Dean Plocher

House Chief Clerk Dana Miller accusing outgoing House Speaker Dean Plocher and his former chief of staff of retaliating against her and trying to get her removed from her job.

The committee, established to hear testimony on the issue and recommend legislation, will meet Oct. 15.

Missouri House Chief Clerk Dana Miller filed a lawsuit in May accusing Plocher and his chief of staff, Rod Jetton, of harassment and intimidation.

A Democrat on the committee says the move is election year posturing.

With more than 400 line items directed at particular districts or organizations, totaling $2.1 billion, lawmakers have continued to pile extras into spending bills as the state enjoys a near-record surplus

Dean Plocher originally filed to be Missouri’s next lieutenant governor. However, he said a change in the secretary of state’s race prompted him to switch his candidacy.

Session ended on Friday with recriminations from within the GOP supermajority — and measured optimism from Democrats that they could gain seats this year.

In a rare instance of triumph for Missouri Democrats, an effort to raise the bar to amend the state constitution — a central GOP priority — was defeated.

The ethics committee dropped its investigation of Dean Plocher last week. But allegations of witness tampering linger as the legislative session nears its end.

The Federal Reimbursement Allowance, which is a tax on hospitals, ambulance districts, nursing homes and pharmacies, is set to expire at the end of September. The Senate gave it initial approval early Thursday morning after more than 40 hours of filibustering by the Missouri Freedom Caucus.