Bill Text: IA SF2395 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to lobbying activities by political subdivisions. (Formerly SF 639, SSB 1261.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-27 - Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 470. [SF2395 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-SF2395-Introduced.html
Senate
File
2395
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
2395
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
GOVERNMENT
OVERSIGHT
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SF
639)
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SSB
1261)
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:
3
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2395
Section
1.
Section
11.6,
subsection
9,
Code
2020,
is
amended
1
to
read
as
follows:
2
9.
Accounts
of
the
Iowa
state
association
of
counties,
3
the
Iowa
league
of
cities,
and
the
Iowa
association
of
school
4
boards
shall
be
audited
annually
by
either
the
auditor
of
state
5
or
a
certified
public
accountant
certified
in
the
state
of
6
Iowa.
The
audit
shall
state
all
moneys
expended
for
expenses
7
incurred
by
and
salaries
paid
to
legislative
representatives
8
and
lobbyists
of
the
association
audited
,
as
well
as
the
total
9
number
of
hours
such
persons
spent
lobbying
.
10
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
68B.9
Lobbying
activities
by
political
11
subdivisions.
12
1.
For
purposes
of
this
section,
unless
the
context
13
otherwise
requires:
14
a.
“Lobbying”
means
direct
action
to
encourage
the
passage,
15
defeat,
approval,
veto,
or
modification
of
legislation,
a
rule,
16
or
an
executive
order
that
is
being
considered
by
the
general
17
assembly,
a
state
agency,
or
a
statewide
elected
official.
18
b.
“Political
subdivision”
means
a
county,
city,
township,
19
community
college,
area
education
agency,
or
school
district.
20
2.
A
political
subdivision
that
contracts
with
or
otherwise
21
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
behalf
of
the
political
22
subdivision
shall
do
so
in
a
reasonable
manner,
including
23
by
using
written
requests
for
proposals
to
solicit
lobbying
24
services.
The
duration
of
a
contract
for
lobbying
services
25
shall
not
exceed
five
years.
A
political
subdivision
shall
26
not
renew
a
contract
for
lobbying
services
or
enter
into
a
new
27
contract
for
lobbying
services
unless
the
political
subdivision
28
uses
a
written
request
for
proposal
to
solicit
lobbying
29
services.
30
3.
If
a
political
subdivision
contracts
with
or
otherwise
31
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
behalf
of
the
political
32
subdivision,
or
if
an
employee,
officer,
or
elected
or
33
appointed
official
of
the
political
subdivision
engages
in
34
more
than
ten
hours
of
lobbying
on
behalf
of
the
political
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subdivision
in
a
calendar
month,
the
political
subdivision
1
shall
preserve
all
documentation
relating
to
all
of
the
2
following:
3
a.
Full
copies
of
all
contracts
in
effect
that
provide,
in
4
whole
or
in
part,
for
the
provision
of
lobbying
services.
5
b.
Not
later
than
two
weeks
after
the
end
of
the
fiscal
year
6
for
the
political
subdivision,
a
schedule
showing
all
payments
7
the
political
subdivision
made
during
the
preceding
fiscal
year
8
to
any
person
acting
as
a
lobbyist
on
behalf
of
the
political
9
subdivision
or,
in
the
case
of
an
employee,
officer,
or
elected
10
or
appointed
official,
the
total
annual
compensation
the
11
political
subdivision
paid
to
such
person
and
the
total
number
12
of
hours
spent
by
that
person
in
lobbying
activities
on
behalf
13
of
the
political
subdivision
in
the
preceding
fiscal
year.
14
4.
Notwithstanding
section
22.7,
a
record,
document,
or
15
other
information
stored
or
preserved
in
any
medium
that
is
16
required
to
be
preserved
by
this
section
or
relates
to
lobbying
17
by
a
person
for
or
on
behalf
of
a
political
subdivision
is
a
18
public
record
subject
to
the
provisions
of
chapter
22,
shall
be
19
preserved
and
maintained
for
a
period
of
not
less
than
seven
20
years,
and
shall
be
available
for
examination
and
copying
by
21
the
public
upon
reasonable
terms
as
required
by
chapter
22.
22
EXPLANATION
23
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
24
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
25
This
bill
relates
to
the
lobbying
activities
of
political
26
subdivisions.
27
The
bill
defines
“political
subdivision”
as
a
county,
28
city,
township,
community
college,
area
education
agency,
or
29
school
district,
and
“lobbying”
as
direct
action
to
encourage
30
the
passage,
defeat,
approval,
veto,
or
modification
of
31
legislation,
a
rule,
or
an
executive
order
that
is
being
32
considered
by
the
general
assembly,
a
state
agency,
or
a
33
statewide
elected
official.
34
The
bill
provides
that
a
political
subdivision
that
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2395
contracts
with
or
otherwise
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
1
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision
shall
do
so
in
a
reasonable
2
manner,
including
by
using
written
requests
for
proposals
to
3
solicit
lobbying
services.
The
duration
of
a
contract
for
4
lobbying
services
shall
not
exceed
five
years,
and
a
renewal
or
5
new
contract
for
lobbying
services
also
requires
the
use
of
a
6
written
request
for
proposal.
7
The
bill
provides
that
if
a
political
subdivision
contracts
8
with
or
otherwise
compensates
a
person
to
lobby
on
behalf
of
9
the
political
subdivision
in
exchange
for
compensation,
or
if
10
any
employee,
officer,
or
elected
or
appointed
official
of
11
the
political
subdivision
engages
in
more
than
10
hours
of
12
lobbying
on
behalf
of
the
political
subdivision
in
a
calendar
13
month,
the
political
subdivision
is
subject
to
certain
document
14
preservation
requirements.
15
Current
law
provides
that
the
Iowa
state
association
of
16
counties,
the
Iowa
league
of
cities,
and
the
Iowa
association
17
of
school
boards
be
audited
annually
by
the
auditor
of
state
or
18
by
a
certified
public
accountant,
and
that
the
audit
state
all
19
moneys
expended
for
expenses
incurred
by
and
salaries
paid
to
20
legislative
representatives
and
lobbyists
of
such
associations.
21
The
bill
requires
that
the
audit
also
include
the
total
number
22
of
hours
the
association’s
representatives
and
lobbyists
spent
23
lobbying.
24
The
bill
provides
that
documents
and
records
relating
to
25
lobbying
on
or
behalf
of
a
political
subdivision
are
public
26
records
subject
to
Code
chapter
22
(examination
of
public
27
records),
and
are
not
subject
to
any
exception
to
the
public
28
records
law
contained
in
Code
section
22.7.
29
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