Bill Text: IA HF687 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to permissible honoraria from restricted donors to public officials and public employees. (Formerly HF 320.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-04 - Referred to State Government. H.J. 755. [HF687 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-HF687-Introduced.html
House
File
687
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
687
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
STATE
GOVERNMENT
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
320)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
permissible
honoraria
from
restricted
donors
1
to
public
officials
and
public
employees.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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687
Section
1.
Section
68B.23,
subsection
2,
paragraph
a,
Code
1
2019,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
a.
The
honorarium
consists
of
payment
,
not
to
exceed
four
3
hundred
ninety-nine
dollars
per
day,
of
actual
expenses
of
a
4
donee
for
registration,
food,
beverages,
travel,
and
lodging
5
paid
in
return
for
participation
in
a
panel
or
speaking
6
engagement
at
a
meeting
when
the
expenses
relate
directly
to
7
the
day
or
days
on
which
the
recipient
has
participation
or
8
presentation
responsibilities.
9
Sec.
2.
Section
68B.23,
Code
2019,
is
amended
by
adding
the
10
following
new
subsection:
11
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
3.
A
restricted
donor
that
provides
and
a
12
public
official
or
public
employee
that
accepts
an
honorarium
13
pursuant
to
subsection
2
shall
each
file
a
report
with
the
14
board
describing
the
honorarium
within
twenty
days
of
providing
15
or
accepting
the
honorarium.
Each
report
must
describe
16
and
state
an
aggregate
value
of
all
payments,
services,
and
17
property
provided
or
accepted.
The
board
shall
make
all
18
reports
submitted
under
this
subsection
available
on
the
19
internet
site.
20
EXPLANATION
21
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
22
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
23
This
bill
relates
to
permissible
honoraria
from
restricted
24
donors
to
public
officials
and
public
employees.
25
Under
Code
chapter
68B
(government
ethics
and
lobbying),
26
a
public
official
or
public
employee
is
prohibited
from
27
seeking
or
accepting
an
honorarium
from
a
restricted
donor,
28
subject
to
certain
exceptions.
One
such
exception
permits
a
29
public
official
or
public
employee
to
accept
an
honorarium
if
30
the
honorarium
consists
of
payment
for
the
public
official
31
or
public
employee’s
actual
expenses
for
registration,
32
food,
beverages,
travel,
and
lodging
paid
in
return
for
33
participation
in
a
panel
or
speaking
engagement
when
the
34
expenses
relate
directly
to
the
day
or
days
on
which
the
public
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official
or
public
employee
has
participation
or
presentation
1
responsibilities.
The
bill
provides
that
a
public
official
or
2
public
employee
may
not
accept
an
honorarium
that
is
payment
3
for
actual
expenses
in
exchange
for
a
panel
or
speaking
4
engagement
if
the
payment
exceeds
$499
per
day.
5
Current
law
provides
two
further
exceptions
to
the
6
prohibition
on
a
public
official
or
public
employee
from
7
accepting
an
honorarium.
First,
if
the
honorarium
consists
8
of
a
nonmonetary
item
that
the
public
official
or
public
9
employee
donates
within
30
days
to
a
public
body,
a
bona
fide
10
educational
or
charitable
organization,
or
the
department
of
11
administrative
services.
Second,
if
the
honorarium
consists
12
of
a
payment
made
to
a
public
official
or
public
employee
for
13
services
rendered
as
part
of
a
bona
fide
private
business
in
14
which
the
public
official
or
public
employee
is
engaged
if
the
15
payment
is
commensurate
with
the
actual
services
rendered
and
16
is
not
being
made
because
of
the
person’s
status
as
a
public
17
official
or
public
employee.
18
The
bill
requires
a
public
official
or
public
employee
who
19
accepts
an
honorarium
under
any
of
these
exceptions
to,
within
20
20
days
of
doing
so,
file
a
report
with
the
ethics
and
campaign
21
disclosure
board
which
describes
and
states
an
aggregate
22
value
of
all
payments,
services,
and
property
accepted.
The
23
bill
likewise
requires
the
restricted
donor
who
provided
the
24
honorarium
to
file
a
report
containing
the
same
information
25
with
the
ethics
and
campaign
disclosure
board.
The
ethics
and
26
campaign
disclosure
board
must
then
make
the
reports
available
27
on
the
board’s
internet
site.
28
A
knowing
and
intentional
violation
of
the
limitations
on
29
accepting
an
honorarium
or
failing
to
file
a
report
required
by
30
the
bill
is
a
serious
misdemeanor.
A
serious
misdemeanor
is
31
punishable
by
confinement
for
no
more
than
one
year
and
a
fine
32
of
at
least
$315
but
not
more
than
$1,875.
33
In
addition,
a
person
who
accepts
an
honorarium
in
violation
34
of
Code
chapter
68B
or
fails
to
file
a
report
required
by
the
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