JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Speaker Todd Richardson vowed in his opening day speech to refer all ethics bills, and alas, they have. The Government Oversight and Accountability Committee, chaired by Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, will hear their first seven ethics bills Monday at noon.
Bills heard include disclosure report deadline changes, a cooling off periods, travel disclosure, legislative staff consulting bans, and lobbyist gift reform.
| The hearing will be conducted for the following bills: |
| HB 1452 — PERSONAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORT |
| Sponsor: Hoskins, Denny (Rep-054) |
| Changes the filing deadline for personal financial disclosure reports from May 10 annually to January 15 and July 15 biannually |
| HB 1574 — LOBBYISTS |
| Sponsor: Rowden, Caleb (Rep-044) |
| Requires persons becoming lobbyists to dissolve all candidate committees prior to assuming such role |
| HB 1575 — LOBBYING |
| Sponsor: Rowden, Caleb (Rep-044) |
| Requires officials to timely disclose lodging and travel expenses incurred by the official, the official’s spouse, the official’s family that are paid by a third person for expenses |
| HB 1979 — ETHICS |
| Sponsor: Rowden, Caleb (Rep-044) |
| Imposes a one-year rule for lobbying by former members of the General Assembly, by former statewide elected officials, and by former holders of an office that required Senate confirmation |
| HB 1981 — ETHICS |
| Sponsor: Alferman, Justin (Rep-061) |
| Changes the laws regarding lobbyist expenditures |
| HB 1983 — ETHICS |
| Sponsor: Dogan, Shamed (Rep-098) |
| Specifies that no statewide elected official or member of the General Assembly shall serve as a paid political consultant |
| HB 1998 — FUND REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMITTEES |
| Sponsor: Barnes, Jay (Rep-060) |
| Changes the laws regarding the investment of campaign funds |
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
