Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley on Wednesday named state Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, as chairman of a special "Interim Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability."
A news release said the committee is charged with investigating waste, fraud and abuse in state government. It will start with the state's involvement with Mamtek, a company which promised to create jobs in Moberly but, so far, has failed to complete construction or start operations.
The state Senate has a similar committee, which began meeting earlier this month.
Barnes, an attorney, pledged a thorough investigation.
"The people of Missouri deserve answers," he said in a news release. "The committee will conduct a thorough review of the Department of Economic Development's role in Mamtek, to determine whether mistakes were made, and if so, how state government can avoid similar mistakes in the future."
Tilley named Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles, as vice chair.
The 12-member panel also includes Republicans Ryan Silvey, Kansas City; Sheila Solon, R-Blue Springs; Todd Richardson, Poplar Bluff; Tom Flanigan, Carthage; Thomas Long, Battlefield; and Jason Smith, Salem; and Democrats Chris Kelly, Columbia; Rory Ellinger, University City; Jeanette Mott Oxford, St. Louis; and Jason Kander, Kansas City.