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Capitol Briefs: House passes local expenditure database bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House passed a bill proponents said would increase transparency for community spending Thursday.

HB 271, sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, would establish the Missouri Local Expenditures Database to track and record the expenditures of a community or municipality, as well as the vendors they do business with. The public database would be managed by the Office of Administration and participation would be optional unless 30 or more residents petition for it. 

“For those who were in this chamber last year, we passed this bill out of the chamber,” Wiemann said. “It’s virtually the same bill dealing with local government municipal transparency.”  

  • Last year’s attempt progressed to the lower chamber last year but stalled before receiving a hearing in the Senate. 
  • The bill passed through the newly rebooted Emerging Issues Committee, garnering unanimous approval. It also received bipartisan support on the floor, with Democratic Rep. Tracy McCreery saying it would increase transparency for communities and constituents.
  • Last year’s version did not include the petition provision.