JEFFERSON CITY — A state lawmaker is criticizing Gov. Mike Parson’s administration for shutting down public entry to a state contracting web site.
Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, mentioned he believes the governor’s Workplace of Administration is misinterpreting a regulation that went into impact Sunday that was designed to guard the identification of people that contribute to not-for-profit organizations.
“I firmly consider taxpayers ought to be capable of see how their tax {dollars} are being utilized,” Taylor mentioned in a press release issued Wednesday.
The brand new regulation is designed to defend nonprofits from having to reveal their donors to authorities businesses and permit for sure restricted legal responsibility corporations to contribute to political candidates.
The so-called Private Privateness Safety Act, which Taylor sponsored, additionally closes any information or lists within the possession of a public company containing the identification of supporters beneath Missouri’s open information regulation and beneath court docket guidelines.
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In approving the laws, lawmakers mentioned the regulation would shield folks’s privateness to donate to causes they assist.
Taylor’s feedback got here two days after the administration introduced the regulation had required them to take away contract award data from public entry for privateness causes.
“Efficient August 28, 2022, public entry to the contract paperwork in addition to the particular contact data for contractors will likely be faraway from the MissouriBUYS Contract Board until the regulation modifications,” the discover mentioned.
The change means taxpayers searching for to find out how their cash is being spent must file Sunshine Legislation requests for the data. However as a result of all paperwork will should be reviewed after which redacted, the workplace is warning of prolonged delays.
Taylor mentioned that response is overkill.
“The plain language of the invoice doesn’t intervene with our Sunshine Legislation because it pertains to state contracts. Given the very fact this identical language has not been misinterpreted in 13 different states the place it’s regulation, I’m assured the Private Privateness Safety Act by no means prevents state authorities from being clear with the way in which it awards state contracts,” Taylor mentioned.
Different teams that use the web site to trace state contracts are also taking discover.
Steve Hobbs, govt director of the Missouri Affiliation of Counties mentioned he hasn’t heard of any issues from county officers, who could use the location when reviewing whether or not they are able to use a state contract to safe companies on the county stage.
However, Hobbs mentioned he’s together with a hyperlink within the affiliation’s publication to an earlier Publish-Dispatch story outlining the change.
The Workplace of Administration, in the meantime, is standing by its choice, arguing {that a} violation of the regulation might end in monetary penalties in opposition to the company.
In a press release, OA spokesman Chris Moreland advised the brand new coverage might change.
“The Workplace of Administration will proceed to have a look at different avenues of coping with the brand new regulation that can hold the state compliant in addition to present the general public with well timed contract data,” Moreland mentioned in an electronic mail.