Friday, April 14, 2017
Gladney for CD-2?
Dems are itching to take a swing at the 2nd Congressional District when Congresswoman Ann Wagner leaves for her expected Senate run.
One tipster says they’ve even have an ideal candidate ready… “Sam Gladney [son of labor leader Ron Gladney] is likely to announce he's running for the 2nd Congressional District. It's a more Democratic district than it has performed lately and the swing voters in that suburban district aren't Trump fans. He's an Iraq War veteran and West Point grad…”
And
NYTimes says suburban voters in a “gray mood.” See it here.
Pull Quote: While the next nationwide elections are not until 2018, Republicans have grown fearful that these voters are recoiling from what they see as lamentable conditions in Washington: a government entirely in Republican hands that has failed to deliver on fundamental goals like overhauling the health care system. Early missteps by President Trump and congressional leaders have weighed heavily on voters from the party’s more affluent wing, anchored in right-of-center suburbs around major cities in the South and Midwest. Never beloved in these precincts, Mr. Trump appears to be struggling to maintain support from certain voters who backed him last year mainly as a way of defeating Hillary Clinton.
Barnes Against SB43
Rep. Jay Barnes takes aim at SB43 on his blog. See it here.
Gov. Greitens brought in a new leader of the Department, noting, “Our corrections officers struggle in a culture of harassment and neglect” and have “low morale and shockingly high turnover.” Under current law, a supervisor who gropes and pressures an employee to have sex can be held personally responsible for their actions. But SB 43 grants immunity to the sexually harassing supervisor. SB 43 tosses the tough talk about fixing “a culture of harassment” aside and replaces it with free passes for harassers. Not surprisingly, this would make Missouri an outlier. Of the 44 states with anti-discrimination statutes, only three grant such immunity, and none do so explicitly in their state statutes. No ”culture of harassment” will ever be changed by granting legal immunity to harassers.
Legislative Week
There are now four weeks remaining n the legislative session. Speaker Todd Richardson notched up a big win by declaring the “Uber bill” truly agreed and passed this week. The House also move the liquor advertisement bill out of their chamber.
The Senate started the week by perfecting Rep. Andrew Koenig’s ESA bill, and finished the week staying late on Thursday to send the prescription drug monitoring program bill back to the House.
Eigel Shakes Fist at Transportation Committee
Sen. Bill Eigel railed against members of the Senate Transportation Committee for failing to advance his bill which would have redirected general revenue to pay for roads.
His official statement: “I am disappointed that certain members of the committee chose not to have a formal discussion on the Senate floor about transportation. However I will be sure to find informal opportunities on the floor to continue the conversation to discuss the importance of transportation funding.”
On the Senate floor, Eigel sounded angry and upset that he was patronized by some of his colleagues who seemingly dismissed his bill because he was a freshman. He vowed to spend time on the floor during the final months forcing the discussion.
And
Sen. Jamilah Nasheed played the part of veteran, telling Eigel that you don’t let your bill come up for a vote in committee without being certain you have the votes.
Greitens Versus Blaine?
Here’s the announcement: Governor Greitens has instructed the Department of Natural Resources to allow religious organizations to apply for and be eligible to receive DNR grants. Now, religious organizations will have their applications judged on the merits like any other applicant. DNR will also update its application materials, so that religious organizations are no longer prohibited from applying…
See the KC Star article on it here. Pull Quote: Greitens’ decision comes a week before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in the case of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer. The lawsuit challenges a 2012 decision by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to deny the Columbia church a grant to replace the gravel on its playground with softer, safer material.
Bits
See McCaskill “dab” here.
No homer for Gov in charity softball game… “I was going to let this go because it is slow pitch softball, but I can't. The governor got a base hit that drove the runner on third in, which won the game. It was not a home run…”
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former Rep. Brad Robinson, Lori Rasmussen, DJ Wilson and Mark Boyko.
Saturday: Reps. Ira Anders and David Wood, and former Reps. Leonard Hughes and Scott Muschany.
Sunday: St. Louis Alderman Shane Cohn, and Matt Dameron.
Monday: Sen. Ryan Silvey, Tom Rackers, and Joe Pierle.
MOScout News
After sending out Who Won the Week, and the Weekly Summary later this morning, I’m starting a long weekend. There will be no MOScout Weekly poll this week, and the legislature is off on Monday – so I am too. See you Tuesday….