HB 657 -- Ethics

Sponsor:  May

This bill modifies various provisions regarding ethics and
campaign contribution disclosures.  In its main provisions, the
bill:

(1)  Requires lobbyists to file verified registration forms with
the Ethics Commission no later than January 5 of each year or
five days after beginning lobbyist activities;

(2)  Requires financial interest statements to be filed with the
commission electronically rather than in paper form and changes
the dates by which financial interest statements must be filed;

(3)  Allows candidates for General Assembly leadership positions
to form campaign committees, sets the campaign contribution
limits for the leadership committees, requires the leadership
committees to file campaign contribution disclosure reports by
certain dates, and prohibits the leadership committees from
making campaign contributions to leadership candidates' regular
candidate committees;

(4)  Changes the language regarding the notice that must be given
to subjects of complaints and commission investigations from
"actual notice" to "notice";

(5)  Changes the body to which subjects of complaints may appeal
Ethics Commission actions from the Administrative Hearing
Commission to the circuit court of Cole County;

(6)  Deletes direct dollar amounts from various sections limiting
campaign contributions and instead references the section setting
the base amount and the method of computing the biennial
increase;

(7)  Changes the requirement that certain candidates file
required reports with both their local election authority and the
commission, to just the commission;

(8)  Requires that candidates for the General Assembly file
campaign disclosure reports electronically, beginning on a date
set by the commission but not later than January 5, 2005;

(9)  Deletes the requirement that the commission print and make
available a summary of all laws over which the commission has
enforcement powers;

(10)  Reorganizes various sections regarding reporting
requirements for out-of-state committees and candidates nominated
by political party committees; and

(11)  Changes the dollar amount of contributions which triggers
the requirement for continuing committees to file electronic
reports from $15,000 to $5,000 and extends the requirement to
political party committees and campaign committees.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 25, 2003 at 10:12 am