Ethics

The GOP chair of the Missouri House committee was thwarted in her attempt to livestream the hearing and include allegations of obstruction in a motion to dismiss the investigation of Speaker Dean Plocher.

A rejected report from the House ethics committee suggested transferring subpoena power automatically to another member of House leadership — the speaker pro tem — if the speaker or anyone on his staff are subject of an inquiry.

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher and his allies complained for weeks that the ethics investigation into his alleged misconduct was dragging out unnecessarily. But, it turns out the delay may have been the Speaker himself.

Chris Slusser, Madison County treasurer, defeated County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler after a contentious campaign.

Astrophysicist and author Erika Nesvold spoke with host Elaine Cha before a live audience at the McDonnell Planetarium as part of Missouri Humanities’ keynote event.

Kurt Prenzler says he “reconsidered” his opinion on the issue of accepting campaign donations from donors, an issue that has been hotly debated in the Republican primary race for Madison County Board chairman.

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, faced criticism last year for unsuccessfully pushing the House to purchase a software system from a private company over the objections of nonpartisan legislative staff. Meetings his office helped arrange with an Oklahoma company last month are drawing comparisons.

The proposed change would expand the scope of citizen-initiated amendments to allow for changes to a requirement that candidates for state offices must file statements of economic interest.

Leaders of a bipartisan Missouri House committee investigating Speaker Dean Plocher over allegations of misconduct said Monday that there is no timetable for when the inquiry will conclude.

Plocher’s hold on his speakership remains tenuous and his campaign for lieutenant governor is now considered a longshot. His top legislative staff are gone, either fired or resigned in the wake of the scandals. But the impact of the ethics probe is playing out in more subtle ways in the Missouri House.