Gifts to Missouri lawmakers are not always easy to track

Five Missouri lawmakers enjoyed an evening at an expensive Dallas steakhouse this summer, with lobbyists picking up the more than $3,000 tab.

But finding out who dined and passed the check isn’t exactly clear in disclosure forms filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Seven lobbyists — representing businesses ranging from Hallmark Cards to Peabody Energy to Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City — paid the lion’s share of the cost and reported the gifts as going to “the entire General Assembly.”

Five other lobbyists reported the gifts, which also included cab fare to the restaurant, to the individual lawmakers in attendance.

Those legislators were House Speaker Tim Jones, Majority Leader John Diehl, Rep. Sue Allen, Sen. Ed Emery and Sen. Wayne Wallingford.

Critics of Missouri’s ethics laws have long complained that reporting gifts to groups instead of individuals violates the spirit of the state disclosure requirements by making it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to tell who is getting gifts from whom.

The dinner was part of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s annual convention in August and took place at the Dallas Chop House. The state releases data two months after lobbyists submit the information.

Missouri law states that a gift can be reported to a group — such as a committee, legislative chamber or the entire 197-member General Assembly — if all of the members of that group are “invited in writing.”

Chuck Simino, president of the Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association, spent only $44.24 at the Dallas meal. He said he thinks an invitation was sent out to every legislator earlier in the year. But he still chose to report each gift to individual lawmakers because “I know who is having dinner with us. The total General Assembly was not there, so I cannot report it as such.”

Jorgen Schlemeier spent a total of $379.11 on behalf of Ameristar, the Missouri Pharmacy Association and the Missouri Railroad Association. He said he reported the expenditures to the entire General Assembly based on guidance from the Missouri Ethics Commission.

James Klahr, executive director of the Missouri Ethics Commission, said both practices are likely within the letter of the law. But he said the law may need to be clarified to avoid this type of inconsistency.

The intent of the disclosure law, he said, is that a gift can be given to a group when everyone in that group is invited and can reasonably be expected to attend.

“If attending requires (lawmakers) to take time off from jobs and travel to attend a conference out of state, the expectation probably isn’t that all or a majority would go,” Klahr said.

Missouri is the only state without limits on campaign donations or on how much an elected official can accept in personal gifts from lobbyists. According to a database compiled by St. Louis Public Radio, roughly $673,000 was spent by lobbyists on gifts during the first six months of this year. Of that total, 76 percent was reported to groups instead of individuals.

This story was originally published October 6, 2014 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Gifts to Missouri lawmakers are not always easy to track."