Senate Bill 2200

    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 2200

    By Senator Laurent





    17-1332-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to elections; amending s.

  3         106.17, F.S.; prohibiting state agencies from

  4         soliciting pledges or authorizing or conducting

  5         polls or surveys relating to candidacies for

  6         public office; exempting polls or surveys

  7         conducted by institutions of higher learning

  8         for research purposes; providing an effective

  9         date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Section 106.17, Florida Statutes, is

14  amended to read:

15         106.17  Polls and surveys relating to candidacies;

16  prohibitions.--

17         (1)  Any candidate, political committee, or state or

18  county executive committee of a political party may authorize

19  or conduct a political poll, survey, index, or measurement of

20  any kind relating to candidacy for public office so long as

21  the candidate, political committee, or political party

22  maintains complete jurisdiction over the poll in all its

23  aspects.

24         (2)  A state agency may not solicit any pledge or

25  authorize or conduct any political poll, survey, index, or

26  measurement of any kind for the purpose of evaluating or

27  rating any candidate for public office.  For the purpose of

28  this subsection, the term "state agency" means any official or

29  officer in his or her official capacity, commission,

30  authority, council, committee, department, division, bureau,

31  board, section, or other unit or entity of the executive

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 2200
    17-1332-99




  1  branch of state government which receives the majority of its

  2  funding from the state. However, polls or surveys conducted by

  3  institutions of higher learning for research purposes are

  4  exempt from the provisions of this subsection.

  5         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1, 1999.

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  8                          SENATE SUMMARY

  9    Prohibits state agencies from soliciting pledges or
      authorizing or conducting polls or surveys relating to
10    candidacies for public office. Exempts certain polls
      conducted by institutions of higher learning.
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