Hunter, Richard file June disclosure forms

Only two of the six state legislators who represent the Joplin area reported receiving any gifts from lobbyists in June, according to documents posted today on the Missouri Ethics Commission website.
Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, added a modest $50 to his House-leading $2,476.39, but the $50, for meals, food and beverage, comes from a surprising source...James Kistler, lobbyist for Associated Industries, which itself is a group that exists to lobby for business interests. The president of Associated Industries, and also a registered lobbyist, is Gary Marble, Neosho, formerly a Republican state representative.
Regular readers of The Turner Report know that Hunter, in addition to his work for the taxpayers as a state legislator, is also employed by Associated Industries as a membership recruiter. Though he insisted that there is no conflict of interest between those two jobs, after he started working for Associated Industries, he began filing a flurry of pro-business and anti-union bills, as thoroughly detailed in earlier postings on this blog. Those bills, I'm sure coincidentally, matched perfectly with Associated Industries' legislative agenda.
To be fair, it is not certain that Kistler's lobbying with Hunter was done on behalf of Associated Industries. Disclosure forms for lobbyists are not available until they have been examined by the elected officials to make sure there are not any mistakes on them. Kistler is also a lobbyist for the Missouri Transportation and Development Council.
However, during the first five months of 2005, Kistler reported spending more than $4,200 lobbying for Associated Industries, and only $688.56, all in March, for the Missouri Transportation and Development Council.
The only other legislator (so far) to report any gifts from lobbyists in June is Ron Richard, R-Joplin. Richard received $260 for entertainment from John E. Bardgett Jr., who has been listing all of his lobbyist expenses for the past two months as being on behalf of John Bardgett & Associates, but who is listed as a lobbyist for all kinds of interests. Richard also received $9.13 for meals, food and beverage from former State Rep. Roy Cagle, R-Joplin, lobbyist for the Missouri Finance Institute.
Richard has reported receiving $1,471.47 from lobbyists during the past six months.