JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri House is putting an end to committee meetings at country clubs and restaurants.
House Speaker John Diehl said Wednesday, effective immediately, all House committee meetings will be held at the Capitol.
That decision comes a day after the House Telecommunications Committee held a meeting at the Jefferson City Country Club, where lawmakers heard a presentation and ate a meal provided by the Missouri Telecommunications Industry Association.
A similar meeting of the House Utility Infrastructure Committee was scheduled for Wednesday evening at the country club.
But Diehl, a Republican, said that meeting would instead be held at the Capitol, without a lobbyist-supplied meal.
Minority Leader Jacob Hummel says that's a good first step, and that Democrats support a bill that would ban such off-site meetings during the session.