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Florida Legislature 2005 (click for ongoing coverage)

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Haggling ahead on lobbyist reporting

A House committee advances a weaker measure than Senate President Tom Lee wants.

By LUCY MORGAN
Published March 31, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Lobbyists would escape most of the reporting requirements Senate President Tom Lee wants under a bill approved Wednesday by the House Ethics and Elections Committee.

The bill, proposed by the committee, would require lobbyists to provide more details about the money they spend trying to influence lawmakers or other public officials. Details would include the names of lawmakers and the money spent when fewer than 10 are entertained.

Lobbyists now must report only the total amount they spend trying to influence lawmakers and they do not have to identify them.

Lee, R-Brandon, wants lobbyists to report their fees as well as detail how they spend money on legislators. The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee has approved Lee's bill, setting up bargaining between the two chambers that could last until the final hours of the session in early May.

Both chambers support a provision requiring lobbyists to file reports four times a year instead of twice and making the reports public on the Internet.

Lee and Gov. Jeb Bush say Florida should match the requirements of 28 other states and Congress in requiring lobbyists to disclose their fees.

Lee says the measure is needed to improve the image of public officials and the lawmaking process. House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, has said he will consider the measure but has made no promises.

Lobbyists are likely to fight hard to block any measure that would force them to disclose their fees, and several have promised to wage a battle in the courts if they lose in the Legislature.

Some lobbyists were present as the House committee took up the bill, but only two testified: Doug Towne, lobbyist for disability groups; and Ben Wilcox, lobbyist for Common Cause, the public interest lobby.

Towne praised efforts to require more reporting but urged lawmakers to create a way for those with disabilities to file electronic reports.

Wilcox praised efforts to force more disclosure but said lobbyists should be required to disclose their fees.

Florida was recently ranked 33rd among the 50 states in its regulation of lobbyists by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington ethics group. Florida tied with Louisiana and Oregon and was well behind other big states such as New York, California and Texas.

Only New York has more registered lobbyists than the approximately 3,000 in Florida, Wilcox noted.

[Last modified March 31, 2005, 01:27:20]