CCS SS HCS HB 1900 -- ETHICS

This bill changes the laws regarding lobbyist reporting
requirements and campaign contribution disclosures for public
officials.  In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Requires "elected local government official lobbyists,"
defined as persons specifically employed to influence actions by
the officials of specified political subdivisions with operating
budgets of over $10 million, to register in the same manner as
other lobbyists and provide details of their expenditures
according to specific criteria;

(2)  Prohibits lobbyists from paying for out-of-state travel for
members of the General Assembly or their staff, spouses, or
dependent children unless the expenditure is approved by the
Administration and Accounts Committee of the House of
Representatives or the Administration Committee of the Senate;

(3)  Requires lobbyists to include expenditures for all members
of either a majority or minority caucus of the General Assembly
in their monthly reports to the Missouri Ethics Commission and
requires that expenditures not made to the entire House of
Representatives, Senate, or majority and minority caucuses be
attributed to individual legislators;

(4)  Revises the procedures for filing complaints under Section
105.957, RSMo, involving lobbying, financial interest disclosure,
and campaign finance disclosure and specifies that those filing
false complaints may be subject to civil litigation;

(5)  Requires the executive director of the commission to notify
candidates and the treasurer of a campaign committee of the
failure to file campaign disclosure reports and the fines that
will be assessed.  Notice will no longer be required for deputy
treasurers;

(6)  Prohibits individuals who have been convicted of or have
pled guilty to a felony from holding elective office and prevents
anyone who owes state personal income or property taxes or is a
past or present corporate officer of a fee office that owes taxes
from running for office unless the taxes are currently in dispute
or paid within a specified period of time;

(7)  Prohibits the formation of candidate committees for the
offices of Speaker of the House of Representatives and President
Pro Tem of the Senate and requires candidate committees to be
formed 60 days prior to an election;

(8)  Removes the maximum contribution limits per election year
for most statewide elected offices by repealing parts of
Section 130.032 and prohibits any candidate for statewide office,
except candidates for a special election, from accepting campaign
contributions during the legislative session;

(9)  Prohibits the donation of money by political party
committees to candidate committees, continuing committees, or
other political party committees and requires the disclosure of
campaign contributions from political, campaign, candidate, or
continuing committees in the financial interest statements
required by Section 105.485;

(10)  Requires disclosure reports to be electronically filed with
the commission;

(11)  Requires the commission to post on its web site the
expenditures for and against candidates that are required to be
disclosed under Sections 130.041 and 130.050;

(12)  Revises certain deadlines for filing disclosure reports
under Sections 130.046 and 130.050;

(13)  Prohibits the filing of a complaint under Section 130.054
with the commission within 15 days of a primary or general
election in which the candidate being accused of a campaign
finance or disclosure violation is running for office; and

(14)  Requires the commission by January 1, 2007, to issue a
report to the General Assembly on its recommendations for
regulating political telephone solicitations.

The bill becomes effective January 1, 2007.

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated November 29, 2006 at 9:45 am