JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 The speaker of the Missouri House faced criticism and calls to resign Tuesday after he paid back more than $3,000 in taxpayer funds he incorrectly received for trips dating to 2018.
In a Monday letter to members of the House Republican caucus, Rep. Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, downplayed his initial receipt of the money and said he acted 鈥減roactively and ethically鈥 in paying it back.
鈥淚t is not unusual to review reports and make corrections if you make a mistake,鈥 wrote Plocher, who formally launched a bid for lieutenant governor earlier this month.
At issue are reimbursements he sought for travel to Hawaii, Philadelphia and other locales that he had also paid out of his campaign fund, which is overseen by his wife, Rebecca Smugala-Plocher.
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According to a Post-Dispatch review of Plocher鈥檚 House travel records and his campaign account, the speaker spent campaign funds to register for conferences, buy airfare and book hotels but then asked to be reimbursed from the House.
Some requests were turned down. The House, for example, said it would not pay for valet parking during his trip to Hawaii in July for a national conference.
The reimbursements were first reported by the Missouri Independent Monday. Plocher said he was first alerted to one of the payments by his wife and 鈥渋mmediately鈥 reimbursed the money.
But he acknowledged the problem was more widespread.
鈥淏ecause of this error, I reviewed all of my travel reimbursements, and it revealed that I had additional administrative errors, to which I have corrected,鈥 Plocher said.
In all, Plocher wrote two checks out of his personal bank account to the House for a total of $3,379. The most recent check was dated Friday. On the check, Plocher wote 鈥渋ncorrect reimbursement request.鈥
The incident has sparked calls for Plocher to resign.
On social media Tuesday, Republican candidate for attorney general Will Scharf suggested Plocher step down.
鈥淭hese allegations of unethical double dipping should be deeply troubling to all Missourians who care about cleaning up Jefferson City. Speaker Plocher owes Missouri taxpayers an explanation, and if he can鈥檛 provide one he should resign,鈥 Scharf wrote.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican running for governor, also weighed in on X, formerly known as Twitter.
鈥淭he allegations against the Speaker of the House are significant and serious. I call on the legislature to swiftly investigate and, if proven, to take action to protect the integrity of the House of Representatives and the people鈥檚 money,鈥 Ashcroft posted.
State Rep. Chris Sander, a Lone Jack Republican, also joined the scrum.
鈥淚 am disgusted that any member of the Missouri House would ask taxpayers to fund $4,862.77 for a seven-day vacation in Hawaii,鈥 Sander said in a text message.
鈥淚t appears Missouri House rules, MEC (Missouri Ethics Commission) rules, state laws, and Clean/Cleaner Missouri Constitution language does not apply equally to each House member when such a request was approved,鈥 he said.
Sander also questioned whether it was appropriate for Plocher鈥檚 wife to serve as campaign treasurer.
鈥淎 campaign treasurer should be required to be an accounting professional or CPA with no conflict of interest or no degree of nepotism with the candidate,鈥 Sander said.
The House Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet Friday.
Plocher did not respond to a request for comment from the Post-Dispatch.
The reimbursement issue is the third high-profile dust-up facing Plocher in recent weeks.
He drew scrutiny in September for unsuccessfully pushing the House to purchase a software system from a private company for $800,000 over the objections of nonpartisan legislative staff, who called it an unneeded and expensive redundancy.
In the fallout from that fight, he fired his chief of staff last week.
In his letter to GOP lawmakers, however, Plocher called on his colleagues to spend the final year of his speakership making 鈥渋nnovative policy.鈥
鈥淚 will be announcing shortly a full reorganization of my office and new staff to guide the House to aim higher and achieve more than before, and to fight back against the temptation of complacency,鈥 Plocher said.
Among possible hires for the vacant chief of staff post is former House Speaker Rod Jetton, who now works at the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Jetton was charged with felony assault stemming from a 2009 consensual sexual encounter during which, the woman claims, he choked her to the point of unconsciousness.
Jetton ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor assault charge and was sentenced to probation.
Plocher, who is term-limited and cannot run again for the House, is running to replace Republican Mike Kehoe as lieutenant governor.
He faces state Sen. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and unsuccessful congressional candidate Paul Berry III in the GOP primary next year.
Rep. Richard Brown, the assistant minority floor leader in the House, is among Democrats seeking the post. Brown is a former Kansas City school teacher.
Jack Suntrup of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.