Carbon Dating Allows Capitol Historians To Pinpoint Exact Moment Of Tilley Conversion

Fired Up! Missouri has obtained the exclusive results of heretofore unreleased analysis about House Majority Leader Steve Tilley's incredible about-face regarding the use of discharge petitions in the Missouri General Assembly. 

As you probably know by now, the House Rules Committee rejected an ethics reform proposal that was previously approved unanimously by the Speaker's special ethics committee, largely because it would reinstate campaign contribution limits.  In response, a bipartisan group of representatives signed a discharge petition to bypass the Rules Committee's decision and directly place the the ethics reform bill on the House calendar. 

Tilley has since described this discharge petition "an unfair way around the House rules" that "bypasses the process" through which he and Speaker Ron Richard can kill legislation in a less flashy fashion. Discharge petitions are rare, but they aren't unfair or against the rules. They do annoy House Speakers and Floor Leaders.  

Tilley knows this because he himself signed a discharge petition earlier in his career. 

Back to our exclusive analysis: Apparently Tilley's change of heart came on or about January 9, 2008, when Tilley became Majority Floor Leader.

The procedures used to pinpoint the flip-flop don't specify a motive, but the researchers' working theory is that Tilley's interest in blocking meaningful ethics reform and preserving his own power matter far more than any quaint concerns about him being a big fat hypocrite.