One of the hottest and most controversial topics to cross the legislative threshold recently has been the discovery that the Department of Revenue has been creating a database of personal information from private citizens when they apply for certain documents, primarily concealed carry permits (CCWs), and then sharing that information with the federal government.
This has outraged Missouri citizens and legislators alike, and it is unlawful as well. A state law passed in 2009 should have prevented this from ever occurring.
The Senate Appropriations chair said this week that the Missouri State Highway Patrol had received and turned over a list of about 185,000 citizens to the Department of Revenue, and that the list had then been forwarded to the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General. The intent was to discover citizens with various mental illness or disabilities who also had a concealed carry permit. While this information may be useful, it is unlawful to share that information without proper paperwork requests on a case-by-case basis.
This week, the Senate debated SB 252, which would prohibit the Department of Revenue from retaining copies of personal information used to obtain driver’s licenses and other licenses as a way to help protect Missouri citizens from having their information compromised.
In addition, HB 886 would authorize the General Assembly to remove any department director or deputy director if deemed necessary to protect the rights of the citizens.
Identity theft is already a growing concern all across this country. We cannot let our own state agencies breach the security of our personal information without regard to the due process of law.
Always feel free to contact me throughout the year with any comments, questions, or issues by calling my office at (573) 751-5713 or by visiting my website at www.senate.mo.gov/brown.
Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.
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