JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A group of lawmakers met behind closed doors for hours late Monday afternoon to discuss an ethics complaint.
This is the fourth time the House Ethics Committee, made up of 10 representatives, has met for an extended period of time behind closed doors since the end of October. Members were discussing an alleged ethics complaint regarding House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres. With the legislative session in full swing, representatives gave no indication of when the investigation would conclude but remained tight-lipped about the situation.
“I cannot answer any further except to say we worked very hard today to make sure that we have sound information gathering for the work at hand to address the complaint referenced in the committee notice,” Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, said. “The focus is to make sure that the ethics and the integrity of the Missouri House of Representatives is upheld.”
In a meeting closed to the public Monday, representatives spent nearly three hours discussing an ethics complaint. Monday’s hearing was the first meeting since December. The role of the House Ethics Committee is to investigate complaints regarding members of the lower chamber. The committee is split evenly between five Democrats and five Republicans. Details of the meeting are confidential and none of the testimony or discussions are released to the public until a report is issued.
“There are four attorneys on this committee, one prior judge…honestly, it’s a good committee with people who are interested in getting to the bottom of the situation,” Rep. Robert Sauls, R-Independence, said.
This comes at a time when the top leader in the House is making headlines. Calls for Plocher’s resignation came after he began paying back roughly $4,000 that he was reimbursed for regarding work-related travel that he paid out of his campaign fund. Most of those calls came from other Republicans like Rep. Mazzie Boyd, R-Hamilton, Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs and Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester.
Plocher, who is also running for lieutenant governor, fired his chief of staff earlier this month, around the same time the House was discussing contracts and bids for a new software company. Plocher was pushing to hire a private company costing $800,000.
Members said the committee has made progress but there’s still more work to be done.
“I am absolutely committed as chairman of this committee to making sure that the people of Missouri know that the ethics and the integrity of this institution will be protected,” Kelly said. “Due process takes time. I can’t give you a better answer than that.”
Plocher, who was not at the meeting, previously said he’s not resigning. He has one term left as speaker before he terms out.
Chairwoman Kelly said the committee will be holding another hearing within the next two weeks before lawmakers leave for spring break.
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