The League of Women Voters of Florida applauded Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, for steps to have a more ethical Legislature under his watch.
This is a historic step toward raising the Senate's standards of ethical conduct, wrote League President Deirdre Macnab.
A responsive government depends on transparency and accountability, and your new conflict-of-interest provisions are an important step in improving our political system in Tallahassee.
We are also pleased to note your pledge to improve Florida's elections process. As you know, the League has worked for 92 years for free and fair elections, with the widest possible access for all citizens, and the 2012 election proves our system is clearly in need of reform.
We salute your leadership in bringing these issues to the fore and look forward to working with you on good government policy in the coming legislative session.
On Tuesday, as part of the organizational session, senators unanimously approved rules that:
Provide new language regarding voting abstentions and disclosures when a senator or other specified person has a conflict of interest.
Require a senator to abstain from voting under certain circumstances.
Require a senator to disclose conflicts in certain circumstances, including those requiring abstention.
Provide an exception to the abstention and disclosure requirement for the general appropriations bill.
Require all senators, in odd-numbered years before a regular session, to complete a one-hour course of ethics training that includes specified topics along with any other topic deemed necessary by the president.
Previously, senators were only required to disclose a conflict if a vote would result in a personal private gain or loss, with the disclosure required within 15 days after the vote.
By approving the ethics reforms measures included in the 2012-2014 Senate Rules, the Florida Senate has today taken the first step toward holding our chamber to a higher standard of accountability, Gaetz stated in a release. I commend my fellow senators for this demonstration of our shared commitment to improving the ethical standards that govern our conduct as elected officials.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
