Friday, April 19, 2013
Education Reform Stall Systemic in Majority Profile?
With last week’s defeat of HB 631 on the floor (only garnering 55 votes), the education reform movement seemed to suffer a stall. Considering that House leadership supported the measure, and the Republican caucus has generally exhibited strong unity, there’s some consternation that the reformers have a limited path in the immediate future to pass their measures.
Reformers often speak about rural representatives “fear” of the superintendents in their district. This is because in many communities across the state schools are most efficient organizing tool in place. Parents meet parents, volunteering together and sharing their lives as their kids grow up together. The schools are the social glue in their network.
Thus when Republicans go into rural districts to recruit for House candidates, they’re often drawing on long-time teachers or coaches from district, or principals or school board members. While they support the Republican agenda broadly, on education they tend to favor the status quo.
There’s a legitimate question now for reformers to consider: in the Republicans’ amazing success in building a supermajority, have they also created a majority to repel the reformers? If so, they may have to play more aggressively – and more strategically – in future cycles.
Senate 2
Former state representative Vicki Schneider was in the building the other day. She was building support for her nascent state senate run (to replace termed Sen. Scott Rupp). She also had copies for some negative mailers that were run against her in her recent failed city council bid. She proffered copies of the organization, Missourians Against Unfair Taxes, that is on the “paid for” disclaimer, and suggested that they underreported their activity…
Schneider hopes to enlist former Rep. Bob Onder to forgo the race and support her. But word around the capitol seems to indicate that Onder will be a competitor…
The Fight to Fill Grisamore’s Shoes
In House 34, a solid Republican district, several hopefuls are already starting their engines to succeed termed Rep. Jeff Grisamore. According to a source, the list of potential entries inludes an assistant prosecutor, a martial arts expert, Rep. Dave Hinson’s brother-in-law, and a Republican committeewoman, but the front runner is probably former Rep. Bob Johnson.
Sauer to Zerr: Why?
Fred Sauer of the Missouri Roundtable for Life recently sent a letter to House Economic Development chair Anne Zerr scolding her. See the letter here.
Excerpt
“Why do you continue to do the bidding of a small group of people who insist on using our taxpayer dollars to kill human embryos? And you always do it in some miserably deceptive way. This is outrageous and corrupt. The citizens of Missouri are sick of the fraudulent attempts to give our hard earned dollars to a handful of morally compromised elites.
Yours truly,
Fred Sauer
President”
Peters Gets International Trade
The new St. Louis city Rep. Josh Peters (House 76) received his first committee assignment, International Trade.
eMailbag: DSH No Done Deal!
“Obama's one year reprieve from DSH cuts was in his budget proposal to Congress. I believe that the Republicans in the House proclaimed it DOA. I'm not feeling confident about dodging the bullet on DSH cuts. Also, the DSH cuts were spelled out in the reconciliation that accompanied the ACA when passed in 2010. Congress will have to delay the cuts, Obama doesn't have the power to do unilaterally. What are the odds of congress getting that done?”
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Pelopidas website:
Richard A McIntosh added Public Consulting Group.
$5K+ Contributions
IUOE Local 513 Political & Education Fund - $26,503 from Elise Juanita Swetnam.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Bill Stouffer (66), AFP’s Patrick Werner (42), and former Reps. Jean Peters Baker, Bert Atkins (58), and Sylvester Taylor (47).
Saturday: Lobbyist Chris Moody and FERAF’s Chris Roepe (32).
Sunday: David Barklage, Rep. Paul Curtmann (32), MO Chamber’s Dan Mehan, and Maynard Wallace (70).