Convicted felons' campaign committees still operating

Only in Missouri.

Three Democratic state legislators resigned their seats months ago, but their election campaign committees are still in business, according to Missouri Ethics Commission.

Two of the three, former Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, now serving a one year, one day prison sentence for obstruction, and former Rep. Steve Brown, D-St. Louis, who is on probation after pleading guilty to the same crime, filed January disclosure reports with the Commission, though both reports showed limited activity.

The reports still indicate, though it is obviously not the case, that Smith and Brown are running for re-election this year.

The third felon, former Rep. Talibdin El-Amin, D-St. Louis, has not filed his report for January, but his committee is still active, the Ethics Commission documents indicate. El-Amin's committee documents still have him listed as running for state representative in the August 2010 primary.