JEFFERSON CITY — Democrats and the chief clerk of the Missouri House appeared to be in disagreement Friday over whether a lawmaker censured after an ethics investigation could regain powers of his office after the November election.
Rep. , a ºüÀêÊÓƵ Democrat who lost his committee assignments in January 2021 after his colleagues handed down the official punishment, claimed recently his censure would end if he won reelection this November.
House Minority Leader , D-Springfield, on Friday backed up Price’s interpretation of that stipulates “censure by the 101st General Assembly.†The new General Assembly begins in January.
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But the office of Chief Clerk said in a statement Thursday that “the terms of the censure remain in effect for the remainder of the member’s tenure at the House of Representatives.â€
Price’s censure by colleagues early last year followed a probe into alleged threats he made to cover up a relationship with a Capitol intern.
Comments by Democrats and the chief clerk’s office, in response to questions by the Post-Dispatch about the wording of the resolution, come days before voters in the 84th House District decide whether to give Price a third term in the Missouri House.
He is running against fellow Democrat , 55, a retired business management consultant, in the Tuesday primary. No other candidates are running, meaning the winner of the primary will take office in January.
“Absolutely,†Price, 38, said when asked if he would be able to serve on committees if he won reelection. “I come off of censure after this election. ... I was censured for one session.â€
Told of the chief clerk’s contention that “the terms of the censure remain in effect†as long as Price is in office, Price said Friday, “Does the chief clerk not know how to read? That I was censured for the 100th and 101st session? It’s in writing. It’s not even for debate.â€
Taylor, in an interview, said his understanding of the resolution censuring Price is that “he’d still be censured, punished, unless ever revoked by a vote of the House.â€
Investigation
The censure followed an investigation into an alleged relationship Price had with a Capitol intern.
In addition to Price, his former legislative assistant, a fellow state representative for whom the legislative assistant also worked, and a Capitol intern who worked for another lawmaker, all spoke to outside investigative counsel.
Price’s legislative assistant reported that in January 2020, Price had told her he had sex with an intern the night before. During the investigation, both Price and the intern denied having sex.
, which has an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, found Price threatened and intimidated the aide after she reported the alleged sexual encounter; relationships with legislative interns are forbidden under House rules.
Though Price and the intern denied ever contacting each other or having each other’s phone numbers, the House Speaker subpoenaed phone records from Jan. 22 to Jan. 27, 2020.
The records revealed seven phone calls and 26 text messages between Price and the intern, with both the intern and Price initiating exchanges. The final communication uncovered was a 42-minute phone call by Price during the evening on Jan. 26.
The report found Price committed perjury by denying he had claimed an “inappropriate†relationship with the intern, and by denying that he had contacted the intern by phone.
Price said at the time he took issue with some parts of the report, but ultimately accepted being censured by his peers.
“Obviously I’m frustrated by these proceedings, but I apologize to my friends and my colleagues for even putting us in this position,†he said as his colleagues weighed his fate.
“Everybody knows that, you know, I kind of got a raw deal,†Price said in an interview. “There was just a lot of information that wasn’t given out in regards to that case.â€
After Price’s censure in January 2021, his desk was moved to a far corner of the chamber, next to other ethically challenged members.
In addition to losing his committee assignments, the House also docked Price’s pay by $1,000 per month until he pays off a $22,500 bill associated with the incident.
The House moved his office away from a suite populated with Democratic lawmakers and to a lone office away from others.
The resolution also said Price would not be able to supervise an intern “for the remainder of his membership in the House†and that any legislative aide working for him would report to the chief clerk “for the remainder of his membership†in the House.
Quade said that language supports her argument that other punishments — such as Price’s removal from committees and his inability to hold leadership positions — would expire at the end of the current term.
“My interpretation of this is that upon the ending of the 101st General Assembly that censure expires,†Quade said. “That’s, you know, my recollection of when this all went down was that was how I understood it at the time as well.â€
“If that’s what the chief clerk is saying, then steps would need to be taken for everyone to be in agreement,†she said.
Rep. , a Maysville Republican who served on the ethics committee when Price was censured, said Friday “as I recall, the censure of Wiley Price was for his entire time in the House, no matter how many years it is.â€
Campaign
Despite the censure, Price said he had been an effective legislator, leveraging his relationships with colleagues to “bring home some bacon†for his district.
“I think that my record in Jeff City is really strong for the last four years that I’ve been there, even with all that I’ve been through,†Price said, adding he “still was able to produce a lot more than probably people expected me to with the censure over me.â€
Rep. of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, the top Democrat on the House budget panel, said Price advocated for an array of budget items this year. Merideth is among elected officials appearing on a flyer by Price’s campaign.
Rep. , another ºüÀêÊÓƵ Democrat who appears on Price’s flyer, said he agreed with the censure but added Price is an asset to the Democratic caucus, citing his work on marijuana legalization and on election issues.
Sen. , a ºüÀêÊÓƵ Democrat who also appears on the flyer in support of Price, said “I don’t give it credibility,†she said, “the kangaroo court that the Republicans ran in reference to Wiley Price. I do not give it credibility.â€
She cited Price’s work on legislation to establish no-excuse absentee voting in Missouri. A new law approved this year includes two weeks of early voting.
“Representative Price has been an effective legislator and he has the uncanny ability to bring people together and work together at the Capitol,†May said.
Taylor has criticized Price for missing about 45% of votes this year on the House floor.
Taylor said a possible “oversight†he made during the campaign was not aggressively seeking the endorsements of individual elected officials.
But he expressed optimism heading into election day, asserting voters would recognize he is the candidate who “wants to legitimately work hard†when compared with Price, who had been “absent and not taking the job seriously.â€
“I think we’re going to finish strong,†Price said. “I would be wary of any man who can’t sell himself unless he’s tearing down another man.â€