Effective 28 Aug 1996

622.130. Prohibition against solicitation and gifts — penalties for violation, misdemeanor. — 1. Every administrative law judge and every person employed or appointed to office by the division is hereby forbidden and prohibited to solicit, suggest, request or recommend, directly or indirectly, to any common carrier or other person subject to the supervision of the division, or to any officer, attorney, agent or employee thereof, the appointment of any person to any office, place, position or employment. Every such person or entity and every officer, attorney, agent and employee thereof, is hereby forbidden and prohibited to offer to any administrative law judge or to any person employed by the division any office, place, appointment or position, or to offer or give to any administrative law judge or to any person employed or appointed to office by the division any free pass or transportation or any reduction in fare to which the public generally is not entitled or free carriage for property or any present, gift, entertainment or gratuity of any kind.

2. If any administrative law judge or any person employed or appointed to office by the division violates any provision of this section, such person shall be removed from the office. Every administrative law judge and every person employed or appointed to office by the division shall be and be deemed to be a public officer.

3. If any common carrier or other person subject to the supervision of the division violates any provision of this section, it shall be liable to the state of Missouri in a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction for the assessment of a civil penalty not to exceed twenty thousand dollars. The penalty provided in this subsection shall be in addition to any other penalty provided for violation of the provisions of this chapter. The attorney general shall bring the action authorized in this subsection. The action may be brought in any county where the defendant's principal place of business is located or where the violation occurred, or where the registered agent is located. The penalty assessed under the provisions of this subsection shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the public school fund.

4. Any officer, agent or employee of the division or of any carrier who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

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(L. 1996 S.B. 780)