Bill Text: IA SSB1261 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to lobbying activities by political subdivisions.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (N/A - Dead) 2019-04-17 - Subcommittee Meeting: 04/18/2019 9:30AM Senate Lobbyist Lounge. [SSB1261 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-SSB1261-Introduced.html
Senate
Study
Bill
1261
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
COMMITTEE
ON
GOVERNMENT
OVERSIGHT
BILL
BY
CHAIRPERSON
SINCLAIR)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
lobbying
activities
by
political
1
subdivisions.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
68B.9
Lobbying
activities
by
1
political
subdivisions.
2
1.
For
purposes
of
this
section,
unless
the
context
3
otherwise
requires:
4
a.
“Lobbying”
means
direct
action
to
encourage
the
passage,
5
defeat,
approval,
veto,
or
modification
of
legislation,
a
rule,
6
or
an
executive
order
that
is
being
considered
by
the
general
7
assembly,
a
state
agency,
or
a
statewide
elected
official.
8
b.
“Political
subdivision”
means
a
governmental
entity
9
organized
under
the
laws
of
this
state
and
includes
a
county,
10
city,
township,
community
college,
area
education
agency,
and
11
school
district.
12
2.
A
political
subdivision
that
contracts
with
or
otherwise
13
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
behalf
of
the
political
14
subdivision
shall
do
so
in
a
reasonable
manner,
including
all
15
of
the
following:
16
a.
Using
written
requests
for
proposal
to
solicit
lobbying
17
services.
18
b.
Selecting
lobbyists
on
the
basis
of
competence
and
19
qualifications
for
the
services
required.
20
c.
Paying
fair
and
reasonable
compensation.
21
3.
a.
If
a
political
subdivision
contracts
with
or
22
otherwise
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
behalf
of
the
23
political
subdivision,
or
if
an
employee,
officer,
or
elected
24
or
appointed
official
of
the
political
subdivision
engages
in
25
more
than
ten
hours
of
lobbying
on
behalf
of
the
political
26
subdivision
in
a
calendar
month,
the
political
subdivision
27
shall,
subject
to
paragraph
“b”
,
publish
all
of
the
following
on
28
its
internet
site:
29
(1)
Full
copies
of
all
contracts
in
effect
that
provide,
in
30
whole
or
in
part,
for
the
provision
of
lobbying
services.
31
(2)
Not
later
than
two
weeks
after
the
end
of
each
fiscal
32
year,
a
schedule
showing
all
payments
the
political
subdivision
33
made
during
the
preceding
fiscal
year
to
any
person
acting
as
34
a
lobbyist
on
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision
or,
in
the
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case
of
an
employee,
officer,
or
elected
or
appointed
official,
1
the
total
annual
compensation
the
political
subdivision
paid
to
2
such
person
and
the
total
number
of
hours
spent
by
that
person
3
in
lobbying
activities
on
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision
4
in
the
preceding
fiscal
year.
5
(3)
Not
later
than
two
weeks
after
the
end
of
each
fiscal
6
year,
all
of
the
following
information
about
each
bill
on
7
which
a
person
serving
as
a
lobbyist
or
engaged
in
lobbying
8
registered
a
position
on
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision:
9
(a)
The
registered
declaration
on
the
bill
on
behalf
of
the
10
political
subdivision.
11
(b)
A
materially
complete
synopsis
of
the
bill
and
of
all
12
amendments
of
the
bill
on
which
a
vote
was
taken.
13
(c)
Each
vote
on
the
bill
and
all
amendments
to
the
bill
by
14
a
committee
of
the
senate
or
house
of
representatives
and
by
15
the
senate
or
house
of
representatives.
16
(d)
The
status
of
the
bill,
including
whether
the
bill
was
17
amended
or
passed
by
a
committee
of
the
senate
or
house
of
18
representatives
or
by
the
senate
or
house
of
representatives,
19
or
signed
or
vetoed
by
the
governor,
with
the
date
of
each
such
20
action
included.
21
b.
If
the
political
subdivision
does
not
maintain
22
an
internet
site
but
is
otherwise
subject
to
reporting
23
requirements
under
paragraph
“a”
,
the
political
subdivision
24
shall
annually
publish
all
the
information
required
by
25
paragraph
“a”
,
subparagraphs
(1)
through
(3),
within
three
26
weeks
of
the
end
of
the
fiscal
year
in
the
same
manner
that
the
27
political
subdivision
provides
notice
pursuant
to
section
21.4.
28
4.
