Richard up to $55,000 in campaign funds

Ron Richard, R-Joplin, serves on the Financial Institutions Committee of the Missouri House of Representatives, and apparently, he has made some friends among the leaders of those same institutions.
On his quarterly campaign disclosure forms, filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Richard lists $55,576.79 total in his campaign account, including $6,012.50 during the past three months.
Of the new donations, $2,100 came from various regional versions of the Missouri Bankers Association. Donors are limited to $300 by state law, but the MBA gets around that requirement and increases its political power by setting up PACs in every area of the state, then donating the maximum amount from each area.
Richard received $300 apiece from MBA Capital Region PAC, 207 E. Capital Ave., Jefferson City; MBA Truman Region PAC, 207 E. Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City; MBA State PAC, 207 E. Capital Avenue, Jefferson City; MBA River Heritage Region PAC, 207 E. Capital, Jefferson City; MBA Gateway Region PAC, 207 E. Capital Avenue, Jefferson City; MBA Mark Twain Region PAC, 207 E. Capital Avenue, Jefferson City; and MBA Pony Express Region PAC, 207 E. Capital, Jefferson City.
Get the picture.
Richard also picked up $1,512.50 from the 129th Republican Legislative District Committee, Joplin, which is not limited by the state laws.
Other contributors giving the maximum $300 included:
Committee for Political Action of Missouri CPAs, St. Louis; United Parcel Service PAC Missouri, Atlanta, Ga., Missouri Grocers Association, Springfield; General American Life Assurance PAC, Jefferson City (listed in care of the lobbyist firm of Herzog & Rhoads) Cendant Corporation, Sandy, Utah; and Carlson Gardner, Inc. Springfield.
Also, Richard received $250 from Herbst Gaming, Inc., St. Joseph; $150 from Missouri State Chiropractors PAC, Jefferson City; and $200 from Joplin CPA Nick Myers.
The only local contributors to the Richard campaign, according to disclosure forms were Myers and the Republican Legislative Committee.
The committee reported spending $3,063 during the three-month period, including $963 to Huddleston Advertising, Joplin, for promotional pens, and $2,100 in $300 increments to seven Republican legislative campaigns across the state.