JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 The chief clerk of the Missouri House appeared Wednesday evening before a panel of lawmakers investigating alleged ethics violations by Speaker Dean Plocher.
In the latest development affecting the beleaguered speaker, Dana Rademan Miller, the top administrator of the Legislature鈥檚 lower chamber, became at least the fourth person to answer questions from the bipartisan House committee looking into Plocher鈥檚 actions.
Miller raised questions last year about the speaker鈥檚 failed push to convince fellow lawmakers to outsource an $800,000 software program at a time when the House already had an in-house system for managing constituent contacts.
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Miller, a nonpartisan employee, angered the Des Peres Republican in an August email by calling the private sector application being pitched by two of the Capitol鈥檚 high-powered lobbyists 鈥an expensive redundancy鈥 that 鈥渋s not needed.鈥
In response, Miller said in an email that Plocher made threats about her future employment.
The committee, which meets behind closed doors, has not outlined a timetable for their inquiry. The panel could recommend a variety of punishments for Plocher, which would then be taken up by the full House.
But lawmakers are taking next week off for spring break and are scheduled to end their annual session May 17, raising questions about what might happen if nothing is resolved in the next eight weeks.
Plocher is term limited and won鈥檛 return as speaker following the Legislature鈥檚 veto session in September.
Members of the panel are bound by rules requiring proceedings to be confidential, with none of the discussions, testimony or evidence gathered made public until a final report is issued.
Plocher, a former municipal judge, has deflected calls to resign and has continued his run for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in a crowded field of GOP contenders.
Along with meddling in House purchasing issues, Plocher is under fire for admitting he illegally sought reimbursement with taxpayer dollars for trips to Hawaii and elsewhere already paid for by his campaign account. He has since paid back about $4,000.
In the fallout, Plocher fired two top staffers in the speaker鈥檚 office. Another top aide resigned. The office budget has since ballooned by $250,000 as he鈥檚 surrounded himself with loyalists, including former House Speaker Rod Jetton, whose political career was derailed by a federal bribery investigation more than a decade ago.
Miller鈥檚 testimony followed Plocher鈥檚 Tuesday appearance before the 10-member ethics panel. Others who have testified include a private investigator hired by the committee to compile evidence in the inquiry.
Rep. Dale Wright, R-Farmington, also appeared before the committee Tuesday, presumably to discuss his role in Plocher鈥檚 push to buy the software contract.
Miller, who earns $149,000, served as assistant clerk for six years before taking on the top position in 2018. Her office oversees the administrative aspects of operating a chamber of 163 members and their staff.