Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Wedel for General Counsel
It’s still in the rumor territory, but it sounds like Ted Wedel, formerly a long-serving chief of staff to the Democratic House leaders (Jeff Harris, Paul LeVota, Mike Talboy and Jake Hummel), will be taking the general counsel in the House. It’s a non-partisan position which Wedel held decades ago.
It’s unclear when an announcement would be coming.
More Initiative Petitions
Yesterday Secretary of State Jason Kander announced petitions approved for circulation. These included Aaron Willard’s fair tax proposal, and three versions of the early voting proposal. See them here.
Also, a few more IPs are openned for public comment (See them here):
Marc Ellinger filed four version of a tobacco tax (“vapor tax?”) which would be used to reduce the income tax…
Dan Viets filed a few more marijuana petitions.
And Steven Reed filed new versions of his issues (recall, rail and ecodevo).
Kinder, Nasheed Pushback on Nixon Side Deal
Jo Mannies has the story. See it here.
Pull Quote: Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, a Republican, joined Nasheed and several St. Louis officials at a news conference Monday to attack the governor’s participation in a deal to defuse Republican filibuster threats during the recent special legislative session in which tax breaks were approved for Boeing Co. Kinder said that the deal was “a ruse’’ and unnecessarily linked the new tax breaks for Boeing to the existing state tax credits to encourage development of new housing for the poor, disabled and elderly.
MOScout Readers Poll
Kicking off the end of year “readers polls” today. Take it here. Voting closes midnight Christmas
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Pelopidas website:
Tricia Workman and Michael R Gibbons deleted MO Whitetail Breeders and Hunting Ranch Association.
Marsha A Haskell deleted AT&T and Affliates.
Jim Lembke deleted Flotron & McIntosh.
$5K+Contributions
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc - $25,000 from Bloomsdale Excavating Co., Inc.
Missourians for Koster - $25,000 from Dollar, Burns & Becker LC.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Reps. Lindell Shumake (64) and Paul Wieland (51), and Joe Palm.