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Health & Fitness

Bill to Prevent Document Scanning by Department of Revenue Receives Final Approval (SB 252)

The Mo Legislature passed legislation that will force the Department of Revenue to bring its document scanning policy to an end.

This session was dominated by talk of tax cuts and education reform, but the issue that drew the most feedback from the people of Missouri was a new policy the Department of Revenue put in place to scan and keep the personal information of concealed carry permit holders. My colleagues and I were overwhelmed at times by phone calls and emails from citizens who were outraged that a state department would willingly violate their privacy rights by sharing their information with the federal government. As the anger of the people grew and the truth about what happened became more and more disturbing, it became apparent the legislature had to act to ensure the revenue department would never again engage in these kinds of activities.

During the final week of session we passed legislation that will force the revenue department to bring its document scanning policy to an end. It also requires the department to destroy any documents it has collected since September 2012 when the policy began.  These two steps will ensure that Missourians who apply for or renew a driver’s licenses, or who apply for a concealed carry endorsement, will never again have to worry about their personal information being retained and shared.

The legislation also makes it clear that no state agency can share a list of concealed weapons permit holders with the federal government, and empowers citizens to file civil lawsuits against the state if they are harmed in some way by a department scanning their documents. All of these are common sense changes that should have been made by the department without the need for action by the legislature. Because the department and the governor refused to stop the process on our own, our hand was forced. Now let’s hope the governor will sign this bill into law so that Missourians have the peace of mind they deserve in knowing their personal information will remain private.

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