ethics

The nonprofit was used by Mayor Quinton Lucas’ predecessor primarily to bring speakers to Kansas City to talk about economic development. Lucas and his former chief of staff use it for Chiefs tickets, hotel stays, flights and dinners.

A complaint filed by a Republican state senator’s son accused Andrew Bailey of using the Missouri Attorney General's office for his own political gain. Bailey is running for re-election this year.

Missouri House Chief Clerk Dana Miller filed a lawsuit in May accusing Dean Plocher and his chief of staff, Rod Jetton, of harassment and intimidation. It stems from disputes that emerged last year over an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a lucrative software contract.

Senators from both parties unveiled bipartisan compromise bill that would require all members of Congress, spouses and dependent children to stop buying or selling individual stocks, saying it will help restore confidence in Congress.

The committee voted to dismiss the ethics complaint, after removing language that blamed the result on “the inability of the committee to finish the investigation as a direct result of obstruction of the process and the intimidation of witnesses by” Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher.

The Missouri House Speaker is already being accused of obstructing the work of an ethics committee. Recently, lawmakers have raised concerns about whether the ethics rules in the House need to be reworked in cases where the chamber’s most powerful member is the focus of an investigation.

The report, which was voted down by the Missouri House committee, concluded the inquiry lacked direct evidence of ethical misconduct but alleged the speaker hindered the investigation’s efforts to get to the truth.

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.

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.

Public records show the Missouri House spent $60,000 of taxpayer money renovating the speaker’s office — including $29,000 on new furniture like a leather sofa and new fridge. At the same time, other legislative offices remain inaccessible to constituents with disabilities.

Accused of threatening legislative staff and stealing from taxpayers, Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher has denied any wrongdoing and rebuffed calls for his resignation. His alleged "ethical misconduct" will be the subject of a House Ethics Committee hearing this week.

A Republican lawmaker sparked ethics concerns after he threatened to cut at least a million dollars from the agency if it bans deer baiting. And he said another lawmaker that owns a hunting lodge would help him.