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House Public integrity and Ethics Committee

2015 redux? House committee hotly debates, passes redistricting reform

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Legislation intended as a “what if’ scenario for potential snags in future political redistricting received a fair amount of blowback from several House committee members. Nevertheless, the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee passed the bill Wednesday. HB 953, sponsored by Rep. Larry Ahern, received a thorough level of skepticism and interrogation due to a knee-jerk reaction to the proposal’s context: legislative redistricting and Congressional reapportionment. “It really just asks the courts to speed up the process as the law…

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House committee advances lobbying ban; impeachment power for attorneys, public defenders

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Florida lawmakers advanced two key pieces of legislation through the House Thursday, including one to lengthen the period before elected officials could begin lobbying after their time in office. The other bill would make state attorneys and public defenders in each judicial district eligible for impeachment under the governor’s power. In an overwhelming vote, the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee passed PCB PIE 17-01 and HJR 999, though there was thorough debate by both the public and committee members on each measure.…

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Supreme Court suspends judge considered by House impeachment panel

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A North Florida judge used as an example by a House panel looking into impeachment of public officials has been suspended for six months by the Florida Supreme Court. The court’s 46-page decision, released Thursday, also orders 3rd Circuit Judge Andrew Decker to get a public reprimand and pay investigative costs. A judicial misconduct hearing panel had recommended the same, but only a 90-day suspension. Decker had been under investigation for three years for alleged attorney-ethical lapses before he was elected a judge in 2012. State…

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Tallahassee lobbyists have a learning moment about ethics reform

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House ethics guru Don Rubottom wrote a poem to explain what the chamber’s new ethics regime is all about: “If you propose it, it should be disclosed before you discuss it, “Before it shows up in any draft of a bill or amendment, “Long before it is filed in the House. “If others propose, disclose by number.” OK, it’s not for the ages, but it captures the spirit of the thing. Rubottom, staff director of the Public Integrity and Ethics…

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