The MU Board of Curators along with more than 170 other state boards and commissions can currently receive bribes without fear of state felony prosecution, according to some legislators and the former Jackson County prosecutor whose office uncovered the loophole in state bribery statutes.
Current law bans bribery of a public servant of the state.
May has sponsored a bill that would expand the definition of a public servant to also include public officials who are not paid for their services. The bill would affect the 1371 individuals the governor's office identifies as unpaid state public officials. There are thousands more serving in various local government boards such as school boards, sewer districts, city commissions, etc. The loophole located in current law was discovered when then Jackson County Prosecutor Claire McCaskill, now Missouri's state auditor, was investigating a possible instance of bribery involving a Kansas City public official. During the course of the investigation, her office concluded the official was immune from state public bribery laws because his position was unpaid.