Missouri House ethics panel to hold further hearings in Plocher investigation

The Missouri House Ethics Committee appears to be prepared to advance an investigation over House Speaker Dean Plocher’s personnel actions and expense reimbursement requests.

The panel met behind closed doors for more than two hours on Wednesday. The discussion is confidential, but afterward Chair Hannah Kelly told assembled reporters that another hearing would be scheduled, suggesting that the committee is preparing the next step, to examine the substance of the allegations against Plocher.

Plocher is the subject of an inquiry into House personnel matters and a complaint about “unethical conduct” in office.

When the committee was finished for the day, Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, declined to comment on the questions considered.

“We have a job to do here in this committee and due to the House rules, as has been previously mentioned, I cannot comment,” Kelly said. “I can assure you as chairman that due process will be followed and confidentiality is of the utmost importance, for the integrity of the committee as well as the House.”

Plocher has been under fire since September, when he was accused of threatening to fire nonpartisan legislative staff as part of a push to get the House to award a lucrative contract to a private company to manage constituent information.