Missouri Senate

Senate Substitute

Sitting senators and representatives are barred from contracting with other sitting senators or representatives for the purposes of securing services for political fund raising, campaigning, or consulting relating to state or federal elections. Violators are guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. (Section 21.033)

Currently, the definition of legislative lobbyist only applies to those acting in the ordinary course of employment whose primary purpose is to influence legislation on a regular basis. This act broadens the definition to extend to those who influence legislation regardless of the extent of their purpose. A current provision designating a lobbyist as one who lobbies on a regular basis is removed. (Section 105.470)

Employees and staff of the General Assembly, including employees of the majority and minority caucuses of both chambers, shall file yearly financial interest statements disclosing sources of income received totaling $5,000 or more, apart from income earned from the state, and the general nature of the business conducted in connection with such income. Those reports shall be made available on the commission's website. (Sections 105.483, 105.485)

Term extensions for commission members vacating their seats shall not exceed 120 days. The commission may make investigations rather than audits and during such investigations, the commission may delegate the power to issue subpoenas to the executive director of the Ethics Commission. (Section 105.955)

Complaints to the ethics commission shall be properly signed and notarized. (Section 105.957)

With a unanimous vote of the commission, the executive director may conduct an independent investigation of an ethics violation without a complaint if there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation has occurred. The commission shall notify the person under investigation and assign a special investigator. The investigations of the executive director are confidential and the revealing of such information shall be cause for removal or dismissal. Investigations failing to establish reasonable grounds to believe a violation has occurred shall be terminated. (Section 105.959)

Deputy treasurers are no longer required to be residents of the county or district in which their committee sits. (Section 130.021)

Committees are barred from transferring funds to all other committees with the exception of candidate committees. Civil penalties shall be assessed for those who do so and those who do so three times or with the intent to conceal the identity of the source shall vacate their position as treasurer and be forever barred from acting as treasurer. (Section 130.031)

State senators and representatives and candidates for those offices shall report contributions received during the legislative session exceeding $250 within 48 hours of receiving the contribution. The same 48 hour reporting requirement is imposed for contributions given to the Governor and candidates for Governor during legislative session and any time when legislation from the regular legislative session awaits gubernatorial action. (Section 130.044)

This act is similar to HB 1390 (2010), HB 1727 (2010), HB 1434 (2010), SB 882 (2010), and SB 800 (2010).

CHRIS HOGERTY

SA 2 - ALL STATEWIDE OFFICIALS AND CANDIDATES ARE INCLUDED IN THE 48 HOUR REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OVER $250 DURING LEGISLATIVE SESSION OR WHEN LEGISLATION IS AWAITING GUBERNATORIAL ACTION.

SA 4 - BARS LEGISLATORS FROM LOBBYING AND BEING EMPLOYED BY ANY DEPARTMENT OR BEING APPOINTED TO ANY BOARD, COMMITTEE, OR COMMISSION WITHIN 2 YEARS OF LEAVING OFFICE.

SA 4 TO SA 4 - MODIFIES THE BAR TO APPLY TO THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMNET.