Missouri House and Senate Representatives Finance - Blunt Sales Branson Condo

McCaskill gets pay increase; Blunt sells Branson condominium, financial disclosures show By Pamela Brogan Gannett News Service WASHINGTON — Freshman Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill got a pay raise when she became a member of Congress. McCaskill earned $96,455 as a state auditor and is now earning $165,200 as a senator. That amounts to a 71 pay percent increase. Republican Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond's largest asset is a trust from his parents valued at $250,000 to $500,000. Republican Rep. Roy Blunt, the House minority whip, sold his rental property in Branson valued at between $100,000 to $250,000. Rep. Ike Skelton, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, lists as his only asset a trust from his late mother valued at between $100,000 to $250,000. These are some of the disclosures made by lawmakers in their annual personal financial reports that cover 2006. But it's difficult to pin down a lawmaker's net worth, because they only have to report assets, income and debts in wide ranges. They do not have to report their homes. Members of Congress also are required to report trips paid for by others, and any boards or foundations they may serve on. McCaskill lists a $1.6 million debt from her governor's race that she is paying off, according to her spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh. Her husband, Joseph Shepard, a business developer, lists assets of more than $10 million. They include an investment fund in New Zealand valued at more than $1 million, a real estate limited partnership in St. Louis valued at more than $1 million, and apartment holdings in Columbia valued at more than $1 million. Massie Ritsch, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, said the annual financial disclosure reports are important because they provide a way for the public to judge whether the people they send to Washington are letting their personal investments influence their official decision making. The center is a nonpartisan watchdog group in Washington that tracks how money influences politics. -- http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.blogspot.com