Public Records / Sunshine Request
HJR 173/174 Sunshine Request: What We Asked For, What We Paid, What We Received
Act for Missouri submitted a Sunshine request regarding the late-night substitute and vote on SS SCS HJRs 173 & 174. We are posting the request, the response, the invoice, and what we received so Missourians can judge the matter for themselves.
The simple question
We requested procedural records showing Senate Rule 60 compliance. After paying the invoice, the records we received appeared to be a printed copy of the HJR itself.
Was that a meaningful response to the request? Judge for yourself.
Timeline
April 17, 2026
The request
We requested clarification and records regarding Senate procedure on the final Senate substitute for HJRs 173 & 174.
April 22, 2026
The response
The Senate response stated that there were records responsive to the request and that the non-closed responsive records would cost $25.33.
April 22, 2026
The invoice
The invoice listed a Legislative Assistant charge of 30 minutes at $50.66 per hour, for a total cost of $25.33.
After payment
The records received
The records we received appeared to be a printed copy of the HJR itself — not separate records documenting when the final substitute was printed, furnished to senators, certified, or otherwise documented for Rule 60 compliance.
What we requested
Our Sunshine request did not ask merely for a copy of the resolution. It asked for records connected to the final version considered before passage.
Specific records requested
- The date and time the final substitute was printed in its final adopted form.
- The date and time that printed copy was furnished to members of the Senate.
- Any Rules Committee report or other certification stating that the printed copy furnished to members was correct.
- Any journal entry, notice, internal report, or other official record showing compliance with Senate Rule 60 for the final version considered before passage.
- Confirmation of the exact version identifier considered on final passage.
What the response said
The response stated that there were records responsive to the request and that there would be a charge for the responsive records that were not closed.
What we were charged
The invoice charged $25.33. The description listed a Legislative Assistant charge of 30 minutes at $50.66 per hour.
Time billed
30 min.
Hourly rate
$50.66
Total charge
$25.33
What we received
After payment, the records received appeared to be a printed copy of the HJR itself. That is the part that concerns us. A printed copy of the resolution does not, on its face, show when the final substitute was printed, when it was furnished to senators, whether a Rules Committee certification exists, or where Rule 60 compliance was documented.
Our position
We are not asking Missourians to take our word for it. We are simply showing the request, the response, the invoice, and the records received.
Charging citizens $25.33 for what appears to be a printed copy of a publicly available document is, in our view, outrageous and insulting.
Video showing the records provided in response to our Sunshine request.
What would have answered the request?
To answer the request directly, the response would need to identify or provide records showing the procedural steps we asked about:
- when the final substitute was printed in final form;
- when the printed copy was furnished to senators;
- whether a Rules Committee report or certification stated that the printed copy was correct;
- where the journal, notice, internal report, or other official record documents compliance; and
- which exact version identifier was considered on final passage.
If those records do not exist, the public should be told that. If they do exist, the public should be able to see them.
Judge for yourself
This is not complicated. We asked for records documenting procedural compliance. We were charged $25.33. What we received appeared to be a printed copy of the HJR itself.
Is that transparency? You decide.
Next step
We are asking for clarification: whether this was the complete response, which record responds to each numbered request, and whether any records were withheld, denied, or simply do not exist.