Effective 28 Aug 1977

386.200. Conflicts of interest by commissioner or employees of commission prohibited — penalty for violation — violation by utility, penalty — violation by officer of utility, penalty. — 1. Every commissioner, the public counsel and every person employed or appointed to office, either by the commission or by the public counsel, is hereby forbidden and prohibited to solicit, suggest, request or recommend, directly or indirectly, to any public utility, corporation or person subject to the supervision of the commission, or to any officer, attorney, agent or employee thereof, the appointment of any person to any office, place, position or employment. And every such public utility, corporation and person, and every officer, attorney, agent and employee thereof, is hereby forbidden and prohibited to offer to any commissioner, the public counsel, or to any person employed by the commission or by the public counsel, any office, place, appointment or position, or to offer or give to any commissioner, to the public counsel, or to any person employed or appointed to office by the commission or by the public counsel, any free pass or transportation or any reduction in fare to which the public generally are not entitled or free carriage for property or any present, gift, entertainment or gratuity of any kind.

2. If any commissioner, the public counsel, or any person employed or appointed to office by the commission or the public counsel, shall violate any provision of this section he shall be removed from the office held by him. Every commissioner, the public counsel, and every person employed or appointed to office by the commission, or by the public counsel, shall be and be deemed to be a public officer.

3. If any public utility 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 public utility's principal place of business is located or where the violation occurred, or where the public utility's registered agent is located. The penalty assessed under the provisions of this subsection shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of general revenue.

4. Any officer, agent or employee of any public utility 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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(RSMo 1939 § 5593, A.L. 1977 H.B. 42 & 157)

Prior revisions: 1929 § 5137; 1919 § 10426