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<br />4) CITIZENS' BILL OF RIGHTS <br /> <br />The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust part of the Miami-Dade County <br />Home Rule Charter as incorporated into the Citizens' Bill of Rights. The Ethics <br />Commission was given the authority to interpret, render advisory opinions and enforce <br />the Citizens' Bill of Rights.4 When the County Commission established the Ethics <br />Commission by ordinance, it failed to identify the penalties the Ethics Commission could <br />impose when it found violations of the Citizens' Bill of Rights. Therefore, the Task <br />Force is recommending that specific penalties be delineated to allow for enforcement of <br />the Bill of Rights. <br /> <br />CBR Violations <br /> <br />Recommendation: The Ethics Commission shall have the authority to impose non- <br />monetary sanctions, included but not limited to a public reprimand or letter of <br />instruction for violations of the Citizens' Bill of Rights. <br /> <br />Rationale: The ballot question presented to the Miami-Dade County electorate asked <br />whether they supported an independent ethics commission that would be empowered to <br />enforce the Citizens' Bill of Rights. The voters responded in the affirmative, yet the <br />Ethics Commission currently has no explicit penalties it can apply to violations of the <br />Citizens' Bill of Rights. In order for the Ethics Commission to carry out the wishes of <br />the electorate and enforce the Citizens' Bill of Rights, the sanctions described above <br />should be granted. <br /> <br />4 The powers of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust are described in Section <br />A (17) of the Citizens' Bill of Rights. <br /> <br />18 <br />