Friday, January 7, 2011
Steelman Meets with Tea Party Leaders
Senate candidate Sarah Steelman met with several Missouri Tea Party leaders, including radio host Dana Loesch, Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft, St. Louis Tea Party leader Bill Hennessy, and Reboot Congress Darin Morley.
Steelman asked for the meeting, showing her interest in winning over this wing of Republican primary voters. One of the participants described the Tea Party movement as “window shopping,” but said the meeting went well. See Picture Here.
Committees Coming
Look for Administration Committee assignments to come today, and the other Senate committees to follow next week.
Although the Senate is running far behind the House, Majority Caucus Communications Director Farrah Fite notes in a twitter that two years ago, under Charlie Shields, committees weren’t announced until January 21.
In a hint of what’s to come next week, the Senate approved some changes to the scope of some committees. GAFO (Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee), which was chaired by Sen. Chuck Purgason until he was yanked during special session, is now the Committee on Governmental Accountability. It will be “responsible for reviewing, studying, and investigating all matters to the application, administration, execution, and effectiveness of all state laws and programs, among other charges. The committee also considers legislation relating to improving governmental efficiency and management.”
The old GAFO function is headed to Ways and Means, which is being renamed the Committee on Ways and Means and Fiscal Oversight. Now this committee will consider all bills with fiscal notes of $100,000 or more. Former Sen. Carl Vogel chaired Way and Means last year. Sen. Jim Lembke was the vice-chair.
And Veterans’ Affairs, Pensions and Urban Affairs Committee which was chaired by Sen. Jason Crowell last year is having its portfolio expanded. “Emerging Issues” has been added to the name of that committee.
Prop C Comes to the General Assembly
SCR 1 – filed by Sen. Luann Ridgeway - BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Ninety-sixth General Assembly, upon concurrence of a majority of the members of the Senate and a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, hereby permanently disapproves and suspends the final order of rulemaking for the proposed amendment to 4 CSR 240-20.100(2)(A) and 4 CSR 240-20.100(2)(B)2, Electric Utility Renewable Energy Standard Requirements.
Sinquefield Takes Aim At Income Tax
Rex Sinquefield and team will start the process today of putting a measure on the ballot in November 2012 which will eliminate the state income tax.
While the details will be interesting to see, here is my initial reaction:
First, this makes the earnings tax campaign of the last cycle look like a test run. They proved that they have the necessary measure of competence – unlike Better Courts – to place something on a statewide ballot, they’re rewarded with a newer bigger campaign.
Second, while I think Sinquefield himself believes in the specific public policy of eliminating income and earning taxes, there’s clearly an ancillary benefit here of injecting a potentially defining issue into the 2012 gubernatorial campaign.
Governor Jay Nixon has striven to Republicanize himself over the past two year and occupy the right of center place where a Republican would normally be perched. This issue might be a way for a Peter Kinder to differentiate himself, and make no-new-taxes Nixon look more tax-and-spendish. Of course who knows? Maybe Nixon will endorse the measure.
Finally, the use of Politico to break the story was curious. Perhaps just human lust for a national story, or desire to be a beacon to similar-minded constituencies in others states?
More on Rizzo
Correction from my story yesterday – Minority Leader Mike Talboy, not Speaker Steve Tilley, will appoint the Democratic members of the new investigatory committee. And there won’t be subpoena power given to the committee unless chair, Leader Tim Jones, asks for it.
The water-polo law of politics – appear calm above the water and kick like hell underneath – is lost on freshman Rep. JJ Rizzo. He issued a statement that was relatively bone-headed, and bellicose saying Tilley was “misusing the power that he does have by ordering an unwarranted and politically motivated investigation of the election.”
More on Hughes
The fine outstanding from the Missouri Ethics Commission is $19,090.
And, complicating the mess is the Secretary of State’s office. The Kansas City Star’s Jason Noble reports that they apparently put Jonas Hughes’ name on the list of official winners, “making it unclear whether anyone has the authority to deny him the oath of office.”
Stacey Newman Hacked
Yesterday afternoon the Facebook status of Rep. Stacey Newman showed this message- “I am resigning from the State House on January 10, 2011.”
That message was later followed by, “Friends: My Facebook account was spammed just minutes ago. The last post was NOT from me. Taking care of it now but wanted to let you all know. Thanks to everyone - especially Eric - for their quick alerts and helping me correct the situation.”
$5k+ Contributions
Save Kansas City Committee - $7,500 from Stinson Morrison Hecker.
Lobbyist Principal Changes
From the Pelopidas website:
Mark Bruns added Bruns and Associates, and Missouri State Fraternal Order of Police.
Flotron and McIntosh added Royal Oak Enterprises, LLC.
Neal English added Strong Consulting Group LLC.
Terry Endres added Bank of America NA.
Burton Liese added Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
Andrew Foley joined Burton Liese Government Relations.
Cruz Giovanni Garibay added Cash America International Inc.
C Blake Hurst added Missouri Farm Bureau.
Brandon Koch added Farmers Insurance.
Paul LeVota added Midwest Mediation and Consulting, and City of Independence Missouri.
Gamble & Schlemeier deleted Simplex Ginnell LP.
Kristen Lyle added Missouri Family Health Council Inc.
Birthdays
Former Rep. Mike Cunningham turns 64.