January 12, 2011 •
Missouri Bill Seeks to Reinstate Campaign Contribution Limits
Senate Bill 75 Would Create New Campaign Contribution Limits and Enhance Revolving Door Law
Senate Bill 75, introduced to the Legislature on the first day of session, seeks to reinstate the state’s campaign contribution limits. The bill limits contributions to $2,000 for statewide office, $1,000 for state senators, $500 for state representatives, $325 for any other office if the population is under 100,000, $850 if it is between 100,000 and 250,000, and $1,275 if the population is more than 250,000.
The bill also alters the state’s revolving door provision by preventing legislators from becoming lobbyists for two years after leaving office.
Photo of the Missouri State Capitol by Visitjeffersoncity on Wikipedia.
December 9, 2010 •
Missouri Bank Fights New Ethics Law
Bank Challenges Missouri SB 844’s Limits on Political Contributions; Bill Sponsor Seeks Change in Law
Legends Bank is seeking to block enforcement of Missouri’s new ethics law, found in Senate Bill 844, which took effect August 28. Legends Bank and its president filed suit Monday in Cole County Circuit Court citing language that limits the bank’s right to make political donations. Senate Bill 844 sought to limit politicians’ ability to conceal the source of money by moving it through several political action committees.
Legends Bank claims that in determining which individuals and entities can donate to political action committees, lawmakers appear to have limited the ability of state-chartered banks to donate. Republican Senate president pro-tem Charlie Shields, who sponsored Senate Bill 844, stated to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the goal of the bill was never to stop banks or corporations from making political donations and that the disputed language should be fairly easy to fix.
Photo of the Missouri Capitol by RebelAt of English Wikipedia.
July 15, 2010 •
Missouri Governor Approves Ethics Law
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed ethics legislation designed to help clean up Missouri’s political culture.
This ethics overhaul was a top priority for Nixon and legislative leaders this year. Among the major changes, the new law requires elected officials and candidates to report larger campaign donations within 48 hours. It also gives the bipartisan Missouri Ethics Commission the power to begin investigations on its own, without waiting for a complaint. The law also expands reporting requirements for lobbyists who invite groups of state officials to events. Under this new law, campaign disclosure reports must be filed electronically beginning in January, 2011 and the fines for late reports are increased significantly.
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