Special session to consider disciplinary action against Gov. Greitens begins

The Missouri Legislature met Friday evening for a historic special session about one hour after ending the regular legislative session.

House Resolution 2 lays out the proposed rules and procedures for the special session.

The resolution states that all Special Investigative Committee on Oversight hearings will be open to the public, unless members vote to close all or parts of the hearings. Members could vote to close hearings to hear witness testimony, review evidence or meet with counsel.

Earlier this week, attorneys representing Gov. Eric Greitens’ office requested specific rules and procedures for the special session. Those included allowing the governor’s team to ask House Speaker Todd Richardson to issue subpoenas to witnesses and providing the opportunity for cross-examination.

Rule 3 states that only committee members can question witnesses, but does not state anything about cross-examination.

The committee will have to hold one public hearing to consider disciplinary action or articles of impeachment before releasing its recommendations.

Those recommendations and findings would then go to the House floor for discussion, which, according to the proposed rules and procedures, would be limited to 10 hours.

If House members adopt articles of impeachment, the process then moves to the Senate. The rules state that the House would then elect two managers, one from each party, to prosecute the impeachment before the seven-member panel of jurists. The committee’s counsel, under the discretion of the elected managers, would present and prosecute the articles of impeachment.

The Special Investigative Committee is scheduled to meet next Tuesday and Wednesday.