Bill Text: AZ HB2497 | 2013 | Fifty-first Legislature 1st Regular | Introduced


Bill Title: Disclosure; registration fees; lobbying

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-06 - Referred to House JUD Committee [HB2497 Detail]

Download: Arizona-2013-HB2497-Introduced.html

 

 

 

 

REFERENCE TITLE: disclosure; registration fees; lobbying

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-first Legislature

First Regular Session

2013

 

 

HB 2497

 

Introduced by

Representative Mach, Senator Farley

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending sections 38-542, 41-1232.02 and 41-1232.03, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to public officers and lobbying.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 



Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.  Section 38-542, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE38-542.  Duty to file financial disclosure statement; contents; exceptions

A.  In addition to other statements and reports required by law, every public officer, as a matter of public record, shall file with the secretary of state on a form prescribed by the secretary of state a verified financial disclosure statement covering the preceding calendar year.  The statement shall disclose:

1.  The name and address of the public officer and each member of his household and all names and addresses under which each does business.

2.  The name and address of each employer and of each other source of compensation other than gifts amounting to more than one thousand dollars received during the preceding calendar year by the public officer and members of his household in their own names, or by any other person for the use or benefit of the public officer or members of his household, a description of the services for which the compensation was received and the nature of the employer's business.  This paragraph shall not be construed to require the disclosure of individual items of compensation that constituted a portion of the gross income of the business from which the public officer or members of his household derived compensation.

3.  For a controlled business, a description of the goods or services provided by the business, and if any single source of compensation to the business during the preceding calendar year amounts to more than ten thousand dollars and is more than twenty‑five per cent of the gross income of the business, the disclosure shall also include a description of the goods or services provided to the source of compensation.  For a dependent business the statement shall disclose a description of the goods or services provided by the business and a description of the goods or services provided to the source of compensation from which the dependent business derived the amount of gross income described in section 38‑541, paragraph 4.  If the source of compensation for a controlled or dependent business is a business, the statement shall disclose a description of the business activities engaged in by the source of compensation.

4.  The names and addresses of all businesses and trusts in which the public officer or members of his household, or any other person for the use or benefit of the public officer or members of his household, had an ownership or beneficial interest of over one thousand dollars at any time during the preceding calendar year, and the names and addresses of all businesses and trusts in which the public officer or any member of his household held any office or had a fiduciary relationship at any time during the preceding calendar year, together with the amount or value of the interest and a description of the interest, office or relationship.

5.  All Arizona real property interests and real property improvements, including specific location and approximate size, in which the public officer, any member of his household or a controlled or dependent business held legal title or a beneficial interest at any time during the preceding calendar year, and the value of any such interest, except that this paragraph does not apply to a real property interest and improvements thereon used as the primary personal residence or for the personal recreational use of the public officer.  If a public officer, any member of his household or a controlled or dependent business acquired or divested any such interest during the preceding calendar year, he shall also disclose that the transaction was made and the date it occurred.  If the controlled or dependent business is in the business of dealing in real property interests or improvements, disclosure need not include individual parcels or transactions as long as the aggregate value of all parcels of such property is reported.

6.  The names and addresses of all creditors to whom the public officer or members of his household, in their own names or in the name of any other person, owed a debt of more than one thousand dollars or to whom a controlled business or a dependent business owed a debt of more than ten thousand dollars which that was also more than thirty per cent of the total business indebtedness at any time during the preceding calendar year, listing each such creditor.  This paragraph shall not be construed to require the disclosure of debts owed by the public officer or any member of his household resulting from the ordinary conduct of a business other than a controlled or dependent business nor shall disclosure be required of credit card transactions, retail installment contracts, debts on residences or recreational property exempt from disclosure under paragraph 5 of this subsection, debts on motor vehicles not used for commercial purposes, debts secured by cash values on life insurance or debts owed to relatives.  It is sufficient disclosure of a creditor if the name and address of a person to whom payments are made is disclosed.  If the public officer, any member of his household or a controlled or dependent business incurred or discharged a debt which that is reportable under this subsection during the preceding calendar year, the report shall disclose that the transaction was made and the date it occurred.

7.  The identification and amount of each debt exceeding one thousand dollars owed at any time during the preceding calendar year to the public officer and members of his household in their own names, or to any other person for the use or benefit of the public officer or any member of his household.  The disclosure shall include the identification and amount of each debt exceeding ten thousand dollars to a controlled business or dependent business which that was also more than thirty per cent of the total indebtedness to the business at any time during the preceding calendar year. This paragraph shall not be construed to require the disclosure of debts from the ordinary conduct of a business other than a controlled or dependent business.  If the public officer, any member of his household or a controlled or dependent business incurred or discharged a debt which that is reportable under this subsection during the preceding year, the report shall disclose that the transaction was made and the date it occurred.

