Governor Jay Nixon is calling on Missouri lawmakers to pass new ethics legislation after the state Supreme Court threw out a 2010 ethics law.' That law was tossed out because of the way legislators approved the law. Nixon will outline the element he wants to see in a new law during a news conference today.
The Supreme Court's action means that for now, candidates and officeholders no longer have to publicly report contributions of over $500 within 48 hours. The now-invalid law also banned committee-to-committee money transfers that can conceal the ultimate source of campaign funding.
When the law was struck down earlier this week, Governor Nixon issued a statement saying the ruling left a "significant hole" in Missouri's ethics laws.
"Senate Bill 844 cleaned up Missouri's political party committees, expanded contribution reporting requirements, and took numerous other steps to make government operate in a more open and accountable way," Nixon said.