Top Missouri lawmaker repays travel reimbursements wrongly taken from state

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s House speaker says he’s returning money to the state after inappropriately taking reimbursements for hotels and other expenses. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday reported Speaker Dean Plocher so far has repaid the House $3,379. The Missouri Independent first reported years of expenses that Plocher has gotten state reimbursement for, even though he paid for the expenses out of his campaign fund and not out of his own pocket. Plocher didn’t respond to Associated Press phone messages seeking comment Tuesday. But in an email to fellow Republican lawmakers, he says he has corrected administrative errors from past travel reimbursements.