Friday, February 6, 2015
Unions Hit Curtis
Internet ads have started to appear dinging Rep. Courtney Curtis for sponsoring a right to work bill in the legislature. “Think Rep. Curtis is working for us? Think Again.” The ads are paid for by the pro-union, anti-right to work campaign committee. Protect MO Families.
Interesting to note that in Protect MO Families 30 Day Report, CHIPP, the Carpenters’ Political PAC, contributed $30K to the committee. Last year CHIPP was a contributor to Curtis’ campaign account.
If Curtis faces a primary in 2016, he’ll need some new friends.
And… Curtis to Chair Special Committee
Speaker John Diehl created the Special Standing Committee on Urban Issues. He appointed Reps. Caleb Rowden, Rebecca Roeber, Nick Marshall, Justin Alferman, Kevin Austin, Kim Gardner, Josh Peters, and Penny Hubbard to the committee. And installed Rep. Courtney Curtis as Chair, and Rep. Brandon Ellington as Vice-Chair.
English Gets Committees
Rep. Keith English has been added to the Small Business Committee, the Select Committee on Insurance, and the Select Committee on Utilities.
Other House Committee Changes
Rep. Michele Kratky was appointed to the Joint Committee on Life Sciences.
Rep, Michael Butler was removed from the Standing Committee on Appropriations – Health, Mental Health and Social Services.
Rep. Mike Colona was appointed to the Joint Committee on the Justice System.
Reps. Bart Korman, Don Rone and Bill Lant, and Reps. Bob Burns and Tom McDonald were appointed to the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight.
Rep. Kevin McManus was removed from the Select Standing Committee on Budget.
Rep. Joe Adams was removed from the Standing Committee on Transportation.
Justice Positioned Between Two Camps?
Joplin Globe reports that Nick Myers is also running for Missouri Republican Party Chair. Read it here. Myers is chair of the Newton County Republican Party. And… two tipsters view the race as becoming complicated by the Republican gubernatorial politics. In that view Myers is sympathetic to the Tom Schweich campaign, while John Hancock is on the side of Catherine Hanaway. That puts Eddy Justice in the middle, running as a potential “honest broker. We’ll see…
Senate Works Through Gubby Appts
Yesterday the Senate labored through several Nixon nominees. In particular, Sen. Gina Walsh spoke at length about concerns in the fee bidding process. She was joined in her concerns by other senators from both parties. The Senate ultimately approved Nina Ray as the director of the Department of Revenue.
Sen. Ed Emery spoke against Maynard Wallace to join the State Board of Education because he felt Wallace’s experience as an educator disqualified him from the slot reserved for a “lay person.” He was joined in this dissent by a few others, but Wallace was approved by a wide margin.
And Sen. Kurt Schaefer, and others, expressed concern that nearly the entire University of Missouri Board of Curators now consists of lawyers. Schaefer continues the make the case for his legislation which would prevent the Board from appointing anyone (i.e. the governor) to a job (i.e. President of the System) who appointed them to their position.
And
In the announcements, Pro Tem Tom Dempsey said that the Republican Senators would caucus after Monday’s adjournment. He said they’d be talking about “the process” from last Thursday’s session, presumably how the disapproval of the legislative pay-raise was handled.
Gun Deaths > Car Deaths
KC Star reports that the latest data (2013) shows that deaths by guns (880) exceeded vehicle deaths (781) for the first time. Read it here. Over the past decades there’s been consistent effort to improve driving safety – seat belts, rumble strips, design changes. Advocates say its time to take the same approach with firearms. In Missouri common sense ideas – like Sen. Jamilah Nasheed’s proposal requiring gun owners to report when their gun is stolen – have been stymied by 2nd Amendment purists.
No House Session on Monday
The House is only doing a technical session on Monday. Though they will have committee hearings going on.
Barnes’ Revolving Door Bill
Next week Rep. Jay Barnes’ bill to put a waiting period into effect before legislators can become lobbyists will likely be voted out of committee. Unlike the version the Senate approved this week, it doesn’t exempt current legislators. See it here.
Fewer Teach for America Apps
NYTimes reports that Teach for America is shrinking. Read it here.
Pull Quote: “Applications are down by about 10 percent from a year earlier on college campuses around the country as of the end of last month. The group, which has sought to transform education in close alignment with the charter school movement, has advised schools that the size of its teacher corps this fall could be down by as much as a quarter and has closed two of its eight national summer training sites, in New York City and Los Angeles.”
Help Wanted
The Springfield News-Leader seeks Political Reporter. “An experienced Political Reporter who will serve as the main eyes and ears for the Ozarks in Jefferson City. A mix of work from Springfield and at the capital, the reporter follows the legislature, governor’s office and other state agencies for the effects on life in southwest Missouri. From live tweeting an appearance from the governor to in-depth stories on the state budget or video explainers of what’s on the legislative agenda, this reporter takes dense material and helps readers understand the impact on their lives. The Political Reporter will grow readership and interest in the beat by leveraging multiple platforms and story forms to engage with readers.” See the ad here.
Lobbyist Registrations
Neal Gilb added Charter Communications.
Steven Tilley added Express Scripts.
Kevin O’Rourke added Quantitative Management Associates LLC.
Mike Grote added Citizens For A Better Columbia.
$5K+ Contributions
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America Political Account - $51,121 from Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
Missourians for Koster - $10,000 from Thomas A McDonnell.
Missourians for Koster - $10,000 from Telephone Contact Inc.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to Ferguson consultant Rebeccah Bennett (Saturday)
Sunday: Rep. Kathie Conway (60), and former Rep. Terry Swinger (74).