LPF Recommends NO for Amendment 12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 28, 2018
Contact: Marcos Miralles,
Chairman, Libertarian Party of Florida
chair@lpf.org

MIAMI – The Florida Lobbying Restrictions Amendment would significantly restrict former officials’ ability to lobby current government lawmakers. Let’s take a look at it.

Lobbying and Abuse of Office by Public Officers (Proposal 39) – Expands current restrictions on lobbying for compensation by former public officers; creates restrictions on lobbying for compensation by serving public officers and former justices and judges; provides exceptions; prohibits abuse of a public position by public officers and employees to obtain a personal benefit.

THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF FLORIDA PLATFORM

PREAMBLE
Libertarians seek a society based on personal liberty and responsibility—a society in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives. This most desirable method of organizing society is the natural order that arises when the unalienable rights of individuals to life, liberty and property ownership are respected and protected.

People have the right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and pursue happiness in whatever manner they choose so long as they do not forcibly or fraudulently interfere with the equal rights of others. Libertarians welcome the peace, prosperity, and diversity that freedom brings

I. STATE GOVERNMENT
4. We support Equality under the Law, and condemn any law that either rewards or punishes any individual based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation3, or any other group identification. Each person has the same inalienable rights. It is the State’s duty to protect those rights for each individual equally.
6. We advocate a sunset law requiring an automatic end to most government offices, agencies, departments, laws, regulations, taxes, and expenditures within ten years if not reauthorized.
7. We oppose immunities for any public officials or employees for illegal acts or omissions.
8. We support complete transparency and believe it should apply to all public employees. Sunshine laws should apply to all public employees working in any public place. With modern technology virtually every person has the ability to record and report on the actions of our public officials and workers. There should be no laws prohibiting or limiting the electronic recording and reporting using any means of any public official, including law enforcement officers, while performing their duties.

DISCUSSION

Currently, former Legislators and other state officials are prevented from lobbying their colleagues for at least two years after they leave office. This Amendment would expand that term to six years. It would also expand lobbying restrictions to include many other elected city, county, and school members, along with many unelected senior officials.
We recommend NO because this would dramatically decrease private individuals’ rights to promote causes. We would like to see much greater transparency in lobbying so we all know who and what influences participation in the state’s lawmaking process. This is not the correct way to accomplish this.
> By J. Mark Barfield, Staff Writer

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