Monday, December 2, 2013
Special Schedule
Nothing’s in stone as far as I can tell, but this looks like the more likely path for the start of this week…
I still believe the talk is that the bill will start in the Senate. So the Senate convenes on Monday, introduces Boeing incentive bill.
Sen. Eric Schmitt’s EcoDevo Committee would hold hearing on Tuesday, perhaps exec it out of committee that night, perhaps not until Wednesday morning.
Bill gets on the Senate floor Wednesday…
Nixon’s Pitch
It’s said that the governor will present his proposal to the Senate Majority Caucus at 3:30pm. That’s a pretty critical pitch as there seem to be some skeptical senators right now.
Barnes Questions Proposal
On his blog Rep. Jay Barnes lays out the skeptic’s case against quick passage of the $150 million subsidies that Nixon has proposed. (See it here). Barnes is an intellectual leader in the House, so his concerns carry some weight.
Barnes’ Math
“Boeing anticipates adding 8,600 jobs to manufacture the 777x airplane. At Boeing’s average wage in Missouri of around $75,000 per job, total potential new payroll equals $645 million.
“Gov. Nixon has asked for authority to make a $150 million per year annual offer under the four existing economic development programs. Assuming the full $150 million is offered and accepted and all the jobs are created, Missouri taxpayers will subsidize Boeing in the amount of $17,441 per job per year – or, to put it another way, the subsidies will pay for nearly 25 percent of the wages for each new Boeing employee in Missouri.
“Using the Missouri Department of Revenue’s handy tool, a new Boeing employee making $75,000 per year would generate $4,275 in new income tax revenue for the state. Thus, the proposed subsidies would be $13,166 per year per job more than new income taxes received by the state. In total, this amounts to approximately $113 million of annual spending above the new income taxes received by the state.”
Some of Barnes’ Questions
Why isn’t there an end-date on how long Boeing is eligible for the $150 million annual subsidy?
How much of the existing cap space of the Missouri Works program has been allocated?
Can the legislature see a copy of Boeing’s RFP?
If we pass a bill, what exactly does Gov. Nixon intend to offer?
eMailbag: Amateur Hour?
One pair of legal eyes reading the draft legislation was astounded at how poorly written it was:
This draft reads like it was written on the back of a napkin with crayons. There are typos (line 9, “6200.809"), almost no integration with current statutes aside from “provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding,” and ambiguous language – Section 620.2500.1(2) defines “Job creation, worker training and infrastructure development programs” while the language in the statute is “job creation, worker training or infrastructure development programs.”
For an issue that is supposedly important enough to call a special session to address it, Nixon didn’t even proof read his one-page proposal. This looks like a classic example of Nixon hiding on the second floor and leaving the heavy lifting to the legislature. If Boeing ends up in a different state, you can expect Nixon to throw House and Senate Republicans under the bus, but honestly he looks like he is barely making an effort.
Boeing Not Lobbying
Tipster: “No hardcore lobbying is happening by Boeing. And they’re not lobbying in other states either. It looks like a true bidding war, but some states have some natural advantages… That includes Missouri…”
And – Are We Even In the Running?
MOWonk’s Linda Rallo writes about where we stack up against the competition (see it here). They also uploaded an analyst’s report on why the 777x will likely (89% chance) stay in Seattle. See it here.
On the Move: Crancer to StudentsFirst
Rumor is that Kit Crancer will be joining StudentsFirst as their new state director. Look for the move to happen before regular session. Crancer now works for Sen. Tom Dempsey and has been guiding the Senate’s campaign committee.
It’d be a good hire for StudentsFirst as it has the potential to defuse the escalating tensions between the educational “establishment” and free market “reformers.” If StudentsFirst had brought in someone from outside Missouri, he would have been easier to demonize. Crancer is a known commodity in the building with a history of being straightforward.
This is not to suggest that he’s loved by the establishment. He previously worked for Jane Cunningham, who was the grand-champion of the educational choice crowd.
On the Move: Howard Joins Speakers Office
According to his LinkedIn page, Chris Howard has joined the speaker’s office as deputy legislative director. Howard is a Republican State Party Committeeman. Professionally, he was most recently a merchandise manager at Bed, Bath and Beyond. See a Youtube video of him here talking about the scanning scandal.
On the Move: Pabst to SSM
Jessica Pabst (nee Land) has made the switch from the Giddens Group (headed by Nancy Giddens) to SSM Health Care as their Advocacy Director for Missouri. Pabst was previously a staffer for Rob Mayer before her stint at the Giddens Group.
Bits
Post-Dispatch’s Virginia Young details how cuts in “in-person” service has led to a reduction in the ability of people to obtain food stamps. Read it here.
Kansas City Star reports on the “political-industrial complex” looking particularly at Jeff Roe and the horrendous rout of the research tax in Jackson County. See it here.
Memo to McCaskill: iPads in the air = cool, but cellphones? Not so much. Read it here.
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Pelopidas website:
Michael Hollman added The College Board.
Noah Reandeau added Mylan Inc.
Jessica L Land added SSM Health Care.
$5K+Contributions
Anne Zerr for State Representative - $7,500 from Lewis and Clark Leadership Forum.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Stephen Bough (43).
Congratulations
To Sen. Schmitt’s Matt Panik and wife Christine, on the birth of their son Nolan Joseph Panik (7 pounds, 1 ounce).