Conflicts of Interest

Today's entries in the long list of Stories About Jason Smith's Glaring Conflict of Interest:

• KRCG: Lawmaker could benefit from Prop. B repeal :The Missouri Humane Society calls them the dirty dozen. They're 12 of the worst licensed breeding facilities in Missouri, and one of them is owned by the family of a prominent Missouri lawmaker. He is Assistant House Deputy Whip Jason Smith. The Republican has been an outspoken critic of Proposition B and is leading a fight to repeal it. His mother, Mary Ann Smith, owns a breeding facility just outside of Salem, Missouri. Documents from USDA inspection reports paint a horrifying picture of the Smith kennel."
• Post-Dispatch: Report: House leader has tie to dog-breeding business: "When the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on a bill scaling back new dog-breeding rules approved by state voters, the legislator who led the attack on the rules was Rep. Jason Smith...Smith's role was unusual: He doesn't sit on the committee but as a member of leadership -- he is the majority whip -- he can participate in any committee as an ex officio member. Turns out that Smith had first-hand knowledge of the business."

Previous entries:

Shorter Jason Smith (R-Salem): Conflict of interest?  What conflict of interest?

h/t St. Louis Activist Hub

Shouldn't legislators abstain from votes on legislation that affects their personal income?

During this week's House debate on HB1472, Majority Leader Steve Tilley (R-Perryville) and Rep. David Sater (R-Cassville) spoke and voted against an amendment to require prescriptions to buy pseudoephedrine.  Under current law, the cold medicine is only sold behind counters at pharmacies, but amendment sponsor Jeff Roorda (D-Barnhart) wants to require prescriptions for use because it is abused to create methamphetamine.  After some debate, the House rejected Roorda's proposal.

Tilley and Sater are very familiar with how this change in law would impact pharamicists' bottom lines: Sater is a licensed pharmacist, and Tilley is married to a pharmacist. Kellie Tilley receives income from two companies in Perryville: Tricorex, Inc. and Convenient Healthcare Clinic.*  Tricorex is a pharmacy and wholesale drug distributor. 

Following up on my post from Sunday, Janese Heavin has a story today for the Daily Tribune outlining UM System President Gary Forsee's various stock holdings and ties to corporations.  Essentially, Forsee's response to questions about his financial interest in Great Plains Energy -- an energy holding company that is actively opposing federal climate legislation --  is that he'll still be rich no matter what happens.  I don't doubt that a bit, but this quote from his official spokesman has me scratching my head:

Forsee serves on the board of Great Plains Energy, the holding company of Kansas City Power & Light, which opposes the bill that would limit greenhouse gas emissions. That’s not a conflict of interest, Hollingshead said, because board members do not lobby on legislative matters.

Why does it matter if Forsee lobbies while wearing his Great Plains hat?  The point is that he's using his official position to advance a position that would benefit Great Plains stockholders and boardmembers, like himself.  And the larger point is that his public advocacy against the legislation contradicts his previous commitments regarding clean energy, and is effectively a call to maintain the status quo.  

Last week, the Friends of Peter Kinder campaign published and distributed a video outlining Kinder's misinformed concerns about the Senate Finance Committee health care proposal. The video was shot in Kinder's official office, immediately raising eyebrows about the separation of Kinder's official duties and campaign work.

An independent analysis made public yesterday found "irregularities that raise some questions" about the management at the Tour of Missouri, Inc.  From the Associated Press:

The nonprofit group [Tour of Missouri, Inc.] running the Tour of Missouri needs to improve its financial management of the $3.3 million bicycle race, according to an accountants' review released Monday.

The report said the Tour of Missouri Inc. lacks written policies and procedures for handling its finances. It also said the nonprofit group failed to provide monthly profit-and-loss statements for several months last year and had no documentation on whether prior written approval was given for the travel expenses of the race's management firm.

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On Friday, as GOP Leaders were avoiding votes on health care for the working poor and autism coverage, and before they got around to debating torture in Missouri prisons, the House debated legislation pertaining to car insurance laws. During the debate, Rep. Chris Molendorp sponsored an amendment intended to change the rules for drivers who do not have car insurance.  On the floor, Molendorp said that he sponsored his amendment "on behalf of" the state's insurance agents.

In related news, Rep. Chris Molendorp is an insurance agent, and has no problem using his public office to benefit his private business. Moledorp was pushing legislation that was -- in his own words -- written "on behalf of" his industry. He spoke about the bill "as an insurance agent" and as the owner of an insurance business -- raising all sorts of red flags. When confronted by the obvious conflict of interest Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia), Molendorp was remarkably unconcerned by the situation.  Listen to their exchange, in which you can hear Webber's concern with the substance of Molendorp's amendment, and with Molendorp's shameless work on behalf of his own business:

It's astounding.