The Florida Senate

17.325  Governmental efficiency hotline; duties of Comptroller.--

(1)  By September 1, 1992, the Comptroller shall establish and operate a statewide toll-free telephone hotline to receive information or suggestions from the citizens of this state on how to improve the operation of government, increase governmental efficiency, and eliminate waste in government. The Comptroller shall report each month to the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives and of the Senate the information or suggestions received through the hotline and the evaluations and determinations made by the affected agency, as provided in subsection (3), with respect to such information or suggestions.

(2)  The Comptroller shall operate the hotline 24 hours a day. The Comptroller shall advertise the availability of the hotline in newspapers of general circulation in this state and shall provide for the posting of notices in conspicuous places in state agency offices, city halls, county courthouses, and places in which there is exposure to significant numbers of the general public, including, but not limited to, local convenience stores, shopping malls, shopping centers, gasoline stations, or restaurants. The Comptroller shall use the slogan "Tell us where we can 'Get Lean'" for the hotline and in advertisements for the hotline.

(3)  Each telephone call on the hotline shall be received by the office of the Comptroller, and the office of the Comptroller shall conduct an evaluation to determine if it is appropriate for the telephone call to be processed as a "Get Lean" telephone call. If it is determined that the telephone call should be processed as a "Get Lean" telephone call, a record of each suggestion or item of information received shall be entered into a log kept by the Comptroller. A caller on the hotline may remain anonymous, and, if the caller provides his or her name, the name shall be confidential. If a caller discloses that he or she is a state employee, the Comptroller, in addition to maintaining a record as required by this section, may refer any information or suggestion from the caller to an existing state awards program administered by the affected agency. The affected agency shall conduct a preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of any suggestion or item of information received through the hotline and shall provide the Comptroller with a preliminary determination of the amount of revenues the state might save by implementing the suggestion or making use of the information.

(4)  Any person who provides any information through the hotline shall be immune from liability for any use of such information and shall not be subject to any retaliation by any employee of the state for providing such information or making such suggestion.

(5)  The Comptroller shall adopt any rule necessary to implement the establishment, operation, and advertisement of the hotline.

History.--s. 4, ch. 92-316; s. 29, ch. 96-399; s. 2, ch. 97-60.