| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to state and local government spending; |
| 3 | providing definitions; requiring the Department of State |
| 4 | to create and manage a free website disclosing certain |
| 5 | spending by state and local governmental entities under |
| 6 | certain contracts; providing requirements concerning the |
| 7 | content of the website; providing an exemption for public |
| 8 | records that are not subject to disclosure; providing an |
| 9 | effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Transparency of spending by state and local |
| 14 | government.-- |
| 15 | (1) As used in this section, the term: |
| 16 | (a) "Contract" means a legally binding agreement between a |
| 17 | governmental entity and a person which requires the entity to |
| 18 | pay the person $5,000 or more. The term includes any agreement |
| 19 | that would require a total payment of $5,000 or more if each |
| 20 | term extension that the agreement authorizes was instituted. |
| 21 | (b) "Expenditure" means a payment that a governmental |
| 22 | entity makes to a person under a contract. |
| 23 | (c) "Governmental entity" means a state agency, a |
| 24 | political subdivision, a corporation created by and acting on |
| 25 | behalf of a state agency or political subdivision, or a taxing |
| 26 | authority created by a state agency or political subdivision. |
| 27 | (d) "Person" means a corporation, association, |
| 28 | partnership, limited liability company, limited liability |
| 29 | partnership, sole proprietorship, or any other legal business |
| 30 | entity, whether for profit or nonprofit. The term excludes an |
| 31 | individual, an employee of a governmental entity, or an employee |
| 32 | of the Federal Government. |
| 33 | (2) The Department of State shall create and manage a free |
| 34 | website that is searchable. The website must list, for each |
| 35 | quarter of each calendar year, each expenditure made on or after |
| 36 | July 1, 2008, by a governmental entity to a person under a |
| 37 | contract by: |
| 38 | (a) Name of the governmental entity making the |
| 39 | expenditure; |
| 40 | (b) Name of the person receiving the expenditure; |
| 41 | (c) Date of the expenditure; |
| 42 | (d) Amount of the expenditure; and |
| 43 | (e) Purpose of the expenditure. |
| 44 |
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| 45 | The website also must state the name of each party to a contract |
| 46 | for which the website lists an expenditure and provide an |
| 47 | electronic copy of the contract. |
| 48 | (3) This section does not require that any public record |
| 49 | that is exempt from inspection or copying under chapter 119, |
| 50 | Florida Statutes, be listed on a website. |
| 51 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |