Monday, January 23, 2017
MOScout Poll: MO Voters Like ESA, But Not RTW
The Weekly MOScout poll tested a few proposals from Governor Eric Greitens’ State of the State speech as well as a baseline for job approval. See the full results here.
Top Lines
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of Eric Greitens’ job performance as Governor?
Approve: 50%
Disapprove: 28%
Unsure: 22%
Q: Do you support or oppose legislation known as Right to Work becoming law?
Support: 39%
Oppose: 46%
Unsure: 15%
Q: Education Savings Accounts deposit state dollars into in a personal account that parents can use to cover the cost of education. Do you support or oppose Education Saving Accounts for students with special needs?
Support: 58%
Oppose: 23%
Unsure: 19%
Q: Do you support or oppose term limits for the state Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor?
Support: 70%
Oppose: 13%
Unsure: 17%
House Set to Vote Against Pay Raises
Today the House will likely vote on Rep. Mike Bernskoetter’s HCR4 which disapproves the salary recommendations of the Missouri Citizens Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials.
Later this week, look for Rep. Kirk Mathews’ HB130 to come up for perfection on the floor. This is the bill which would provide a regulatory framework for ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
Tax Credits Targets
In Eric Greitens’ State of the State, he promised to gather a team of “outsiders” and legislators to do an “audit” of the tax credits programs. He’s railed against how much money the tax credits take out of the budget.
One MOScout reader breaks it down this way… “The three large tax credit programs are Senior Citizen Circuit Breaker (which they won't touch), Historic and Low Income Housing. Low Incomes are 10 year credits, so if you were to stop the program today there is still a ten-year runout. The only place you can have an immediate budgetary impact of any size is historic…”
Siettmann to Revenue
Mark Siettmann, former staffer to Sen. Will Kraus, posted on Facebook: I am honored and excited to be returning to Jefferson City as the Legislative Director for the Missouri Department of Revenue. I'm looking forward to working with an awesome team, both at DOR and in the governor's office - as well as working with the legislature and their staffs…
Rumorville: Tobacco Tax Again?
Apparently there’s talk about trying a tobacco tax in 2018. If the rumor is true, it involves folks who opposed last year’s tax increase as being too small, and they’re mulling going after a $1 or more increase per cigarette pack.
Furthermore, they wouldn’t necessarily close the loophole – a key feature of last year’s attempt which divided tobacco on the proposal.
Stay tuned…
Bits
Ed Martin again…. See it here. “Drama has been a prominent factor in Martin’s own career, which has included failed campaigns for Congress and Missouri attorney general. As chief of staff for Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt in 2007, Martin resigned amid controversy over the firing of a staffer that cost the state a $500,000 settlement. As chairman of the Missouri Republican Party in 2013 and 2014, Martin’s enthusiasm for the Tea Party alienated establishment Republicans and may have cost donors; he inherited a budget surplus and left the party with a deficit….”
Post-Dispatch business columnist David Nicklaus writes that right to work isn’t a silver bullet. See it here. “When Area Development, a magazine for corporate planners and site selection consultants, asked executives what they consider when locating a new facility, right to work wasn’t among the top 10 answers. Availability of skilled workers was No. 1, followed by highways and quality of life. Taxes, occupancy costs and environmental rules also ranked ahead of avoiding unions…”
Rep. Nathan Beard was fined $1,000 for MEC for failing to report a contribution in a timely manner. See it here.
eMailbag: “Conspiracy Theories”
Missouri political observers continue to look at the Eric Greitens’ State of the State for tea leaves for his agenda…
Politico #1: When it comes to outsourcing government, in the most dysfunctional way, watch for Corrections. Private prisons are a scandal waiting to happen if Missouri lawmakers and the governor succumb to their temptations. The new criminal code, contrary to its early billing, is likely to increase demand for prison space, and there is none available. The conservatives can
either do sentencing reform, which several southern states have done, or they can build new prisons and make their investors rich and our society more punitive and unfair.
Politico #2: Joining in your conspiracy theory on SOTS, I thought the shout-out to COBOL was a pretty clear flag that Missouri may soon hire out a massive technology overhaul.
eMailbag on Corlew’s Cronkite Bill
How many of the Republicans who will gladly support students' freedom of expression when it comes to universities were vocally opposed to a Missouri student's first amendment rights when it came to hanging a picture in our nation's capitol?
Today’s Events
From Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Senate Charity Bowling – Capital Bowl – JC – 7PM.
Lobbyists Registrations
Tom Dempsey added Luminus Management LLC.
Rich Germinder added Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Dustin Backes added State of Missouri Office of Adminstration.
Jacqueline Wood added Madsen-Wright Inc.
Richard Brownlee III added Martin Marietta Kansas City LLC.
Stephan Tomlinson deleted Missouri Department of Social Services, and Missouri Department of Health And Senior Services.
$5K+ Contributions
United Food & Commercial Workers Local #655 Elect Political Action Fund - $6,399 from UFCW Local 655.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Ken Jacob, Kyle Aubuchon, and Jordan Overstreet.