An
organization
subject
to
audit
pursuant
to
section
29
11.6,
subsection
9,
and
any
other
organization
that
lobbies
30
on
behalf
of
any
category
or
group
of
political
subdivisions,
31
shall,
not
later
than
two
weeks
after
the
end
of
the
32
fiscal
year,
publish
on
the
organization’s
internet
site
33
the
information
required
by
subsection
3,
paragraph
“a”
,
34
subparagraph
(3).
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5.
A
person
shall
not
act
as
a
lobbyist
or
engage
in
1
lobbying
concerning
any
matter
on
behalf
of
a
political
2
subdivision
unless
the
political
subdivision
takes
official
3
action
at
a
meeting
in
open
session
after
providing
notice
of
4
the
meeting
pursuant
to
section
21.4
and
determines
by
majority
5
vote
the
position
to
be
taken
on
the
matter.
This
subsection
6
shall
not
apply
to
lobbying
by
an
organization
subject
to
7
subsection
4.
8
6.
Notwithstanding
section
22.7,
a
record,
document,
or
9
other
information
stored
or
preserved
in
any
medium
that
10
relates
to
lobbying
by
a
person
for
or
on
behalf
of
a
political
11
subdivision
is
a
public
record
subject
to
the
provisions
of
12
chapter
22,
shall
be
preserved
and
maintained
for
a
period
13
of
not
less
than
seven
years,
and
shall
be
available
for
14
examination
and
copying
by
the
public
upon
reasonable
terms
as
15
required
by
chapter
22.
16
EXPLANATION
17
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
18
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
19
This
bill
relates
to
the
lobbying
activities
of
political
20
subdivisions.
21
The
bill
defines
“political
subdivision”
as
a
governmental
22
entity
organized
under
the
laws
of
this
state
and
includes
23
a
county,
city,
township,
community
college,
area
education
24
agency,
and
school
district,
and
“lobbying”
as
direct
action
to
25
encourage
the
passage,
defeat,
approval,
veto,
or
modification
26
of
legislation,
a
rule,
or
an
executive
order
that
is
being
27
considered
by
the
general
assembly,
a
state
agency,
or
a
28
statewide
elected
official.
29
The
bill
provides
that
a
political
subdivision
that
30
contracts
with
or
otherwise
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
31
on
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision
shall
do
so
in
a
32
reasonable
manner,
including
by
using
a
written
request
for
33
proposal,
selecting
a
lobbyist
on
the
basis
of
competence
and
34
qualification
for
the
services
required,
and
paying
fair
and
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reasonable
compensation.
1
The
bill
provides
that
if
a
political
subdivision
contracts
2
with
or
otherwise
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
behalf
of
3
the
political
subdivision
in
exchange
for
compensation,
or
if
4
any
employee,
officer,
or
elected
or
appointed
official
of
the
5
political
subdivision
engages
in
more
than
10
hours
of
lobbying
6
on
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision
in
a
calendar
month,
7
the
political
subdivision
is
subject
to
certain
reporting
8
requirements.
If
the
political
subdivision
is
subject
to
9
the
reporting
requirements
but
does
not
maintain
an
internet
10
site,
the
political
subdivision
shall
annually
publish
all
the
11
required
information
in
the
same
manner
that
the
political
12
subdivision
provides
notice
pursuant
to
Code
section
21.4
13
(notice
of
public
meetings).
14
The
bill
provides
that
the
Iowa
state
association
of
15
counties,
the
Iowa
league
of
cities,
and
the
Iowa
association
16
of
school
boards,
and
any
other
organization
that
lobbies
on
17
behalf
of
any
category
or
group
of
political
subdivisions,
18
shall,
not
later
than
two
weeks
after
the
end
of
the
fiscal
19
year,
publish
on
the
organization’s
internet
site
certain
20
specified
information
regarding
each
bill
and
amendment
on
21
which
the
organization
registered
a
position.
22
The
bill
provides
that
a
person,
except
for
the
Iowa
state
23
association
of
counties,
the
Iowa
league
of
cities,
and
the
24
Iowa
association
of
school
boards,
and
any
other
organization
25
that
lobbies
on
behalf
of
any
category
or
group
of
political
26
subdivisions,
shall
not
act
as
a
lobbyist
or
engage
in
lobbying
27
concerning
any
matter
on
behalf
of
a
political
subdivision
28
unless
the
political
subdivision
takes
official
action
at
a
29
meeting
in
open
session
after
providing
notice
of
the
meeting
30
and
determines
by
majority
vote
the
position
to
be
taken
on
the
31
matter.
32
The
bill
provides
that
documents
and
records
relating
to
33
lobbying
on
or
behalf
of
a
political
subdivision
are
public
34
records
subject
to
Code
chapter
22
(examination
of
public
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