1-year lobbying ban for Missouri lawmakers moves forward

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A measure to limit how soon lawmakers can become lobbyists after leaving office and other proposed ethics changes received initial House approval Wednesday as part of a push for reform after two former legislators resigned last year amid allegations of inappropriate behavior toward interns.

The bill by Columbia Republican Rep. Caleb Rowden, who's running for state Senate, would impose a one-year lobbying freeze for lawmakers, statewide elected officials and gubernatorial appointees confirmed by the Senate, starting after their terms run out. It applies to new lawmakers and those running for re-election after Jan. 1, 2016.

Such a limit would address Missouri's status as the only state with the trio of unlimited campaign contributions, no limits on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers and policy that allows legislators to immediately lobby after leaving office.

Of the 195 legislators currently in office, 25 House and Senate members are ineligible to run for re-election and could begin lobbying after their terms end, since they aren't covered by the proposal.

An earlier version of the measure would have banned lobbying for one legislative session after officials leave office.

"Is it a silver bullet? No, probably not," Rowden said on the House floor. But it "begins to tell the people of Missouri that we're serious about removing every distraction and every barrier that we have control over to good governance in Jefferson City."

Primarily Democratic opponents criticized the measure as not going far enough. Assistant House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, of Kansas City, called for limits on campaign contributions and said the lobbying ban and other measures given initial approval Wednesday fell "well short of the sweeping reform Missourians demand."

Columbia Democrat Rep. Stephen Webber, who's running against Rowden for the Senate seat, said lawmakers should instead ban lobbying for a three-year period and make the change effective for all current lawmakers.

"This is a disappointingly small step," Webber said.

At least 33 states have enacted a cooling-off period to delay when lawmakers can lobby, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most have a ban of one or two years after legislators leave office, and no state has a three-year ban.

Rowden's measure still needs a second vote of approval before it can move to the Senate, but it's the first of dozens of proposed ethics bills to make it that far this year.

Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson has said ethics reform is a priority this session, following a year that saw his predecessor, John Diehl, admit to exchanging sexually suggestive texts with a Capitol intern and then resign on the last day of the session. Former Independence Democrat Sen. Paul LeVota stepped down months later amid allegations that he sexually harassed interns, which he denied.

Other ethics measures pushed forward by the House include a proposal to increase reporting of personal finances from once to twice a year beginning in 2017 and a proposal to require reporting of trips paid for by not-for-profits within 30 days of the trip or receipt of payment.

Another bill that received initial House approval would prohibit statewide elected officials and lawmakers from also working as paid political consultants.

House Majority Floor Leader Mike Cierpiot said he plans to bring all four bills up for a final House vote today.