HCS HB 1150 -- ETHICS

SPONSOR:  May

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Elections
by a vote of 10 to 1.

This substitute makes changes to the laws regarding ethics and
campaign contribution disclosures.  In its main provisions, the
substitute:

(1)  Requires lobbyists to file verified registration forms with
the Missouri 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 when the 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
Missouri 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 no later than January 1, 2005;

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

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

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

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Net Income on General Revenue Fund of
$10,000 in FY 2005, FY 2006, and FY 2007.  No impact on Other
State Funds in FY 2005, FY 2006, and FY 2007.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill makes the campaign
finance disclosure report filing system easier to use and more
efficient.

Testifying for the bill were Representative May; and Missouri
Ethics Commission.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Julie Jinkens McNitt, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:14 am