JEFFERSON CITY — A third hearing was held by the Missouri House Ethic Committee behind closed doors on Wednesday afternoon to discuss a "personal inquiry" and ethics complaint.
The committee met under House Rule 37 for the third time in a hearing related to House Speaker Dean Plocher.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for Plocher's resignation after accusations that he filed false expense reports and was reimbursed legislative money for travel expenses he spent campaign money on.
Less than five minutes after the hearing began, the public was dismissed from the room.
The committee was in session for about two hours, and when they dismissed, it did not make any substantial decisions.
"We are tasked with a serious responsibility of due process, and this is not a court of law," Rep. Hannah Kelly (R-Mountain Grove), chair of the committee, said. "This is the Ethics Committee of the Missouri House of Representatives, so anything is possible until a final outcome and decision is made."
Kelly compared the House Ethics Committee to a human resources department at a corporation.
"In the private business world, we'd be considered an HR department," Kelly said. "Our job is to make sure that the ethics of the institution and the individuals, in this case, the state, that we work for are upheld."
Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) says the Ethics Committee is taking its time with making a decision so due process can be given.
"Due process takes time, and people have the opportunity to respond to things, like in a court system," Sauls said. "So, does it take time? Yeah, and actually, we want it to, because no one wants to be rushed with making a wrong decision when the information wasn't present."
In an email sent to KOMU 8, Progress MO, a progressive advocacy organization, stated, "Since October, we have learned that Plocher committed unethical and perhaps unlawful conduct in seeking an expensive government contract that could benefit elected officials running for office. Then, he announced his own campaign for Lieutenant Governor."
The advocacy group is urging Missourians to reach out to legislators for Plocher to resign.
The Missouri House Ethics Committee has not a set date yet for the next hearing.
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