This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: The director of the Missouri Department of Revenue has resigned his post, a move that comes as the agency’s actions have drawn widespread fire in the Missouri General Assembly.
Gov. Jay Nixon’s office announced on Monday afternoon that DOR director Brian Long resigned his post effective immediately. No reason was given. Nixon, a Democrat, named John Mollenkamp – the agency's deputy director – as acting director of the department.
“I want to thank Brian for his service to the state of Missouri in heading up this department, and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Nixon said in a statement.
Long’s resignation comes as the department is embroiled in controversy over whether information on drivers licenses, including conceal-carry permits, was forwarded to the federal government. The department recently installed new equipment that electronically scans and stores copies of the documents, such as birth certificates.
Some Republican lawmakers questioned whether the new policy ran afoul of state law barring the state from complying with mandates associated with the REAL ID Act, which was passed by Congress in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It mandated that people provide certain documents to obtain a driver’s license.
A Stoddard County man eventually sued, arguing that scanning birth certificates and concealed weapons endorsements into a computer system could be shared with the federal government or other agencies. The new procedures prompted scores of committee hearings during which members of the Department of Revenue faced tough questioning. They also sparked legislation to curtail the practice to move through the Missouri General Assembly.
Then last week, the head of the Missouri Highway Patrol acknowledged that the state’s list of people with conceal and carry licenses had been turned over twice to the Social Security Administration in connection with an investigation. That revelation prompted both House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder to call for Attorney General Chris Koster to appoint an independent entity to investigate the agency’s actions.
And U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, sent letters to various federal agencies demanding more information about the situation.
The ensuing controversy appeared to take its toll on Long, who began his tenure in December after the director -- Alana Barragan-Scott -- was appointed as an administrative law judge.
In his letter of resignation, Long wrote that his “brief tenure as director has taken a toll on me and my family that I could not have anticipated when I accepted the position in December of 2012.”
“I leave with great admiration for the dedicated and hard-working employees at the Department of Revenue and for the leadership of your administration,” Long wrote.
