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Lobbyists Get New Lease on Life

May 16, 1996
By: Jack Dolan
State Capital Bureau

On the second to last day of the legislative session, the Senate voted against a measure that would have banned gifts from lobbyist. Jack Dolan has the story from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The senate stripped a pending crime bill of a provision known as the zero tolerance amendment, which would have banned all gifts from lobbyists to legislators. John Schneider from St. Louis, who suggested getting rid of the zero tolerance amendment, says it would not have actually prevented special interests from wining and dining law makers, it just would have prevented them from hiring lobbyists to do it. Instead, Schneider says he favors electronic record keeping of all lobbyist expenditures.

Actuality:
RunTime: 006-
OutCue: ...real spotlight on it.
Contents: Schneider says a system that provided exact information about which lobbyist took which legislator to dinner would act like a spotlight to expose unseemly relationships, if such relationships exist.

A lobbyist gift ban is still alive in the House, but with only one day left in the legislative session, they would have to make it top priority to get it passed. From Jefferson City, I'm Jack Dolan.