Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Election Results
There were no surprises in the three state representative special elections. In all three the expected winner carried the election with about 60% of the vote.
In House 29 where – through Noel Torpey’s hard work and charisma Republicans had previously held the seat – Democrat Rory Rowland is now the Rep-elect
In House 36 where Mary Ann Drape’s candidacy brought fears of a splitting of the Democratic base, DaRon McGee took the seat easily for Dems.
In House 89, there appeared little contagion from John Diehl’s scandal and resignation as Republican Dean Plocher rolled over his Democratic opponent.
The Post-Dispatch has an article about the two school district tax increases (one passed, one failed), and other ballot issues, in St. Louis County. See it here.
From the last paragraph: Berkeley voters rejected a long list of proposed charter amendments, including measures designed to make it harder to recall council members and easier for the council to raise member pay. Mayor Ted Hoskins had sought voter approval in 1998 for similar amendments, but they were defeated.
Koster Campaign Contributions – Again
National Journal has a piece out questioning the implementation of Attorney General Chris Koster’s policy to prevent conflicts of interest between the workings of his office and the contributions his campaign receives. See it here.
Pull Quote: In August, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster’s campaign for governor received a $10,000 contribution from AT&T. It’s one of many checks the telecommunications giant or its PAC writes to political candidates every year. What’s unusual in this case is that Koster, a Democrat, had already returned a $10,000 check from AT&T earlier this year, as part of his campaign’s conflict-of-interest policy against accepting funds from entities that Koster’s office investigates…
Now, that same $10,000 has shown up in Koster’s campaign fund again—clear of the self-imposed three-month fundraising ban, but still inextricably connected to Koster’s official business. Since public records laws don’t apply to campaigns, there’s no paper trail that could shed light on any communications between Koster’s campaign and AT&T (or other donors) about the timing of contributions.
State Revenues Up Meager 1% in October
The press release: Acting State Budget Director Dan Haug announced today that 2016 fiscal year-to-date net general revenue collections increased 3.05 percent compared to 2015, from $2.6 billion last year to $2.7 billion this year.
Net general revenue collections for October 2015 increased by .98 percent compared to those for October 2014, from $563 million to $568.6 million.
McCaskill Takes Aim at Crazy Drug Price Increases
US Senator Claire McCaskill “announced a bipartisan Senate investigation into pharmaceutical drug pricing. The announcement follows a series of media reports detailing dramatic drug price increases-often on older, off-patent drugs-after the acquisition or merger of pharmaceutical companies.”
McCaskill's investigation will include an examination of:
* Substantial price increases on recently acquired off-patent drugs;
* Mergers and acquisitions within the pharmaceutical industry that have sometimes led to dramatic increases in off-patent drug prices; and
* The Food and Drug Administration's role in the drug approval process for generic drugs, the agency's distribution protocols, and, if necessary, its off-label regulatory regime.
The Senate Special Committee on Aging has tentatively scheduled an initial hearing on this issue for December 9, 2015, and will hold subsequent hearings, as needed, in the following months.
See the letters McCaskill has sent to various drug companies here. Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Turing Pharmaceuticals (This is the infamous “Pharma Bro.”), Retrophin, Inc., and Rodelis Therapeutics.
Brunner Roundtable
Tonight Republican gubernatorial candidate John Brunner will hold a roundtable for businessmen… It’s hosted by August Busch III, John Costello, Jeff Fox, Roger Miller and Dave Spence.
Please join a special roundtable on Wednesday, November 4th for a candid discussion on the 2016 Missouri Governor's Race… In addition, there will be a special briefing by state and national political strategists outlining the Pathway to Victory for Missouri Republicans in 2016… Contributions are not required to attend.
The invite does, however, note contribution level for future reference… $2,500 (Captain), $5,001 (Colonel), and $10,000+ (General).
Hanaway RV Bits
See the RV taped up to hide the MU Tiger logo here. Some young staffer got a great story he can retell years from now….
And one observer: Mizzou better hope she doesn't become governor - their friends in the statehouse are already scarce!
Déjà vu all over… From 2004: For the second time this year, University of Missouri-Columbia officials have cracked down on the use of MU-related imagery or words in political campaigns.
In recent weeks, officials with MU’s trademark and licensing office have approached local Republican and Democratic officials and asked them to stop distributing stickers that use the word "Mizzou." One bumper sticker said "Mizzou is Bush Country," and a circular lapel sticker said "Mizzou for Kerry." Christian Basi, an MU spokesman, said the stickers were a problem because the word "Mizzou" is trademarked.
Bits
According to the Senate website, Casey Hogg has started working in Sen. Mike Kehoe’s office.
Other election results: marijuana legalization failed in Ohio. See it here. And the City of Houston repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance. See it here.
Sen. Jill Schupp holds a volunteer organizing event this morning for Raise Your Hand for Kids. “Learn about a ballot initiative to increase Missouri’s tobacco tax to fund early childhood development and smoking cessation for pregnant mothers… Missouri lags behind its neighboring states in early childhood investment and ranks 38th worst out of 40 states that offer state preschool funding. We can do better…”
Lobbyists Registrations
Jacqueline Bardgett and John Bardgett added Rockwood Asset Management
Parker Bena deleted The Re-entry Group, Inc.
Karen Stohlgren deleted MOSERS.
$5K+ Contributions
Greitens for Missouri - $15,000 from Jeff Cook.
Greitens for Missouri - $50,000 from Howard and Marilyn Wood.
Raise Your Hand for Kids - $25,000 from Alliance for Childhood Education.
Greitens for Missouri - $5,001 from Francis Hogan.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Keith English, Amy Gunn, and Tony Messenger.