Skip Elkin Calls For Fee Office Reform: Campaign Aide To Katherine Harris Is Mexico Fee Agent

May 26, 2006—Missouri House candidate
Skip Elkin today called for a series of reforms for the state’s license
fee offices, including putting an end to the appointment of “absentee
fee agents.”

“Drastic changes are needed to make
sure Missourians are receiving the best possible service,” said Elkin.
One change proposed by Elkin is the elimination of “absentee fee agents.”

At the Mexico, Missouri fee office, state-appointed fee agent Pat Thomas
recently became a campaign aide in Florida for Katherine Harris, a candidate
for the U.S. Senate in Florida1. According to the St. Louis Business Journal,2 the Mexico license bureau grossed nearly $3.5
million in 2005. In addition, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported yesterday
that several state-appointed fee agents are rarely seen in the license
bureau.3

“I think it’s outrageous that a person who has a contract with the State of Missouri to be in charge of the Mexico fee office is off playing
politics in Florida,” said Elkin. “Most people I know have to be at work to get paid, especially if they are overseeing an office that grosses $3.5 million a year.”

“I ran a small business for several years, and I know firsthand that having every employee available is crucial. Anyone who’s had to stand in
line at the license bureau knows that each employee is desperately needed.”

As a member of the Missouri House, Elkin said he will introduce legislation to reform the way fee offices are run in Missouri, including:

• Requiring state-appointed
  fee agents to live in the county where their fee office is located.
  Exceptions would be made for family emergencies, illness and military
  service.
• Competitively-bidding all
  fee office contracts with preference given to not-for-profit organizations.
• Prohibiting fee offices and
  their management companies from making political contributions before
  or after the contract award.

“It doesn’t matter whether Democrats or Republicans have appointed fee agents,” said Elkin. “We need a new system that encourages efficiency,
accountability, and prompt service.”

# # #

BACKGROUND:

• There are 184 local fee offices
  where Missourians can obtain their drivers licenses and license plates.
  The governor selects the head of each office—the fee agent—and the
  Department of Revenue then contracts with the fee agent to run the local
  office.
• Being appointed a fee agent
  is coveted because fee agents make money by charging a fee on each transaction.
  And because state law requires all drivers to have drivers licenses
  and license plates each office is guaranteed business in the areas they
  are located.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Pat Thomas, Harris for U.S. Senate

• 813) 288-8400 (Florida Campaign
  Headquarters)
• (573) 581-3388 (Mexico License
  Bureau)

1 HARRIS ANNOUNCES VETERAN CAMPAIGN TEAM; http://www.electharris.org/news/Read.aspx?ID=40; News Archive; April 4, 2006.

2 “Fee Ride: Blunt drives lucrative local license
offices”; by Christopher Tritto; St. Louis Business Journal; May 8,
2006.

3 “Two Blunt allies quietly reap the
rewards”; by Jo Mannies; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; May 25, 2006.