted, 91-23, in favor of CS/CS/CS/HB 479, also sponsored by Metz, to require many agencies to establish internal controls to prevent “fraud, waste and abuse,” force cities and counties to post their proposed budgets online, and require local government auditors to determine whether a city’s or county’s annual financial report match financial statements, among other things.

Lantana Democrat Lori Berman objected to including the courts under the bill.

“I have real concerns that we’re running afoul of separation of powers by requiring the judicial branch to adopt administrative procedures,” Berman said.

“We pass a budget that funds the judicial branch of government, so it’s not asking too much within our proper role to expect the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, and abuse within the judicial branch,” Metz said.