Florida HB 593: Governmental Agencies and Personnel

Bill Text

HB 593 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb593-00
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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to governmental agencies and 2
personnel; amending s. 45.062, F.S.; prohibiting a 3
state agency or officer from directing funds offered 4
to the state to a third party as a condition of 5
settlement; requiring such agency or officer to 6
provide written notification of the terms of the 7
settlement to the Legislature and the Attorney General 8
within a specified time; amending s. 104.31, F.S.; 9
prohibiting a state, county, or municipal officer or 10
employees from using his or her official authority or 11
influence to solicit another person to make certain 12
contributions; revising construction; amending s. 13
112.061, F.S.; prohibiting the authorization or 14
approval of reimbursements for travel expenses to and 15
from a person's residence and his or her official 16
headquarters for specified positions; prohibiting the 17
authorization or approval of reimbursements for per 18
diem and subsistence allowance for such person under a 19
specified circumstance; defining the term "residence"; 20
requiring the official headquarters for specified 21
positions be the city or town in which the 22
department's official headquarters is located; 23
prohibiting persons serving in specified positions 24
from being reimbursed for certain travel expenses 25

HB 593 2026

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under a specified circumstance; removing expiration of 26
specified provisions; creating s. 112.31251, F.S.; 27
defining the term "office" for purposes of s. 5(a), 28
Art. II of the State Constitution; defining the term 29
"employment"; amending s. 112.3261, F.S.; defining the 30
term "expenditure"; revising the circumstances under 31
which the Commission on Ethics must investigate a 32
lobbyist or principal; prohibiting a lobbyist or 33
principal from making, and prohibiting a district 34
governing board member, executive director, or any 35
district employee who qualifies as a local officer 36
from accepting, any expenditure; amending s. 1001.71, 37
F.S.; removing a provision that prohibits state 38
residency requirements for university board members; 39
providing an effective date. 40
41
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 42
43
Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 45.062, Florida 44
Statutes, is amended to read: 45
45.062 Settlements, conditions, or orders when an agency 46
of the executive branch is a party.— 47
(5) When a state agency or officer settles an action or 48
legal claim in which the state asserted a right to recover 49
money, all moneys paid to the state by a party in full or 50

HB 593 2026

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partial exchange for a release of the state's claim shall be 51
placed into the General Revenue Fund or the appropriate trust 52
fund. 53
(a) A state agency or officer may not, under s. 777.011, 54
direct that any funds offered to the state be sent to a third 55
party as a condition of settlement. 56
(b) Within 10 days after the settlement, the state agency 57
or officer shall provide written notification, including the 58
terms of the settlement, to the President of the Senate, the 59
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate and House of 60
Representatives minority leaders, the chairs of the 61
appropriations committees of the Legislature, and the Attorney 62
General. 63
Section 2. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 104.31, 64
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 65
104.31 Political activities of state, county, and 66
municipal officers and employees.— 67
(1) No officer or employee of the state, or of any county 68
or municipality thereof, except as hereinafter exempted from 69
provisions hereof, shall: 70
(a) Use his or her official authority or influence for the 71
purpose of interfering with an election or a nomination of 72
office or coercing or influencing another person's vote or 73
affecting the result thereof. 74
(b) Use his or her official authority or influence to 75

HB 593 2026

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directly or indirectly coerce or attempt to coerce, command, 76
solicit, or advise any other person officer or employee to make 77
a contribution as defined in s. 106.011 or to pay, lend, or 78
contribute any part of his or her salary, or any money, or 79
anything else of value to any political party, candidate for 80
public office, political committee, organization, agency, or 81
person for political purposes. Nothing in this paragraph or in 82
any county or municipal charter or o