8.  The name of each source of any gift, or accumulated gifts from a single source, of more than five hundred dollars received by the public officer and members of his household in their own names during the preceding calendar year, or by any other person for the use or benefit of the public officer or any member of his household except gifts received by will or by virtue of intestate succession, or received by way of distribution from any inter vivos or testamentary trust established by a spouse or by an ancestor, or gifts received from any other member of the household or relatives to the second degree of consanguinity.  Political campaign contributions shall not be construed as gifts if otherwise publicly reported as political campaign contributions as required by law.

9.  A list of all business licenses issued to, held by or in which the public officer or any member of his household had an interest at any time during the preceding calendar year, including the name in which the license was issued, the type of business and its location.

10.  A list of all bonds, together with their value, issued by this state or any political subdivision of this state and held at any time during the preceding calendar year by the public officer or any member of his household, which bonds issued by a single entity had a value in excess of one thousand dollars.  If the public officer or any member of his household acquired or divested any bonds during the preceding calendar year which that are reportable under this paragraph, the fact that the transaction occurred and the date shall also be shown.

11.  A description of any benefit received by the public officer or any member of the household of the public officer if the benefit is in the form of travel, lodging or registration fees related to a conference, meeting or other event, without regard to whether denominated a scholarship, a reduced rate or a full or partial reimbursement.  The description of the benefit received shall itemize the specific dollar amount of the benefit received and may not be reported in a category range as prescribed in subsection b of this section.  The description shall also separately itemize the benefit received in the form of travel, lodging or registration fees, and shall disclose the name and address of each donor or payor of each benefit.

B.  Except as prescribed in subsection A, paragraph 11 of this section, if an amount or value is required to be reported pursuant to this section, it is sufficient to report whether the amount or value of the equity interest falls within:

1.  Category 1, one thousand dollars to twenty‑five thousand dollars.

2.  Category 2, more than twenty‑five thousand dollars to one hundred thousand dollars.

3.  Category 3, more than one hundred thousand dollars.

C.  This section does not require the disclosure of any information that is privileged by law.

D.  The statement required to be filed pursuant to subsection A of this section shall be filed by all persons who qualified as public officers at any time during the preceding calendar year on or before January 31 of each year with the exceptions that a public officer appointed to fill a vacancy shall, within sixty days following his taking of such office, shall file a financial disclosure statement covering as his annual period the twelve month period ending with the last full month prior to before the date of his taking office, and a public officer whose final term expires less than thirty‑one days into the immediately following calendar year may file the public officer's final financial disclosure at the same time as the disclosure for the last immediately preceding year.

E.  The secretary of state shall prepare written guidelines, forms and samples for completing the financial disclosure statement required by this section.  A copy of the guidelines, forms and samples shall be distributed to each public officer and shall be made available to each candidate required to file a financial disclosure statement pursuant to section 38‑543.   END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.  Section 41-1232.02, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE41-1232.02.  Expenditure reporting; principals and lobbyists; gifts

A.  Each principal shall report annually all single expenditures, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  These single expenditures shall be itemized separately, and each itemization shall include the date of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the name of each state officer or employee receiving or benefitting from the expenditure, the category of the expenditure and the name of the lobbyist or other person who made the expenditure on behalf of the principal.  In addition each principal shall report annually the aggregate of all expenditures of twenty dollars or less received by or benefitting a state officer or employee, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  The report shall be filed by March 1 and shall list the annual expenditures made on behalf of the principal.  If March 1 is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

B.  Each lobbyist for compensation and designated lobbyist shall report quarterly all single expenditures incurred in the preceding calendar quarter by the lobbyist for compensation or designated lobbyist, whether or not the single expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  These single expenditures shall be itemized separately, and each itemization shall include the date of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the name of the state officer or employee receiving or benefitting from the expenditure, the category of the expenditure and the principal on whose behalf the expenditure was made.  If the expenditure was made by the lobbyist and was not made on behalf of a principal, it shall be itemized separately.  The quarterly report shall be filed no later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter, unless the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday.  In that case, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

C.  Each lobbyist for compensation and designated lobbyist shall also report quarterly the aggregate of all expenditures of twenty dollars or less received by or benefitting a state officer or employee, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  The report shall list separately the aggregate of expenditures made on behalf of each principal and the aggregate not made on behalf of any principal.  In the fourth calendar quarter, these expenditures shall also be listed by cumulative total for the calendar year.  Each quarterly lobbyist report shall include all reportable expenditures made by any employee of the lobbyist for compensation or designated lobbyist, regardless of whether that employee is listed as a lobbyist on any registration filed by a principal engaging the lobbyist.  The quarterly report shall be filed no later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter, unless the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday.  In that case, the report shall be filed the next business day.

