Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation earlier this month making changes to a donor privacy law blamed for impeding public access to state contract information.
The Personal Privacy Protection Act received bipartisan support on its way to being signed into law last year. The aim was to shield nonprofits from having to disclose their donors to government agencies.
But for months leading up to the law going into effect, state officials complained both publicly and privately about impacts it could have on key government functions — from hampering the administration of certain tax credit programs to conflicting with existing laws regarding records of investigations by law enforcement agencies.
Those concerns culminated last August, when the Parson administration shut down immediate public access to state contracts, a major blow to government transparency. The governor’s office later cited the law as justification for withholding information about a fundraiser at the governor’s mansion.
Proponents of the Personal Privacy Protection Act called the Parson administration’s interpretation absurd, arguing that Missouri was the only state that ran into these sorts of transparency issues after implementing the law.
Nevertheless, they rallied behind a legislative fix aimed at resolving the problems. It was included as an amendment on a wide-ranging bill Parson signed earlier this month.
“I’m just hopeful it provides the clarity needed to ensure the privacy of Missourians is protected while ensuring government remains open and transparent,” said Jeremy Cady, state director for Americans for Prosperity Missouri and a major proponent of the Personal Privacy Protection Act.
A spokesman for the Office of Administration, which handles contracts for state government, confirmed to The Independent in May that if Parson signed the changes “the contracts website would be restored to its pre-Aug. 28, 2022, status.”
For more from the Missouri Independent, visit www.missouriindependent.com.