Former Senator: Lobbyists Collecting State Tax Dollars
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Lobbyist Money Help  

Former Senator: Lobbyists Collecting State Tax Dollars

Date: August 27, 2013
By: Brendan Cullerton
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: 
The head of the Missouri public employee retirement system says a national story accusing Missouri of giving tax dollars to private entities was misleading.
RunTime:  0:42
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Earlier this week the Associated Press released a story about states that allow private sector workers to receive state funded pensions.

The list included Missouri because some teacher advocacy group staff receive state pensions.

President of the Missouri school public retirement system Steve Yoakum says the story is true...but not accurate.

He says of nearly 90 thousand employees in the system--only 36 receive state pension coverage--and those will be phased out.

Actuality:  YOAKUM.WAV
Run Time:  00:06
Description: "A very de minimus of people that are effected anyways, and that number will actually go away over the years because of a change in the law."

Former state Senator Jason Crowell says tax money goes toward private sector pensions on every level of government.

Reporting from the state Capitol, Brendan Cullerton, news radio 1120, KMOX.

Intro: 
A former state Senator says his fellow lawmakers stopped his efforts to prevent tax money from going to lobbyists. KMOX's Brendan Cullerton has more on private entities that could be collecting public money.
RunTime:  0:41
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Former state Senator Jason Crowell says he tried to stop public money from reaching the hands of lobbyists in 2010, but his fellow lawmakers turned a blind eye in hopes of collecting similar benefits.

Crowell says administrators of teacher advocacy groups collect state money he thinks should go straight to the classroom.

Actuality:  CROWELL.WAV
Run Time:  00:12
Description: "You don't do anything other than lobby Jeff city. And we're allowing each year that they're employed in those special interest organizations to collect state benefits."
 

But the president of the Missouri public employee retirement system Steve Yoakum says no state money is spent on these private companies. 

Reporting from the state Capitol, Brendan Cullerton, news radio 1120, KMOX.