House File 2353 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2353 BY JACOBSEN A BILL FOR An Act relating to permissible honoraria from restricted 1 donors to public officials and public employees and making 2 penalties applicable. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6087HH (1) 88 jh/tm

H.F. 2353 Section 1. Section 68B.23, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 1 2020, is amended to read as follows: 2 a. The honorarium consists of payment , not to exceed four 3 hundred ninety-nine dollars per day, of actual expenses of a 4 donee for registration, food, beverages, travel, and lodging 5 paid in return for participation in a panel or speaking 6 engagement at a meeting when the expenses relate directly to 7 the day or days on which the recipient has participation or 8 presentation responsibilities. 9 EXPLANATION 10 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 11 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 12 This bill relates to permissible honoraria from restricted 13 donors to public officials and public employees. 14 Under Code chapter 68B (government ethics and lobbying), 15 a public official or public employee is prohibited from 16 seeking or accepting an honorarium from a restricted donor, 17 subject to certain exceptions. One such exception permits a 18 public official or public employee to accept an honorarium if 19 the honorarium consists of payment for the public official 20 or public employee’s actual expenses for registration, 21 food, beverages, travel, and lodging paid in return for 22 participation in a panel or speaking engagement when the 23 expenses relate directly to the day or days on which the public 24 official or public employee has participation or presentation 25 responsibilities. The bill provides that a public official or 26 public employee may not accept an honorarium that is payment 27 for actual expenses in exchange for a panel or speaking 28 engagement if the payment exceeds $499 per day. 29 A knowing and intentional violation of the limitations on 30 accepting an honorarium is a serious misdemeanor. A serious 31 misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than one 32 year and a fine of at least $315 but not more than $1,875. 33 In addition, a person who accepts an honorarium in 34 violation of Code chapter 68B is subject to civil penalties 35 -1- LSB 6087HH (1) 88 jh/tm 1/ 2

H.F. 2353 or disciplinary action issued by the ethics and campaign 1 disclosure board and to disciplinary action taken by the ethics 2 committees of the senate and house of representatives. 3 -2- LSB 6087HH (1) 88 jh/tm 2/ 2