Posted on 04/15/2005 5:55:42 AM PDT by JesseHousman
TALLAHASSEE - State Sen. Mandy Dawson, who personally asked lobbyists to help pay for her trip to South Africa, was reprimanded today and stripped of one of her committee assignments by the Florida Senate.
The Senate agreed that Dawson, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, broke state law when she sent out letters on official Senate stationery requesting lobbyists to send money to the state's Legislative Black Caucus. The caucus wound up paying $5,000 for both Dawson and for a male traveling companion to take a 10-day trip to South Africa in late January and early February.
Dawson broke two state laws and one of the Senate rules, the Senate said in its findings. The Senate concluded Dawson solicited a gift from a lobbyist and she accepted a gift in excess of $100, both of which are against state law. Dawson also broke a Senate rule which requires a senator to maintain the integrity of the office.
Senate President Tom Lee ordered an internal investigation into the trip after The Herald first reported that Dawson had sent out a letter to lobbyists asking for them to pay for her trip.
An internal investigation ordered by Lee showed that two lobbyists and a major fundraiser gave $5,000 to the state's Legislative Black Caucus to pay for Dawson's trip.
Dawson, who first held her head down as the charges were read against her today, agreed to waive her right to a hearing. Dawson then got up on the floor and apologized for embarrassing the Senate.
''Please know I hold sacred and respect the integrity of the Senate and its rules,'' she said.
Dawson's reprimand will be placed in the official Senate journal. She was also immediately removed from the Senate Ethics and Election Committee until November 2006.
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© 2005 Herald.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miami.com
We are supposed to believe that by 2006, she will have learned the meaning of 'ethical behavior'?
what a crock.
''Please know I hold sacred and respect the integrity of the Senate and its rules,'' she said.
shameless and cynical crock!
I immediately thought the same thing.....I haven't seen/heard any mention of this story in the media other than here. Will anyone pick up on this?
Why bother? Federal Judge Alcee Hastings was impeached by the House of Representatives with only FOUR votes against impeachment. He was then tried by the Senate and removed from office. So what does he do next? Run for the House of Representatives himself, gets elected, then gets a leadership position in the Congressional Black Caucus!! It's hopeless.
Waiting for a quote from her saying this is a "political lynching".
You ought to try living in a town where the Mayor was once head of this areas NAACP. what fun.
LOLOL....oh what a tangled web we weave when we open a can of worms!
How many days will this be in the press?
I'm counting 12 for DeLay.
It is news in Florida. I read about it yesterday in the Sun-Sentinel.
More and More - Everyday!
This place smells like a Banana Republic!!
How about Dingy Harry.....Peloshi, and a few others to name a few. They throw stones but libs don't like it coming back at them. What a childish thing to do. Tax payers deserve the best considering how hard they work to pay those taxes. Blowing it away with this type of name calling in the Beltway, must stop...and the dump machine is done at the Ballot box. Democrats..your War Room is WAY off base.
So who is he and what was his purpose for going on this boondoggle?
I'm surprised the Florida Senate had the courage to vote these findings into the record. I expect a huge cry of racism and bigotry coming from the local poverty pimps.
JH, why are you interrupting the Tom Delay bashing with this stuff?
I'm sure they are a lovely couple & it probably wasn't that much money anyhow....
/s
Toy boy? (It could be worse. At least it was a male companion!)
Ahhhh. That is great.
Rush has certainly been doing his part.
We are struggling to get the Tennessee General Assembly to pass meaningful ethics legislation because the way it currently stands Tennessee legislators can accept "consulting fees" of ANY amount from companies doing buisness witht eh state. At least one 'Rat pol has taken at least $231,000 in the past two years alone.
The current solution being batted around is to make accepting "consulting fees" a Class C misdemeanor (right up there with speeding) and punishable by a $50 fine.
And lo and behold, she was reprimanded. That oughta teach her and all other lawbreakers who write laws.
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