Thursday, December 20, 2012
House Bill 70
The text for Rep. Mike Kelley’s conceal carry on school premises bill. It’s a whole nine words, inserting “unless such person is a teacher or school administrator” into the prohibition from guns in schools. See it here.
More interesting is that Kelley has enlisted Speaker Tim Jones and Floor Leader John Diehl as co-sponsors, meaning it has leadership’s blessing.
No similar bill has been filed so far on the Senate side.
MOChamber to Beef Up PAC?
According to rumors, the Missouri Chamber is considering making some major changes. Aside from the recent departures of Richard Moore and Rich AuBuchon, there are longer term plans being made to beef up their political action committee.
The Chamber is looking to hire a heavy hitter to run their PAC, ramp up their fundraising on it, but also their organizing, so that they can have a stronger grassroots presence for future battles. But that’s contingent on finding the right person to head the initiative and it’s not clear that they have found the right person yet.
Also, two different sources have indicated that AuBuchon is likely to continue to help on MOChamber’s lobbying efforts this session – if from the offices of Polsinelli Shughart.
Rumorville: Department Legislative Shuffle
It’s said that…
Andy Briscoe is going from legislative director at Department of Corrections over to Profession Registration where he will take over for Connie Clarkston who now works for the Board of Healing Arts.
Sarah Madden at Department of Social Services is moving to into an associate general counsel position there and Patrick Lynn is the new legislative liaison, though the tow may team up on the Medicaid expansion effort.
Taking Lynn’s place at Department of Natural Resources will be Jay Atkins who comes from Department of Revenue.
What David Day Won’t Miss Next Month
From term-limited Rep. David Day’s Facebook page:
Recently I was asked what I won’t miss about being in the legislature and that got me thinking. Don’t get me wrong, serving the last 8 years has been a huge honor and there are many things I will miss, but since they asked, here are a few:
• Lobbyist and politicians that say, when talking about legislation “everyone in your district will love it”, even though they have never been in my district.
• Legislators that give grand speeches about us not spending enough on education but not having the guts to actually drop an amendment to take the funding from something else and putting it in education…they just talk.
• People that take themselves too seriously (or as we say, have been reading their own press releases too much.)
• The continuing comments about how non-union work is inferior to union work.
• Hearing over 3 hour’s debate on tanning bed regulations.
• The NEA sitting in my office and talking for over 45 minutes and never using the words “children”, “kids”, or “students”…then telling everyone they are there for the children.
• Hearing Rex Sinquiefield’s name (no, I never took any of his money).
• Legislators that think all schools in MO are as bad as the ones that are failing in St. Louis/K.C. and wanting to regulate/treat all of them the same.
• The constant fight between doctors and nurses, between police and other first responders, and between almost all of the agriculture groups against each other.
• The “rent-a-mob” protests on the front lawn of the Capitol, and when you go out and ask most of them why they are there, they don’t know.
• Egos
• And lastly, legislators that are too busy to read legislation but assume all of us have the time for each word of it to be explained to them on the House Floor.
Lobbyist Registrations
From the Pelopidas website:
Richard S Brownlee III added RSB III, LLC
Rodney D Gray, Tami Holliday, Michael Moorefield and Susan Henderson Moore added H&R Block.
$5K+ Contributions
Keep KC Jobs Committee - $10,000 from Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Bart Koman (37), Ben Murray, Bob Jacobi (54), and Melissa Furey (nee DeStefano) (29).
Friday: Rep. Andrew Koenig (the big 3-0),
Saturday: Giddens Group’s Shannon Cooper (45) and Sen. Dan Brown.