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50-hour filibuster forces more negotiations on GOP-backed initiative petition changes
A 50-hour Democratic filibuster forced the Senate’s divided GOP majority to finally yield Wednesday evening, stalling a vote on a bill seeking to make it more difficult to amend Missouri’s constitution. Democrats have blocked all action in the Senate since Monday afternoon, demanding that the legislation be stripped of “ballot candy” that would bar non-citizens […]
Ethics committee dismisses complaint against lawmaker who investigated Dean Plocher
The Missouri House Ethics Committee voted unanimously Thursday to dismiss a complaint filed against the Republican lawmaker who led the investigation of Speaker Dean Plocher. State Rep. Hannah Kelly of Mountain View was appointed to lead the ethics committee by Plocher last year. But the speaker soured on Kelly as she oversaw the panel’s months-long […]
House leader says discussion of alleged staff intimidation will wait for session’s end
Any talk of changes to how the Missouri House functions following allegations of staff intimidation during the investigation of Speaker Dean Plocher will have to wait until after the legislative session ends on May 17, Majority Leader Jon Patterson said Monday. Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican expected to take over as speaker next year when […]
Missouri AG will defend senators sued for defamation over posts about Chiefs parade shooting
Republican state senators facing a federal defamation lawsuit over social media posts incorrectly identifying a Kansas man as the shooter at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade will be represented by the Missouri attorney general’s office. Jeremiah Morgan, a deputy attorney general, is listed in court documents as the attorney for state Sen. Rick Brattin, who […]
Republican who led inquiry of Dean Plocher may be subject of new ethics complaint
Days after ending an investigation into Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, the Republican who led that inquiry has recused herself from the committee as it prepares to discuss a new complaint. According to a letter to legislative staff from House Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson, a member of Plocher’s leadership team, state Rep. Hannah Kelly […]
Former legislator sues Missouri House over punishment doled out as part of his censure
A former Democratic lawmaker filed a lawsuit Wednesday over a $22,000 penalty he incurred as part of his 2021 censure for allegedly lying about a sexual encounter with an intern and retaliating against the House employee who reported it. Wiley Price, a St. Louis Democrat who lost his bid for re-election in 2022, is demanding […]
Amid Dean Plocher obstruction allegations, talk turns to fixes for House ethics rules
The saga of Dean Plocher took yet another twist this week, with the House speaker’s leadership team circumventing the chamber’s rules to try to force the ethics committee to hold a hearing. Plocher has been under investigation by the committee for months, and recently he and his allies have started demanding it convene and dismiss […]
Attorneys for embattled Missouri House speaker criticize ethics investigation
Private attorneys hired by the top Republican in the Missouri House demanded on Tuesday that the ethics investigation into their client be formally dismissed. House Speaker Dean Plocher has still not publicly commented on the allegations of ethical misconduct that have hung over his final year in the legislature, or the later accusations that he […]
Dean Plocher mum on allegations he obstructed ethics probe, pressured witnesses
The embattled speaker of the Missouri House had little to say over the weekend in his first public comments since being accused of threatening potential witnesses and other stall tactics aimed at obstructing an ethics committee inquiry into his alleged misconduct. Speaker Dean Plocher sat down for an interview released on Sunday with Scott Faughn, […]
Dean Plocher delayed ethics investigation he publicly complained dragged on too long
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher and his allies complained for weeks that the ethics investigation into his alleged misconduct was dragging out unnecessarily. As it turns out, the biggest reason for the delay may have been Dean Plocher himself. The Republican from Des Peres for three months refused to speak to an attorney hired by […]
Speaker Dean Plocher accused of ‘absolute obstruction’ in House ethics investigation
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher obstructed an investigation of his official acts through pressure on potential witnesses and refusing to issue subpoenas, bipartisan leaders of the House Ethics Committee alleged Monday. Some potential witnesses allegedly refused to speak out of fear Plocher would use his power as speaker to retaliate against them. Others were out […]
Dean Plocher ethics probe picks up steam as legislative session enters final weeks
A wide-ranging investigation into allegations of misconduct by the leader of the Missouri House appears to be escalating, with three more hearings scheduled this week. The House Ethics Committee has already met eight times since the beginning of March as part of its inquiry into the actions of Speaker Dean Plocher. Last week, a six-hour […]