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.