NO to Secret Lawmaking & Court Manipulation

I stand in strong opposition to SB856 (Brattin) and HB3054 (Keathley). This legislation presents a dual threat to accountable governance, merging a deeply troubling attack on public transparency with a transparently political manipulation of our judicial system. The proposed "Work Product" exemption to Missouri's Sunshine Law is not a minor procedural tweak; it is a radical move to shroud the legislative process in secrecy. By creating a "work product" privilege, this bill would allow the drafting of legislation, communications with lobbyists, and internal policy discussions to be conducted entirely outside public view. This dismantles a fundamental check on power. The sponsor's complaint about burdensome records requests is an admission that current scrutiny is effective—it reveals how laws are actually made and who influences them. This exemption primarily serves well-funded special interests, like the anti-abortion groups supporting this bill, who would prefer to shape extreme legislation away from the spotlight of public accountability. It transforms the "Show-Me State" into a state where the people are shown only the final product, never the compromising dealings that created it. The proposed jurisdiction shift to move Cole County into the Eastern District Court of Appeals is court-packing through gerrymandering, and its supporters reveal its true motive. The anti-abortion organizations' support of these bills is a clear signal that this is a form of jurisdictional forum-shopping, an attempt to place appeals from state government before a specific bench perceived as more favorable. This politicizes the judiciary, treating appellate districts as political territory to be gerrymandered rather than neutral venues for justice. Using arguments about efficiency and security to mask this power grab is an insult to the intelligence of Missourians. These two provisions form a coherent and dangerous strategy: first, hide the process of creating extreme laws from public scrutiny, and second, tilt the judicial playing field to better defend those same laws when challenged. These bills seek to insulate an ideological agenda from both the disinfecting power of sunlight and the fair application of justice. It undermines the public's right to know and the judiciary's duty to be impartial. We urge you to reject SB856 and HB3054 in their entirety and uphold the principles of transparent government and an independent court system.