Missourians can check officials' retirement benefits

If you want to know how much state officials receive in retirement benefits, you can now do so. The following news release was issued this afternoon by State Treasurer Clint Zweifel.

Missourians will now be able to check the retirement benefits of their state elected officials and judges with the click of a mouse following today's approval of a motion previously introduced by State Treasurer Clint Zweifel.

The passage of the motion happened today in St. Charles at a meeting of the Missouri State Employees' Retirement System. The action comes about three weeks after Treasurer Zweifel also proposed a motion that passed to make MOSERS' staff compensation available via the Internet. Previously, a Sunshine Law request was needed to obtain information on staff compensation. With today's approval, citizens will also be able to obtain online information about the retirement benefits of elected officials and judges.

"Elected officials and judges operate with the public trust and easy access to their benefits package makes sense," Treasurer Zweifel said. "Government works best when it is open and accountable and this vote furthers that principle. Today's motion means citizens will be able to know the full cost of the service of elected officials and judges so they can hold them accountable."

Also during today's meeting, MOSERS' staff indicated that Treasurer Zweifel's motion on staff compensation package disclosure, passed at the June 18 meeting, would be implemented with the information becoming available at www.mosers.org beginning August 11.

Treasurer Zweifel has already implemented open government policies in his office, including the continued development of his open government site at www.treasurer.mo.gov/OpenGovernment.asp.