© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Missouri Auditor Wants Tougher Penalties To Fight Corruption

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker discussed proposed legislation that would make official misconduct a felony at a press conference Tuesday.
Elle Moxley
/
KCUR 89.3
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker discussed proposed legislation that would make official misconduct a felony at a press conference Tuesday.

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway was in Kansas City Tuesday to announce her support for legislation that would increase penalties for government officials who steal public money.

Sen. Bob Dixon, a Springfield Republican, has pre-filed legislation that would make official misconduct in the first degree a felony carrying a possible four-year sentence. Currently, it's a misdemeanor. 

It would also give local prosecutors more time to recover damages in cases of fraud or corruption.

“When we present these audit results to citizens, the first question I get is, how do we hold these public officials accountable for using our taxpayer dollars in a way they shouldn’t, or maybe even lining their pockets with those taxpayer dollars?” Galloway says.

The proposed legislation would also give local law enforcement agencies the authority to request an audit. For example, a county sheriff could contact Galloway’s office if he suspected misconduct in a neighboring police department.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker called it “another tool” in her toolbox.

“It also gives us a new arm of reaching back into collecting that restitution,” she says. “In order to make victims whole, which sometimes is the taxpayer, we need more tools to get that done.”Elle Moxley is a reporter for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.

Copyright 2021 KCUR 89.3. To see more, visit KCUR 89.3.

Elle covers education for KCUR. The best part of her job is talking to students. Before coming to KCUR in 2014, Elle covered Indiana education policy for NPR’s StateImpact project. Her work covering Indiana’s exit from the Common Core was nationally recognized with an Edward R. Murrow award. Her work at KCUR has been recognized by the Missouri Broadcasters Association and the Kansas City Press Club. She is a graduate of the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism. Elle regularly tweets photos of her dog, Kingsley. There is a wounded Dr. Ian Malcolm bobblehead on her desk.
Related Content