Nixon Administration Confirms Sharing Data with Feds

If you have been minding the state news wires, you have no doubt heard the accusations that the Missouri Department of Revenue, which operates the Division of Motor Vehicles, has been scanning, storing, and sharing private information with the federal government regarding our citizens who are permitted to carry concealed weapons.  The original complaint came from a Stoddard County resident who did not wish for their information to be scanned at the local DMV.  Just last week, the Missouri State Highway Patrol admitted that in fact they had requested on two occasions the complete list of Missouri CCW holders and they had forwarded that information on to the federal government. 

Why Should I Care About This Issue?

There are a variety of reasons why this issue is premier.  First, it is against the law.  The Missouri General Assembly, in 2009, passed HB 361 which specifically states “no citizen of this state shall have his or her privacy compromised by the state or agents of the state.” 

Second, while the government might have good interest in certain data at the group level (this helps when they are tracking and mitigating disease, for example), I can think of no good reason the government should be pinpointing CCW holders individually.  Having a CCW is not a crime or grounds for an investigation.  In fact, it should be encouraged.

Third, this action is one of many in a long line of mishaps attributable to the Nixon administration that shows their continued disdain for accountability and transparency in government and their continued effort to centralize power in the Executive Branch, no matter the means or the ends.  Whether it was the mishandling of the E. coli incident at the Lake of the Ozarks by Nixon’s DNR, the incredible debacle of crony capitalism involving Mamtek at Moberly that cost taxpayers millions at the hands of Nixon’s DED, the continued mishandling of the application of the Prop B dog breeder compromise by Nixon’s Department of Agriculture, the unnecessary purchase of a new plane at a cost of over 5.5 million dollars to taxpayers or this latest incident involving the sharing of your private identity information and disturbing disclosure of Missouri’s entire CCW database to the federal government, the Nixon administration seems to care little for accountability, transparency or being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.

What Are We Doing to Help?

The House has responded with Representative Richardson’s (R-Poplar Bluff) House Bill 787, which would further prohibit the Department of Revenue from retaining copies of source documents used to obtain driver's licenses and nondriver's licenses.  On the Senate side, Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) has led the investigative charge and continues to garner information from the Nixon Administration regarding this apparent breach of privacy and trust. 

My office continues to receive a variety of concerns from constituents regarding this evolving issue.  I am committed to ensuring your government is responsible in protecting your privacy.  If you have further questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know.