The Missouri Ethics Commission is moving forward with plans to hold closed hardship hearings on excess campaign contributions. And, one of the candidates for Attorney General is keeping the pressure on the Commission to reverse course and hold the hearings out in the open.
State Representative Margaret Donnelly (D-St. Louis) had threatened legal action over the closed door position, saying the State Supreme Court decision on campaign financing limits only directs the Commission to hold hearings on the subject of retroactivity, not on the subject of whether the campaign finance laws have been violated. She adds the secrecy involved in closed hearings undermines the confidence of citizens in the campaign finance laws.
The Commission maintains it is following the law. Donnelly says legal action remains an option if, in her view, the Commission acts in violation of Missouri’s Sunshine Law.
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