Missouri set for ethics reform

Dan Hegeman

Over the last few years, both the public and a number of members of the Legislature have expressed a strong desire to reform our ethics laws in Missouri.

But, while there has been general support to pass further ethics reforms, the route to passage has been much more challenging. Although we have had lengthy discussions and debates on various ethics reform measures in the past, it appears as though there is a deep commitment to passing meaningful ethics reform in the 2016 legislative session.

Though pre-filing of bills for the 2016 session is just a week old, numerous ethics bills have already been filed and we are expecting several more bills to be filed before the close of bill filing in a couple months.

When it comes to a discussion of ethics reforms, there are dozens of perspectives and the bills cover a vast range of issues.

One of the most significant problems in past debates on ethics reform has been sorting through the sheer number of issues and then over complicating the solution, as was the case with the failure of Senate Bill 11 in the 2015 legislative session.

Rather than continuing the cycle of including unrealistic and unenforceable provisions, legislators need to focus on sensible reforms that can be practicably implemented and enforced.

That is why I believe the most important discussion we can have centers on closing the “revolving door”, where legislators can immediately become paid lobbyists upon leaving office.

The most effective way to accomplish this is by enacting a cooling-off period prohibiting state lawmakers from becoming lobbyists after vacating their seat for a defined length of time. In fact, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 33 states have a revolving door law on the books; there is no reason Missouri can’t be 34.

We now have been through enough sessions to know what won’t work — what type of impractical language will sink a solid piece of legislation and, therefore, shouldn’t be tacked on during the amendment process.

By focusing our efforts on passing a concise and effective ethics reform bill, I believe we can strengthen the public’s trust in the public policy process and I am looking forward to that effort in the upcoming session.

As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is [email protected] and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.