The Missouri Senate spent a lot of time this week continuing its debate of ethics reform. This year, sponsors have put forth numerous single, subject bills that tackle different parts of reform, including ending the revolving door of legislators leaving office to become lobbyists.
During debate on the cooling-off period, I added an amendment to make it apply to all elected officials, both current and future. The bill as originally drafted would have covered only those legislators elected in the future, not those currently in office.
I believe that creating a loophole for current legislators is irresponsible, and as a result I offered an amendment to apply these ethics rules to every legislator currently holding office. An ethics reform bill with loopholes is not true ethics reform. This is why it’s important we take ample time to vet each and every bill for unintended consequences and loopholes. We need to make sure we avoid anything that interferes with the constitutional rights of the public and their ability to interact with lawmakers.
The Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 899, legislative I’ve filed to designate the “LeRoy Van Dyke Highway” in Pettis County. Mr. Van Dyke is a famous country music singer who was born in Mora, Missouri, and graduated from the University of Missouri. The highway would honor one of our state’s most successful native sons.
As a state, we must always be looking for ways to support our veterans. This year, we’re considering legislation that would help veterans become business owners. Senate Bill 799 would waive registration fees paid to the secretary of state’s office if a member of the business or corporation is a veteran, resides in Missouri and can provide proof of service.
Visitors this week include: Ellis Hall, Hank Grosenbacher, Kevin Beauchamp, Everett Clamp, Dan Bridges, Everette Clamp, Mary Hitchings, Mike & Nancy Stephens, Mike Brown, Ken Ashlock, Joshua Jones, Benjamin Terrell, Sherry Shamel, Cattlemen, Adam Coffman, Darin Chappell, Tracy Slagle, Natalie Scrivner, Howard Hardecke, Mark Stanik, Marvin Deickman, Shirley Allison, and Lori Haney.