Florida Senate - 2020                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/CS/HB 1095, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì881186@Î881186                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                Floor: 1/AD/2R         .            Floor: C            
             03/09/2020 05:08 PM       .      03/12/2020 04:38 PM       
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       Senator Simpson moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Before line 35
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 350.061, Florida
    6  Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         350.061 Public Counsel; appointment; oath; restrictions on
    8  Public Counsel and his or her employees.—
    9         (1) The committee designated by joint rule of the
   10  Legislature or by agreement between the President of the Senate
   11  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives as the Committee
   12  on Public Counsel Oversight shall appoint a Public Counsel to
   13  represent the general public of Florida before the Florida
   14  Public Service Commission. The Public Counsel shall be an
   15  attorney admitted to practice before the Florida Supreme Court,
   16  and shall be appointed for a term of 4 years, and may be
   17  reappointed thereafter, provided that a person appointed as the
   18  Public Counsel may not serve more than 12 consecutive years in
   19  the position. However, the time served by the Public Counsel
   20  before July 1, 2020, may not be considered in applying the
   21  limitation on consecutive years of service. The Public Counsel
   22  shall be appointed by a majority vote of the committee
   23  appointees of each house and may be removed from office by a
   24  majority vote of the committee appointees of each house. A
   25  person may continue as Public Counsel beyond the 4-year term
   26  until his or her successor is appointed and takes office, unless
   27  the person is removed by a vote of the committee. The Committee
   28  on Public Counsel Oversight shall receive applications, conduct
   29  interviews, and appoint a Public Counsel to a 4-year term
   30  beginning on March 1, 2021, and every 4 years thereafter serve
   31  at the pleasure of the Committee on Public Counsel Oversight,
   32  subject to biennial reconfirmation by the committee. The Public
   33  Counsel shall perform his or her duties independently. Vacancies
   34  in the office shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired
   35  term in the same manner as the original appointment.
   36  
   37  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   38  And the title is amended as follows:
   39         Delete lines 2 - 3
   40  and insert:
   41         An act relating to infrastructure regulation; amending
   42         s. 350.061, F.S.; providing term limits for the Public
   43         Counsel; providing an exception for time served before
   44         a specified date; providing for the appointment and
   45         removal of the Public Counsel; requiring the Committee
   46         on Public Counsel Oversight to receive applications,
   47         conduct interviews, and appoint a Public Counsel by a
   48         specified date every 4 years; providing for the
   49         filling of vacancies; amending s. 556.102, F.S.;