Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Pack Your Travel Bags?
I wrote last week that the rumor is a second special session call could happen anytime and it will focus on pro-life issues.
The word is that the call will be coming today. And the session will be called for next week.
There are some in the legislature who will grumble about yet another special session, but pro-life being a key plank of the Republican Party with supermajorities in both chambers, the early guess would be for an uneventful special.
What could throw a curve or two in the “uneventful special” would be for some Republican senators – most of whom are term limited – to look down the road. Some might want to stop the special sessions now. Does Sen. Rob Schaaf want to come back in a month for a special session on PDMP? Sen. Gary Romine for a special on charter schools? Sens. Ryan Silvey and Wayne Wallingford for a special on prevailing wage? You either hang together or you hang individually.
Stay tuned….
Ashcroft Tour
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has his own traveling custom backdrop as he does the Voter ID roll-out. See a picture of it here. One observer thinks this is a lesson he learned from watching his father: “This will avoid situations such as his father, John, faced as U.S. Attorney General, with a bare-breasted sculpture of the Spirit of Justice appearing behind him until he had folks cover it up.
Franz to LG
The press release: Joining the Lieutenant Governor’s Office will be Former State Representative Ward Franz as Chief of Staff, and Mr. Randy Wright as Director of Marketing and Tourism.
Ward Franz served the people of Howell County for eight years in the Missouri House of Representatives, during which time he was Chair of the General Laws Committee. He joins the Lieutenant Governor’s Office after several years as Executive Director of the Ozarks Medical Center Foundation in West Plains. Randy Wright has worked for legislators in the Missouri House and Senate, including former Senator Norma Champion as her chief of staff, for several years as well as serving the people of Ozark, Missouri as an Alderman and Mayor Pro-Tem.
“I am excited for Ward and Randy to join our team, and bring their years of
experience to the office,” said Lieutenant Governor Mike Parson…. “I would also like to extend my best wishes to former Chief of Staff Patrick Baker, who accepted a new position with the Governor’s Office,” Lieutenant Governor Parson said.
More on Opioid
NYTimes reports that deaths from drug overdoses continue to climb. See it here.
Pull Quote: The death count is the latest consequence of an escalating public health crisis: opioid addiction, now made more deadly by an influx of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and similar drugs. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50.
Cerner Wins Huge Contract
Kansas City Business Journal reports that “the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has chosen the North Kansas City-based company to overhaul its electronic health record (EHR) system. Although Cerner did not reveal the size of the contract, a similar but smaller contract was set to cost $624 million over five years….”
Cerner’s lobbyists in Jefferson City are: Bill Stouffer, Melissa F Freeman, Shantel Smith, Richard McIntosh, Doug Ervin, David McCracken, Zach Brunnert, and Jewell Patek.
Bits
Republican operative Gregg Keller gave a spirited defense of keeping contributions to non-profits secret while declining to give a full defense for Governor Eric Greitens dark money operation. Listen to it here.
The jury trial for the case between Reps. Steven Roberts and Cora Walker has been rescheduled for July 17.
One MOScouter wonders if we might see Rep. Galen Higdon run in the Senate 34 primary as well…
Lobbyists Registrations
Jane Dueker added St. Louis Police Officers Association.
James Harris added Missouri Care (aka Wellcare Healthplans Inc.); and deleted New Florence Wood Products, and Alliance for Childhood Education.
Adam Sachs deleted Expedia Inc.
$5K+ Contributions
STL Citizens for Safety - $10,000 from Spire Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to former Rep. Connie Cierpiot, and St. Louis Community College’s Ann Brand.