D.  The reports required by subsections A and B of this section shall identify each single expenditure according to the following categories, except there is no minimum amount and the reports shall itemize any benefit provided in the form of travel, lodging or registration fees even if the amount of the benefit does not constitute a single expenditure as defined in section 41-1231:

1.  Food or beverages.

2.  Speaking engagement.

3.  Travel. and

4.  Lodging.

5.  Registration fees paid for a conference, meeting or other event, without regard to whether denominated a scholarship, a reduced rate or a full or partial reimbursement and the name and address of all donors or payors into any account or fund that is aggregated and used to provide the benefit.

4.  6.  Flowers.

5.  7.  Other expenditures.

E.  Expenditures by principals and lobbyists such as those for the lobbyist's personal sustenance, office expenses, filing fees, legal fees, employees' compensation, lodging and travel are not required to be reported. In addition, expenditures by a principal or a lobbyist for family gifts, personal hospitality or those items excluded from the definition of gift pursuant to section 41‑1231, paragraph 9, subdivision (a), (c), (d), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) or (l) are not required to be reported.

F.  All expenditures incurred by a principal or lobbyist in the case of special events for legislators, including parties, dinners, athletic events, entertainment and other functions, to which all members of the legislature, either house of the legislature or any committee of the legislature are invited shall be reported.  Expenditures are not required to be allocated to individual legislators, but for each such event a description of the event and the date, location, name of the legislative body invited and total expenditures incurred shall be reported.  Expenditures for special events held in conjunction with state, national or regional meetings of an organization or association concerned or dealing with legislative or other governmental activities to which all state officers or state employees in attendance at such event are invited shall be reported in the same manner.

G.  All information required to be filed pursuant to this section with the secretary of state shall be filed in that office and preserved by the secretary of state for five years from the date of filing, after which time the information shall be destroyed.  The information is a public record and open to public inspection.

H.  If a principal, lobbyist for compensation or designated lobbyist makes no expenditures that it would otherwise be required to report during a specified reporting period, the principal, lobbyist for compensation or designated lobbyist may sign a notarized form prescribed by the secretary of state indicating that there were no expenditures during the specific reporting period.

I.  A person or organization shall not make a gift to or an expenditure on behalf of a state officer or employee through another person or organization for the purpose of disguising the identity of the person making the gift or expenditure.

J.  A principal or lobbyist or any other person acting on behalf of a principal or lobbyist shall not give to any state officer or state employee and a state officer or state employee shall not accept from a principal or lobbyist either of the following:

1.  Gifts with a total value of more than ten dollars during any calendar year.

2.  Gifts that are designed to influence the state officer's or state employee's official conduct. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3.  Section 41-1232.03, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE41-1232.03.  Expenditure reporting; public bodies and public lobbyists; gifts

A.  Each public body shall report annually all single expenditures received by or benefitting a member of the legislature whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  These expenditures shall be itemized separately, and each itemization shall include the date of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the name of each member of the legislature receiving or benefitting from the expenditure, the category of the expenditure and the name of the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist who made the expenditure on behalf of the public body.  In addition each public body shall report annually the aggregate of all expenditures of twenty dollars or less received by or benefitting a member of the legislature, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  The report shall list all expenditures by the public body made in the course of lobbying for the personal sustenance, filing fee, legal fees, employees' compensation, meals, lodging and travel of the designated public lobbyist and all authorized public lobbyists employed or retained by, and representing, the public body.  The public body shall apportion expenditures that are attributable both to lobbying and to other activities of the public body and shall report only the portion attributable to lobbying.  For the purpose of reporting employee compensation, a public body, on establishing a time allocation schedule for apportioned lobbying activity based on actual experience under this article, may submit after the 1993 calendar year an affidavit to the secretary of state stating the compensation attributable to lobbying for subsequent years for the designated public lobbyist and all authorized public lobbyists whose job responsibilities have not been significantly altered since the time allocation schedule was established.  The report shall be filed by March 1 and shall list the annual expenditures made on behalf of the public body.  If March 1 is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

