MOScout Daily Update: Hoskins Shakes a Fist - Merger Move Wilts - Clean Water Case on Docket - New Candidate Committees and more

Hoskins to House: Stop Stalling on CC Bills!

Intra-chamber tensions erupted yesterday.  Sen. Denny Hoskins took to the Senate floor soon after the session started and explained that he was determined to prevent any House bills from coming up for consideration.  Hoskins is upset that he – and other members of the Conservative Caucus, as well as other senators – has bills languishing in the House Rules committees.  Some examples in the House Rules - Administrative Oversight….

·         SB194 (Hoskins) passed out of the Senate on March 7.

·         SB218 (Hoskins) passed out of the Senate on April 16.

·         SB283 (Hoskins) passed out of the Senate on March 14.

·         SB371 (Bill Eigel) passed out of the Senate on March 28.

And in the House Rules - Legislative Oversight Committee

·         SB45 (Hoskins) passed out of the Senate March 7.

·         SB72 (Cindy O'Laughlin) passed out of the Senate February 28.

·         SB108 (Andrew Koenig ) passed out of the Senate April 4.

·         SB145 (Eric Burlison) passed out of the Senate April 4.

What It Means

·         Hoskins demonstrated how time can be a weapon in these final weeks.  There are now nine days left. A single senator, and certainly a group of senators, can destroy a significant portion of that time – if they wish.  Standing up gets people’s attention.

·         Hoskins is not alone in his frustration.  Senate bills generally have been moving slow in the House.  And with two weeks left, it’s getting some folks – in both chambers – antsy.  In other words, folks weren’t annoyed with Hoskins for raising the issue.

·         But the House can act fast.  They can PQ 25 bill in an afternoon if they want to get the assembly line chugging. So this can quickly resolve itself.

Merger Meltdown

The years-long effort of major St. Louis civvies suffered a blow yesterday as cold feet prevailed and their initiative petition was yanked.  Post Dispatch reports here.

Better Together leaders said they would not soon refile their petition to merge the governments of St. Louis, St. Louis County and all 88 county municipalities but will instead focus on working with local officials and residents — including their opponents — toward structural change.

The effort’s defenders have been privately urging the organization for weeks to pause and restart. The investigation and indictment of St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, who had been slated to play a key role in the initiative, threw county leadership into turmoil.

“I said that this needs a reset,” St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson recalled telling Better Together leaders weeks ago. “I just thought, ‘Now is not the time to push.’”

At the same time, a groundswell of the measure’s supporters, including Krewson, were prodding Better Together leadership to rethink a particularly controversial component of the petition: the requirement for a statewide vote.

What It Means

·         Supporters are reluctant to call it quits with one telling me not to write the obituary yet, and another saying, that “the support for merger and reform is not a 30-year flood that the municipal league can simply weather this time.  The issues of internal economic competition, rising costs of government, sub-standard police departments, dysfunctional municipal courts, and declining population will only get worse in the coming years.  A major shift is inevitable.”

·         But this feels like business as usual.  The villages get to keep their police departments, the big boxes get to keep munis bidding against each other, and the next reform group will start meeting in ten to twelve years.

MO Supreme Court Arguments

On the docket for oral arguments before the Supreme Court next week are a couple of interesting cases…

8:30AM - SC97544, James J. Wilson, et al. v. City of St. Louis, et al., Tishaura O. Jones. City of St. Louis v. State of Missouri, an appeal from St. Louis involving challenges to the constitutional validity of state statutes regulating parking in St. Louis and to the challengers’ standing.

- SC97592, In re: Richard J. Magee, a disciplinary case involving a St. Louis County attorney.

1:30PM - C97591, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, et al. v. State of Missouri and the Clean Water Commission of the State of Missouri, an appeal from Cole County involving the constitutional validity of a bill changing the composition of the state commission.

Court Wannabes

The 22nd Circuit Judicial Commission announces the following information relating to the applicants for the associate circuit judge vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Calea Stovall-Reid to circuit judge: Kevin B. Anderson, Deborah M. Bird, Steven J. Capizzi, Mary Pat Carl, Francisco J. Carretero, Michael J. Colona, Mary Entrup, Micah D. Hall, Bridget L. Halquist, Heather J. Hays, Craig K. Higgins, Heather Highland, Christopher A. Hoffman, William P. Hogan, Paul F. Horgan, Connie L. Johnson, Jessica W. Kennedy, Richard T. King, Michael P. Mahon, Matthew C. Melton, Patrick L. Mickey, Patrick J. Monahan, Deborah L. Price, Patrick E. Richmond, Michael R. Roby, Kristyn E. Skelly, Larry D. Thomason, Jr., Michael L. Walton, Lisl King Williams, and Rochelle M. Woodiest.

New Committees

Maggie Nurrenbern formed a candidate committee (Maggie Nurrenbern For Missouri) to run for House 15 as a Democrat.  Her treasurer is Trent Skaggs.  The current incumbent, Jon Carpenter, is termed.

Adam Schwadron formed a candidate committee (Citizens for Schwadron) to run for House 106 as a Republican.  His treasurer is Mike Sommer.  The current incumbent, Chrissy Sommer, is termed.

Mark Osmack formed a candidate committee (Osmack for Missouri) to run for Senate 15 as a Democrat. His treasurer is Kathryn Jayne Drennan.  Republican Sen. Andrew Koenig is running for re-election.

HDR Inc Political Action Committee – Missouri was formed.  Its treasurer is Patrick Young.

Lobbyists Registrations

Andy Arnold added Steen Carroll & Associates for the rest of the session.

Franc Flotron added Certified Alternative Medicine Providers, LLC.

Salama Gallimore added Midwest Transplant Network.

Donna Osterlund added Sanofi US.

Jay Reichard deleted Orexo US Inc.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, Sen. Scott Sifton, Stuart Murray, and Don Phillips.