Farkas refuses Senate inquiry

Farkas refuses Senate inquiry
Rep. Frank Farkas is not answering questions about a free trip Republican lawmakers made to Canada in July.
By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff Writer
Published December 1, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - A St. Petersburg lawmaker who accepted a free trip to Canada at the expense of a gambling company is refusing to cooperate in a Senate investigation of the trip.

Rep. Frank Farkas, a Republican running for the Senate next year, was "advised" by House Speaker Allan Bense not to submit to the Senate's questions because it threatened the House's independence, said Bense's spokesman, Towson Fraser.

"There's an essential independence of the chambers," Fraser said. "The speaker's priority is protecting the integrity of the House. To set a precedent where each house would submit itself to the judgment of the other house is not one he's willing to set."
Fraser cited House and Senate rules and a provision in the state Constitution that each house is the "sole judge" of the qualifications of its members.

Farkas was the only House member who went on the July trip to Toronto. The senators who went were Republicans Dennis Jones of Treasure Island, Jim King of Jacksonville and Mike Bennett of Bradenton. They were joined by two gambling industry lobbyists, Marc Dunbar and John Culbreath.
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http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/01/State/Farkas_refuses_Senate.shtml