Missouri lawmakers may ban some lobbyist gifts, but only so they can accept other freebies

Every state has its own special rituals and traditions. In Missouri, for example, lawmakers regularly perform the same sacred dance. First, the House passes a bill that that would prohibit payola, aka gifts from lobbyists to legislators. Then the Senate does nothing about it, so that buzzkill of a bill never becomes law at all. High-fives all around and — this part is important — let’s do this again next year.

This year, however, this time-honored practice may not be observed in the usual way. In fact, the whole hog trough buffet long enjoyed by lawmakers could be scaled back.

Not, mind you, because they have finally been shamed into reform. (You knew it wasn’t that, didn’t you?)

Instead, they may forfeit some of their goodies out of fear that if they don’t, voters will take even more away from them through a ballot initiative that would ban any gift worth more than $5.

As The Star has reported, a House committee has unanimously approved a bill that would ban individual lawmakers from taking any gifts from lobbyists, though they could still take group gifts.

The House plans to pass the bill this week, and then, as always, send it on to the Senate.

Will they do the right thing now?

It still would be the right thing, even if they did so for less-than-inspiring reasons.

That’s even how the bill’s House sponsor, Republican Rep. Justin Alferman, is selling it.

“One way or another, it’s going to happen,’’ he’s said. “We should step up to the plate and pass it and not rely on initiative petitions to tackle our tough issues.”

It’s bad enough that a Democratic amendment that would have taken out the group gift exemption didn’t pass.

So if anything, the House bill doesn’t go far enough.

But even that weak reform may be too much of a sacrifice for some very hungry and thirsty senators, who in particular oppose capping the amount lobbyists can spend on their food and drink.

State Sen. Rob Schaaf, who has spent years trying to convince his colleagues to shape up on this front, no longer has any real hope that they’ll ever willingly do such a thing.

“That will have to be accomplished by an initiative petition,” he’s said.

Senators should pass the bill, of course.

But if they don’t, it will be up to voters to decide whether they’re sufficiently fed up to end the current system of influence and access that’s so blatantly for sale.

They can vote out those who won’t give up open bar tabs without a fight.

Or they can impose new rules through the ballot initiative.

Or they can continue to accept lobbyist gifts to lawmakers as just another Missouri tradition.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Missouri lawmakers may ban some lobbyist gifts, but only so they can accept other freebies."