The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has filed a petition in the Cole County Circuit Court requesting that Democratic Caucus be open to the public.
Party leaders intend to keep the meeting closed.
Under the Sunshine Law, meetings involving governmental bodies are required to be open to the public. But House Majority Caucus Chair Gene Copeland , D-Madrid, disagreed that the Democratic Caucus classifies. We're not paid to come up here and go to caucus. Republicans and Democrats traditionally have closed their caucuses to outsiders, although there have been an occasional open one. House staff guard the entrances to the chamber to further ensure secrecy.