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MO Supreme Court throws out ethics rules

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Wide-ranging ethics rules that were passed by Missouri lawmakers two years ago were tossed out Tuesday by the State Supreme Court.

The ethics provisions were added onto a government procurement bill in the waning hours of the 2010 legislative session.  The High Court ruled unanimously that the provisions violated the bill’s original intent – the procurement portion of the law remains intact.  Meanwhile, Democratic House Member Jason Kander of Kansas City says he’ll re-file the ethics bill this year:

“It’s a great opportunity to revisit comprehensive ethics reform and pass a clean bill that does what the 2010 bipartisan legislation did, which is, outlaw money laundering in political campaigns,” Kander said.

The 2010 law also allowed the Missouri Ethics Commission to launch its own investigations and required fast reporting of $500-minimum campaign donations made during legislative sessions.  Kander says his new bill would go farther, as it will include restoring campaign contribution limits.  Kander is also running for Missouri Secretary of State.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.