An audit released Monday finds that the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) broke state law with its now-defunct policy of scanning documents of driver's license and conceal-carry applicants.
State Auditor Tom Schweich (R) says DOR broke the law by not notifying applicants about the new scanning policy, which began last December and ended in July when Governor Jay Nixon (D) signed a new state law that banned scanning the documents. But Schweich also says notifying applicants would have violated the 2009 state law that bars implementing the federal Real ID Act in Missouri, meaning that the state agency would have broken the law either way.
The audit also states that the Missouri State Highway Patrol did not break any laws when it shared the state's list of conceal-carry weapons holders with a federal investigator, while at the same time stating that Revenue officials lacked the authority to compile the list.
Meanwhile, the Department of Revenue provided the following statement in response to the audit:
The auditor's report confirms what the Department has said from the outset: the Department followed state law prohibiting compliance with REAL ID and fulfilled its duty to provide safe and secure state-issued photo IDs while protecting the privacy of Missourians.
The entire audit can be viewed here.
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