09 LC 28
4378
Senate
Bill 17
By:
Senators Harp of the 29th, Johnson of the 1st and Hooks of the 14th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Chapter 5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to ethics in government, as to increase filing fees and fines for campaign
disclosure reports, financial disclosure statements, and lobbyist disclosure
reports that are filed late; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Chapter
5 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to ethics in
government, is amended by revising subsection (l) of Code Section 21-5-34,
relating to disclosure reports, as follows:
"(l)
In addition to other penalties provided under this chapter,
an
additional
a
filing fee of
$25.00
$50.00
shall be imposed for each report that is filed late. In addition, a filing fee
of
$50.00
$100.00
shall be imposed on the fifteenth day after the due date if the report has still
not been
filed;
provided, however, a 15 day extension period shall be granted on the final
report.
A fine of
$250.00 shall be imposed on the forty-fifth day after the due date for such
report if the report has not been filed by such date. In the case of a
candidate, such fine shall be paid from the personal funds of the candidate and
no other funds from any source may be used to pay such
fine."
SECTION
2.
Said
chapter is further amended by adding a new paragraph to subsection (a) of Code
Section 21-5-50, relating to filing of financial disclosure statements, to
read as follows:
"(6)
In addition to other penalties provided under this chapter, a filing fee of
$50.00 shall be imposed for each financial disclosure statement that is filed
late. In addition, a filing fee of $100.00 shall be imposed on the fifteenth
day after the due date if the statement has still not been filed. A fine of
$250.00 shall be imposed on the forty-fifth day after the due date for such
statement if the statement has not been filed by such date. Such fine shall be
paid from the personal funds of the person required to file such statement and
no other funds from any source may be used to pay such
fine."
SECTION
3.
Said
chapter is further amended by revising subsection (f) of Code Section 21-5-71,
relating to registration of lobbyists, as follows:
"(f)(1)
Each person registering under this Code section shall pay the registration fees
set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection; provided, however, that a person
who represents any state, county, municipal, or public agency, department,
commission, or authority shall be exempted from payment of such registration
fees and a
person employed by an organization exempt from federal income taxation under
Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, as that code is
defined in Code Section 48-1-2, shall be exempted from payment of such
registration fees except for payment of an initial registration fee of
$25.00.
(2)
The commission shall collect the following fees:
|
(A)
Annual lobbyist registration
or
renewal filed pursuant to this Code
section
|
$200.00
$50.00
|
|
(B)
Lobbyist supplemental registration filed pursuant to this Code
section
|
10.00
|
|
(C)
Each copy of
a lobbyist identification card issued
pursuant to this Code section
|
5.00
20.00
|
|
(D)
In addition to other penalties provided under this chapter, a filing fee of
$50.00 shall be imposed for each report that is filed late. In addition, a
filing fee of
$25.00
$100.00
shall be imposed on the fifteenth day after the due date if the report has still
not been filed.
A fine of
$250.00 shall be imposed on the forty-fifth day after the due date for such
report if the report has not been filed by such date. When such a fine is
imposed, such fine shall be paid from the personal funds of the lobbyist and no
other funds from any source may be used to pay such
fine."
|
|
SECTION
4.
Said
chapter is further amended by adding a new subsection to Code Section 21-5-73,
relating to lobbyist disclosure reports, to read as follows:
"(g)
In addition to other penalties provided under this chapter, a filing fee of
$50.00 shall be imposed for each report that is filed late. In addition, a
filing fee of $100.00 shall be imposed on the fifteenth day after the due date
if the report has still not been filed. A fine of $250.00 shall be imposed on
the forty-fifth day after the due date for such report if the report has not
been filed by such date. Such fine shall be paid from the personal funds of the
lobbyist and no other funds from any source may be used to pay such
fine."
SECTION
5.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.