Independent Watchdog: Missouri earns a “D-” in state integrity investigation

By Sean in Accountability, Integrity, Transparency Posted May 15, 2017

It’s simple: Special interest lobbyists have too much control and influence over Missouri's state government. Records show that since 2004, there has been an average of $868,000 per year in lobbyist gift giving in Missouri. And too many legislators are becoming paid lobbyists shortly after leaving public office.

No matter what party you believe in, this isn’t right.

It gets worse: Official meetings are supposed to be open to the public, but there have been government meetings held in private country clubs and Missouri citizens have been denied access to public hearings. The state legislature even keeps their own records secret, yet expects others to follow open government laws.

It’s no wonder then that Missouri earned a“D- grade” in a state in a national study of state ethics and integrity laws conducted by the The Center for Public Integrity. From their 2015 report:

Here in the “Show Me” state, ethics reform has been an uphill battle as steep as the streets of Jefferson City, the capital.

It’s not that ethics bills have no supporters. Indeed, they do. The number of ethics-related bills and joint resolutions introduced in the General Assembly has increased each of the last three years, with 39 introduced in 2015. Democratic Gov. Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon has pledged to take the issue directly to voters in a ballot issue if lawmakers didn’t act. But not one ethics bill has passed in the last three years, despite Missouri's dubious status as a state without campaign finance limits, lobbyist gift limits, or cooling-off periods for legislators registering as lobbyists.

We deserve better.