ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Department of Revenue confirmed Monday afternoon that they have ceased the scanning and retaining of certain source documents.
Michelle Gleba, Director of Communications for the DOR, said Monday in a statement that the decision is pursuant to Senate Bill 252, which Gov. Jay Nixon signed Monday as well.
Russ Oliver, Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney, said he heard about the decision Monday morning, and that there are still a few things being scanned, such as test scores from license exams and non-U.S. citizen information.
Oliver represented Stoddard County resident Eric Griffin, who filed suit against his local fee office after they tried to scan his personal documents when he went in to file for a Conceal Carry Endorsement.
“Basically, from our perspective, this is a victory that they have stopped the scanning of the documents,” Oliver said. “My client has been fighting for this for going on five months now.”
A few hours before the bill was signed, House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, sent out a statement touting the efforts of his Bipartisan Committee on Privacy Protection and House Bill 5 — a budget bill — as a cause for the DOR’s notice.
“While the Department has yet to provide adequate answers regarding why so many Missourians’ private information was put at risk in the first place, their decision to finally put an end to most scanning shows that the legislature’s hard work to protect Missourians’ privacy is having a significant impact,” Jones said in the statement.
Ashley Jost is no longer with The Missouri Times. She worked as the executive editor for several months, and a reporter before that.
