JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Republicans are looking back more than a century for guidance as they consider holding a Planned Parenthood official in contempt of the Senate.
A Senate panel is scheduled to consider proposals Tuesday that would summon regional Planned Parenthood CEO Mary Kogut to the Senate to explain why she has not complied with a subpoena.
Planned Parenthood has disputed the legitimacy of the Senate’s subpoena, saying it has already complied with an investigation by the attorney general.
The Missouri Constitution allows lawmakers to punish anyone found in contempt with a fine and ten days in jail. But the constitution does not list the steps lawmakers should take before enforcing those penalties.
Legislative researchers say the most recent contempt procedures they have found date to 1903.