Florida Senate - 2009                                    SB 1506
       
       
       
       By Senator Lawson
       
       
       
       
       6-00820-09                                            20091506__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to limitations on the acceptance of
    3         expenditures by members and employees of the
    4         Legislature; amending s. 11.045, F.S.; exempting food
    5         and beverage expenditures from the gift ban at certain
    6         events; requiring that any such food and beverage
    7         expenditures be consumed at the event; limiting the
    8         total value of such expenditures; providing an
    9         effective date.
   10         
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12         
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section
   14  11.045, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         11.045 Lobbying before the Legislature; registration and
   16  reporting; exemptions; penalties.—
   17         (4)(a) Notwithstanding s. 112.3148, s. 112.3149, or any
   18  other provision of law to the contrary, no lobbyist or principal
   19  shall make, directly or indirectly, and no member or employee of
   20  the Legislature shall knowingly accept, directly or indirectly,
   21  any expenditure, except for the following:
   22         1. Floral arrangements or other celebratory items given to
   23  legislators and displayed in chambers the opening day of a
   24  regular session;.
   25         2. Food or beverages at an event, meeting, or function held
   26  for the sole purpose of providing information on legislative,
   27  community, or governmental issues or having a specific education
   28  component; or
   29         3. Food or beverages associated with an organizational,
   30  governmental, professional, or public interest function or
   31  reception.
   32  Any allowable food or beverage expenditure must be consumed at
   33  the event, meeting, function, or reception and may not exceed a
   34  total value of $20.
   35         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.