Friday, August 9, 2013
Frame No Wal-Mart Shopper
Yesterday I incorrectly included Rep. Mike Frame in the list of Democratic Reps who had shopped at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club in 2012. Frame’s expenditure was actually at Uncle Sam’s, a military surplus store.
New Committee Formed to Support KC Tax
A new committee was started yesterday to support the 20-year half-cent sales tax in Kansas City to “recruit top medical researchers to Kansas City Area Hospitals.”
The treasurer for the Committee For Research Treatments And Cures is James C Thomas III. He’s a Kansas City attorney and has been treasurer on other campaign committees with which consultant Jeff Roe has been involved. He’s also the deputy treasurer of Sen. Brad Lager’s campaign committee. If this indicates that Roe has been hired to run the supporting campaign, that’s big step toward passage if for no other reason than it keeps him from running an anti-tax campaign against.
Kansas City Star has the story on the “Health Research Tax.” See it here.
Pull Quote: “Children’s Mercy Hospital… would receive half of the estimated $40 million a year such a tax would likely bring in, were voters to approve it. Two other major beneficiaries, St. Luke’s Health System and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, would each get 20 percent. The remaining 10 percent would go to further economic development initiatives, such as helping train research assistants at the Metropolitan Community Colleges. The funds would be funneled through a proposed Jackson County Institute for Translational Medicine, which would be overseen by as many as five new boards and committees to ensure that the money would be spent on nothing but medical research.”
More Dominoes in Student Transfer Saga
In an interview with KTVI’ Charles Jaco, Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro said that she didn’t expect the Normandy School District to be able to pay its bills the rest of this year. And that she would ask the state legislature to cover the transfer expenses which will run become into the many millions.
Furthermore, she thinks that Riverview Gardens School District will reach a similar point next year.
And, she expects more districts to unaccredited next year bringing more student transfer situations into play. See it here.
Media Watch
AP’s David Lieb is reporting from Chicago where the annual ALEC meeting is taking place. Here’s his first article. The nugget: Pelopidas is a six-figure sponsor of the event.
Missing Women
Last week I wrote about the rumor that Mike Sanders was interested in the attorney general position in 2016. And I also did a rundown of the possible slate of candidates on the Dem side for 2016.
On that list, there weren’t any women. And while the dudes jockey for position, there’s increasing grumbling from progressive women that they deserve some representation on the statewide ticket.
Stay tuned…
Help Wanted
Parents as Teachers seeks a Policy and Advocacy Associate… to “assist in the development, monitoring, and advocacy of public policies and funding streams that promote and facilitate implementation of the Parents as Teachers model program with an emphasis on state policy.” See it here.
eMailbag: One More Piece of Evidence Lamping Won’t Run?
“I’m told me that Sen. John Lamping is holding a fund raiser for Senator Dan Brown... If you are a senator with a prospective battle for your life in the offing, you would not be holding a fundraiser for someone else. Just my twisted logic, I guess.”
$5K+ Contributions
Kander for Missouri - $7,000 from Midwest Region Laborers Political League Education Fund.
Slay for Mayor - $10,000 from St. Louis Cardinals LLC.
House Republican Campaign Committee Inc - $12,000 from Realtors PAC Missouri.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Lyndall Fraker (54), and former Rep. Brian Baker (40).
Saturday: Former state senator Gary Nodler (63), Mindy Mazur, and former Rep. Jason Grill.
Sunday: Attorney Doug Healy.