Attempts to influence action upon model or similar proposed legislation, prohibiting the expending of certain moneys by members of the legislature, reporting by certain persons providing or state public officials receiving certain things of value, and providing a penalty. (FE)

Currently, with certain exceptions, each state public official who is required to file an annual statement of economic interests with GAB and who receives for a published work or for the presentation of a talk or participation in a meeting, any thing of pecuniary value exceeding a total of $50, excluding the value of food or beverages offered coincidentally with a talk or meeting, must report, on his or her statement, the identity of every person from whom the official receives the thing of value, the circumstances under which it is received, and the approximate value thereof.

The bill specifically extends this reporting requirement to each state public official who is required to file statements of economic interests and who receives for attendance at a meeting or conference any thing of pecuniary value for scholarship purposes and requires statements concerning things of value received to indicate whether a thing of value was received for scholarship purposes. In addition, a state public official must include in his or her statement of economic interests the amount of any reimbursement from a campaign account that the official received for any fees, lodging, transportation, food, or beverages in connection with attendance at a meeting or conference.

The bill also requires each person who provides any thing of value to a member of the legislature for scholarship purposes to file a report with GAB, in the manner and form specified by GAB, within 90 days after the thing of value is provided, disclosing the name of each member who received the thing of value together with the name of any legislative employee or state agency official who received any thing of value in connection with the same transaction or occurrence, the date that the thing of value was provided, and the names of any persons who contributed money to the person for the purpose of providing the thing of value within the 12-month period preceding the date on which the thing of value is provided. Currently, there is no similar requirement.

Violators of either of the above reporting requirements are subject to a forfeiture of not more than $500 for each violation. Intentional violators are guilty of a misdemeanor and are subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $5,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

The bill further provides that no senator may receive reimbursement for travel expenses unless the senator submits a written statement to the Committee on Senate Organization detailing the reasons why the travel was for the betterment of the state, and no representative to the assembly may receive reimbursement for travel expenses unless the representative submits a written statement to the Committee on Assembly Organization or the speaker, whichever is appropriate, detailing the reasons why the travel was for the betterment of the state.

Finally, the bill prohibits any member of the legislature from expending any moneys allocated for the operation of his or her office for membership fees in any organization that proposes uniform, model, suggested, or recommended legislation for consideration by the legislatures of this state and other states.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.