Thursday, March 6, 2014
Yesterday the building had one of those odd mixes of constituencies that make things seems like a circus… doctors wearing their white coats, Alzheimer Association in purple sashes, biker dudes decked out in Harley gear, with a blood drive and a free lunch in the rotunda. Welcome to March when everyone descends on the capitol building…
Med Mal
With the doctors in the building the House Republicans demonstrated their ability to pass legislation at will. They passed Medical Malpractice while the docs were watching from the gallery. The Senate however got bogged down with their bill. For starters, Sen. Dan Brown’s bill didn’t just deal with medical malpractice, it would establish caps for all tort action. Sen. Scott Sifton led the charge against it, and eventually it was laid over.
Kraus Tax Cut Bill Stalls in Senate
Likewise the Senate was unable to move Sen. Will Kraus’ tax cut bill yesterday. Virginia Young has a good recap here.
Sen. Eric Schmitt offered an amendment to increase the size of the tax cut. But the larger issue here isn’t the size of the cut, or the Democratic opposition to it. Kraus is out of step with this Republican caucus on the issue. Few Republican senators believe that Governor Jay Nixon is negotiating with Kraus in good faith. They think the governor will ultimately oppose any tax cut bill of substance, and Kraus is “getting player.”
Rather than appeasement, they want to drive their own tax agenda rather than diving through the governor’s various hoops which might not even be acceptable to the House.
And Abortion Wait Bill Waits Also
The third bill which was the Senate debated without finding resolution was an “abortion wait” bill. That is, right now the law is that women must wait 24 hours after deciding to have an abortion to have the procedure. Opponents of abortion feel a little more time is needed. They want to extend it to 72 hours. Because there are so few (Is there one? Two? Maybe three?) places that perform abortions in Missouri, supporters of abortion rights feel it’s a way to impose more hardship on the women, making a one-night overstay trip into two trips.
Tweet of the Night
Columbia Tribune’s Ashley Jost: @ajost “Senate should wait 72 hours before bringing that bill up again.”
Filing News
Rep. John Wright filed for re-election in House 47, punching a hole in rumors that he was mulling a bid against incumbent Auditor Tom Schweich.
David Morton filed as a Democrat in House 6. He’ll face the incumbent Rep. Tim Remole.
Rep. Rick Brattin filed for re-election in House 55 as expected.
And Joe Adams, former mayor of University City who placed fourth in a state senate race in 2012 – filed to replace Rep. Rory Ellinger. He joins Fareedah S. Sidqui. This one could get crowded.
Adams’ Letter
Dear Friends,
I would like to announce that earlier today, I filed for the 86th MO State Representative seat currently held by my good friend, the Honorable Rory Ellinger, who has withdrawn due to health issues. In the upcoming days, additional information will be available regarding my candidacy.
It is my sincere wish and desire to serve the people of the 86th district in the same progressive manner Rory has established.
Kind regards,
Joe Adams
Bits
Lobbyist Trent Watson, missing from the halls, rumored to be home sick with a 102 degree fever. His wife Amber was spotted and complained that she felt like a character in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Everyone kept stopping her asking how Trent was, all that was missing was the Save Trent petition…
And Pro Tem Tom Dempsey’s political director Brad Green was rumored to be considering a switch to iPhone later this month… Are we witnessing the slow extinction of the Blackberry Tribe? Nope. Nothing slow about his at all…
John Combest hooked up with Missouri Times, lassoed matching money from Monsanto and raised $500 for charity off his hilarious bingo card at Lincoln Days. See it here.
Help Wanted
Missouri Department of Social Services, Division of Legal Services, seeks staff attorney. “Salary range is between $38,544 - $47,628; depending on work experience. The position provides legal advice to the Department of Social Services and its divisions for the northwest region of the state (approximately 30 counties). Majority of caseload involves active representation of Children's Division in child protection cases.” See ad here.
“The Business Times Co., the publisher of Jefferson City Magazine, a fast growing, high-quality print and digital magazine, seeks to fill the position of Editor/Associate Publisher. The position is responsible for the day-to-day management, coordination and end-of-issue processes of Jefferson City Magazine content… The editor’s primary goal is to produce exceptional content, including writing, photography and artwork, while meeting deadlines and satisfying budget requirements.” See ad here.
Fundraising Calendar
From Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Rep. Jeanie Riddle Reception – Bek’s, 511 Court Street, Fulton – 5:30- 7 p.m.
Rep. Mike Cierpiot Reception – Summit Grill, Lee’s Summit – 6-8:30 p.m.
Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger Reception – PIO’s, St. Charles – 5:30-7 p.m.
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Gate Way Group website:
Richard M Aubuchon, Tami Holliday, Susan Moore, and Rodney Gray added Element Power US LLC.
Sherry L Doctorian added Local Search Association.
Keith Hazelwood added Wine Country Garden LLC, Chandler Hill Holding LLC, Lombardo Homes of St. Louis LLC, Musterman Family Partnership L.P.
Mark Holman added Aramark.
Bob Bax deleted Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Jerry Burch deleted MO Optometric Association.
Rebecca Nathan deleted Prudential Capital Group.
Michael T. White deleted White Goss Bowers March Schulte & Weisenfels, and some of their clients; and added A.G. Spanos Corporation, and LWV Automotive Systems.
$5K+ Contributions
Branson Area Regional Tourism - $10,000 from Herschend Family Entertainment.
Missouri Early Voting Fund - $15,000 from SEIU Missouri State Council PAC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Kit Bond (75), Chuck Simino, St. Louis Chamber’s Christine Page (29), Todd Patterson.