Gary Anthony Siplin (born October 21, 1954 in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

) was a Democratic member of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, representing the 19th District from 2003. Previously he was a member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

from 2000 through 2002. Siplin earned a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the ...

, where he became a member of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity. He then attended the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

, earning an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Public and International Affairs. His

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

was earned at the

Duquesne University School of Law The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University is a private Catholic university law school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. ...

. In 2006, he was convicted of third-degree felony grand theft of $5,000 or more, as well as a misdemeanor statutory violation, for using the services of employees for his candidacy. Siplin, however, enjoyed support from leaders in both political parties. In addition to members of the Democratic Party, Florida Senate President

Ken Pruitt Ken Pruitt (born January 24, 1957) is an American politician who served as a member of the Florida Senate. A Republican, he represented the 28th District from 2000 to 2009, which included portions of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach ...

, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, refused to call for the expulsion of Siplin from the Legislature until his appeals were exhausted. On December 28, 2007, the

Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal The Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. History The Fifth District Court of Appeal was created by the 1979 session of the Florida Legislature. The Fifth District handles cases from the following cou ...

reversed his convictions and remanded the case to the trial court with directions that Siplin be acquitted of the felony charge, and that prosecutors be given permission to retry him on the misdemeanor charge. Siplin ran for his Senate seat again in 2014, losing to incumbent Geraldine Thompson in the primary by a hair.

Legislation

Sagging Pants Legislation

Siplin sponsored SB 228, the "droopy drawers" bill in 2011. The bill would require Florida public school districts to add a ban on sagging pants to their dress codes. This legislation was enacted by Governor Scott in May 2011.

In-State Tuition for Non-Citizens

Siplin sponsored Florida's version of the

DREAM Act The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, is a United States legislative proposal to grant temporary conditional residency, with the right to work, to illegal immigrants who entered the United States ...

. The act would allow for in-state tuition for undocumented students. The bill was killed in the Senate Judiciary Committee, by a vote of 4-3.

Trayvon Martin

Siplin sponsored a letter to Governor Rick Scott proposing a Special Prosecutor over the Trayvon Martin case. The governor ultimately decided it was in the best interest of the community to elect a Special Prosecutor to the case.

References

Jury Finds Senator Gary Siplin Guilty Of Grand Theft
WFTV.com, August 15, 2006.
Republican Senate President Ken Pruitt allows Siplin to remain in Florida Senate
WFTV.com, November 29, 2006.

External links

Gary Siplin
official website
Florida State Legislature - Senator Gary Siplin
official government website
Project Vote Smart - Senator Gary Siplin (FL)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Gary Siplin
2006200420022000
campaign contributions
''Siplin v. State'', No. 5D06-4071 (Fla. 5th DCA, Dec. 28, 2007)Business IT Services Inc
''Gary Siplin's IT Consultant'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Siplin, Gary 1954 births Living people Democratic Party Florida state senators People from Orlando, Florida Johnson C. Smith University alumni African-American state legislators in Florida Duquesne University alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people