This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 5, 2013 - Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has asked for a meeting with Gov. Jay Nixon – possibly their first in almost five years – to “discuss Missouri Department of Revenue practices concerning the retaining and disseminating of private information from Missouri citizens.”
But it doesn’t appear Kinder, a Republican, is going to get it. When asked if Nixon planned to comment, a spokesman replied tersely, “We don’t.”
At issue are the state Department of Revenue’s actions, in line with the federal REAL ID Act put in place in 2005. That legislation, passed by Congress in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, mandated that people provide certain documents to obtain a driver’s license.
The department recently has installed new equipment that electronically scans and stores copies of the documents, such as birth certificates. The copies are then apparently accessible by the federal Department of Homeland Security.
The Missouri General Assembly sought in 2009 to pass legislation to bar the state from complying with the federal mandate.
Kinder got involved Monday, by endorsing a lawsuit filed by a man in Stoddard County who objected to the recordkeeping. Joining Kinder was state House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka.
The Stoddard County man had gone into his local fee office – among 184 private operations overseen by the DOR – to obtain his concealed-carry permit and have the information included on his drivers license.
The lawsuit contends that the department’s actions violate the state law. A Stoddard County Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order and scheduled a hearing for March 12.
Kinder delivered a letter to Nixon asking to discuss the recordkeeping.
“The extent and scope of this practice is unknown at this time,” Kinder said in the letter. “However, my office has fielded numerous phone calls from concerned Missourians worried their privacy will be compromised should they patronize their local fee office. The protection of our citizenry is of utmost importance, and I am committed to protecting the civil liberties of the people of this state.”
Kinder and Nixon have barely been on speaking terms throughout the governor's tenure. Missouri is among the few states where the governor and lieutenant governor do not run on the same ticket. As a result, Missouri often has had a governor of one party and a lieutenant governor from the rival party.
