36.159. State employee not to be coerced into political activity--penalty. - Missouri Statutes

State employee not to be coerced into political activity--penalty.

36.159. It shall be unlawful for any person to intimidate, threaten,command or coerce any employee of the state to engage in, or not to engagein, any political activity, including, but not limited to, voting, orrefusing to vote, for any candidate or measure in any election, making, orrefusing to make, any political contribution or working, or refusing towork, on behalf of any candidate. No employee of this state shalldiscriminate against, discipline or otherwise create a preference for oragainst any employee subject to such person's authority as a consequence ofsuch employee's political belief or expression of such belief. Any personwho violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a class threeelection offense as established in section 115.635, RSMo, punishable by aterm of imprisonment for not more than one year and a fine of not more thantwo thousand five hundred dollars, or both such fine and imprisonment. Anyperson convicted of a violation of this section shall lose such person'sposition in the agency.

(L. 1998 H.B. 927)