JEFFERSON CITY – When State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, was elected to serve the citizens of the 25th Senate District, he promised to represent the people of Southeast Missouri and the Bootheel, listen to their concerns and protect the interests of all Missourians. An issue was brought to light in Stoddard County regarding the illegal use of private documents by employees within the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) for citizens who try to obtain certain documents, such as concealed carry gun permits. Stoddard County is among the eight counties Sen. Libla represents in the Missouri Senate. This invasion of privacy action that occurred in Sen. Libla’s district has sparked legal action against DOR.
“I fully support my constituents’ right to keep their personal information private,” said Sen. Libla. “Law-abiding citizens have refused to let the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within DOR scan some of their personal documentation, which has resulted in the denial of the permits they are seeking — permits these individuals should be able to obtain because they have passed the application process and followed all the rules set forth by the state to obtain certain documents.”
In 2009, the General Assembly passed HB 361, which prohibits DOR from amending its driver’s license application procedures to retain and collect personal documents in order to comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, which shares citizens’ private information with third-party entities or the federal government.
Legislation filed this session in the Missouri Senate, SB 252, would prohibit DOR from retaining copies of source documents used to obtain various licenses, this includes using technology — much like what was used at the DMV in Stoddard County — to digitally save source documents so they can be easily forwarded electronically, such as through email or saved in third-party or federal databases.
“Unfortunately, this unlawful action has spread from a county in my legislative district to areas throughout our state,” said Sen. Libla. “If it weren’t for my informed constituency, this illegal action might have gone unnoticed for a longer amount of time.”
This alleged action taken by DOR has resulted in a negative trickle-down effect for many in Sen. Libla’s district, including those who own or work in these privately run businesses, many of which can no longer issue concealed carry permits until legal matters are concluded with the state department. In addition, Missourians are inconvenienced when licensing offices in their area cannot issue these particular documents due to legal injunctions.
Sen. Libla says he understands the situation that has now spread from his district across the state and hopes the matter can be resolved in a timely fashion. “DOR needed to stop collecting and sharing private data belonging to our state’s citizens; however, it’s time to protect the civil liberties and rights of all Missourians on all sides of the problem and solve this serious issue.” |
