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Lobbying Ban Would Be Toughest In Nation

A new study by the National Council of State Legislatures shows Florida lawmakers would face the toughest lobbying restrictions in the county under a proposal by House Speaker Richard Corcoran.

The study shows 34 other states have some form of Florida’s two-year cooling off period, but none comes close to Corcoran’s call for six years. House Public Ethics and Integrity Committee Chairman Larry Metz says Florida would be in a league of its own.

“One expires at the close of session which the legislator last served, or six months after leaving office, whichever occurs later. So there are some nuances there, but they are generally shorter than the two years we have now.”

The measure would require a constitutional amendment and approval of 60 percent of voters. The ban would apply only to members sworn in after November 8th of last year and agency heads appointed after July 1 of this year.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.