B.  Each designated public lobbyist shall report quarterly all single expenditures received by or benefitting a member of the legislature and incurred in the preceding calendar quarter by the designated public lobbyist, whether or not the single expenditures were made in the course of lobbying. Each designated public lobbyist's report shall also include all single expenditures incurred in the preceding calendar quarter by each authorized public lobbyist who is registered pursuant to section 41‑1232.01 by the same public body that registered the designated public lobbyist.  This subsection does not apply to an expenditure that was made by a designated public lobbyist or an authorized public lobbyist and that was received by or benefitted an employee of a public body, if the employee is not a member or employee of the legislature or a member of the household of a member or employee of the legislature.  These expenditures shall be itemized separately, and each itemization shall include the date of the expenditure, the amount of the expenditure, the name of the member or employee receiving or benefitting from the expenditure, the category of the expenditure and the public body on whose behalf the expenditure was made.  If the expenditure was made by the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist and was not made on behalf of a public body, it shall be itemized separately.  The quarterly report shall be filed no later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter, unless the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday.  In that case, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

C.  Each designated public lobbyist shall also report quarterly the aggregate of all expenditures of twenty dollars or less received by or benefitting a member of the legislature, whether or not the expenditures were made in the course of lobbying.  Each designated public lobbyist's report shall also include the aggregate of all expenditures of twenty dollars or less that were received by or benefitted a member of the legislature and that were made by an authorized public lobbyist who is registered pursuant to section 41‑1232.01 by the same public body that registered the designated public lobbyist.  This subsection does not apply to an expenditure that was made by a designated public lobbyist or an authorized public lobbyist and that was received by or benefitted an employee of a public body, if the employee is not a member or employee of the legislature or a member of the household of a member or employee of the legislature.  The report shall list separately the aggregate of expenditures made on behalf of each public body and the aggregate not made on behalf of any public body.  In the fourth calendar quarter, these expenditures shall also be listed by cumulative total for the calendar year.  Each quarterly lobbyist report shall include all reportable expenditures made by any employee of the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist, regardless of whether that employee is listed as a designated public lobbyist or an authorized public lobbyist on any registration filed by a public body engaging the designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist.  The quarterly report shall be filed no later than the last day of the month following the end of the calendar quarter, unless the last day of the month is a Saturday, Sunday or other legal holiday.  In that case, the report shall be filed on the next business day.

D.  The reports required by subsections A and B of this section shall identify the nature of each single expenditure according to the following categories, except there is no minimum amount and the reports shall itemize any benefit provided in the form of travel, lodging or registration fees even if the amount of the benefit does not constitute a single expenditure as defined in section 41-1231:

1.  Food or beverages.

2.  Speaking engagement.

3.  Travel. and

4.  Lodging.

5.  Registration fees paid for a conference, meeting or other event, without regard to whether denominated a scholarship, a reduced rate or a full or partial reimbursement and the name and address of all donors or payors into any account or fund that is aggregated and used to provide the benefit.

4.  6.  Flowers.

5.  7.  Other expenditures.

E.  Expenditures by a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist for personal sustenance, family gifts, personal hospitality or those items excluded from the definition of gift pursuant to section 41‑1231, paragraph 9, subdivision (a), (c), (d), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) or (l) are not required to be reported.

F.  All expenditures incurred by a public body, a designated public lobbyist or an authorized public lobbyist in the case of special events for legislators, including parties, dinners, athletic events, entertainment and other functions, to which all members of the legislature, either house of the legislature or any committee of the legislature are invited shall be reported.  Expenditures are not required to be allocated to individual legislators, but for each such event a description of the event and the date, location, name of the legislative body invited and total expenditures incurred shall be reported.  Expenditures for special events held in conjunction with state, national or regional meetings of an organization or association concerned or dealing with legislative or other governmental activities to which all members or employees of the legislature in attendance at such event are invited shall be reported in the same manner.

G.  All information required to be filed pursuant to this section with the secretary of state shall be filed in that office and preserved by the secretary of state for five years from the date of filing, after which time the information shall be destroyed.  The information is a public record and open to public inspection.

H.  If a public body or designated public lobbyist makes no expenditures that it would otherwise be required to report during a specified reporting period, the public body or designated public lobbyist may sign a notarized form prescribed by the secretary of state indicating that there were no expenditures during the specific reporting period.

I.  A person or organization shall not make a gift to or an expenditure on behalf of a member or employee of the legislature through another person or organization for the purpose of disguising the identity of the person making the gift or expenditure.

J.  A public body, a designated public lobbyist or an authorized public lobbyist or any other person acting on behalf of a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist shall not give to any member of the legislature and a member of the legislature shall not accept from a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist either of the following:

1.  Gifts with a total value of more than ten dollars during any calendar year.

2.  Gifts that are designed to influence the member's or employee's official conduct.

K.  Subsection J of this section does not apply to gifts given by a public body, designated public lobbyist or authorized public lobbyist to an employee of a public body, if the employee is not a public official or a member of the household of a public official or if the gift is accepted on behalf of the public body and remains the property of the public body. END_STATUTE

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