MOScout Daily Update: Rural-Urban Divide - Monitoring Pilot Program - KCStar on KC Contract - Jetton Marries and more....
Axios: Rural-Urban Divide
Over the weekend in Axios’ “deep dive” on healthcare, they note the urban-rural divide. See it here.
"This rural disadvantage is unprecedented," said James Kirby, a federal health researcher. Mortality rates are higher in rural areas, and many of those disparities are getting bigger. Women in rural areas are more likely to die from pregnancy-related deaths than urban women. Two-thirds of these deaths are preventable.
What It Means
Many rural Missourians feel that there’s an uneven distribution of resources among many industries (internet access, hospital access).
For example, Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin’s social media post from this past weekend: I hope nobody else wants to get anything done in Jeff City next session because I plan to dominate everything with what we need here… Here's how this works, someone brings up something they want for their area and then Mike Kehoe (who presides over the senate) will say, "Does any senator desire to be heard?" and guess who will be the first one up??? That's right.....me!! And I will point out (as I already have) that we have areas with no road almost, no public water supply, no internet and in spite of that here we all are. Think what we could do if we had a tiny bit of support!
But
The rural “disadvantage” is a market-driven phenomenon. As Adam Smith wrote in “the division of labor is limited by the extent of the market.” Metropolitan areas have a large enough population to support a range of medical specialists. There’s no easy (or inexpensive) solution to bringing that labor to markets that are not big enough to sustain them.
Monitoring Pilot Program
St. Louis Public Radio reports on a new “six-month pilot program in January that tracks people accused of crimes by using a smartphone app.” See it here.
County Executive Sam Page told the County Council in a letter Monday that his administration plans to hire eHawk Solutions, based near Kansas City, to provide the software. The county’s smartphone monitoring program could be the biggest one of its kind in the U.S., according to the company. County officials are hoping such a program could reduce the local jail population…
County officials have indicated smartphone monitoring could be used to supervise at least three groups: people who have been arrested and are waiting to hear whether they will be charged with a crime; people who have been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial; and people who have been convicted of a crime but aren’t considered a threat to society and don’t need to be incarcerated. The app could be used in lieu of setting bail in some cases… The company has agreed to provide the program for free during the six-month trial period… Electronic monitoring isn’t new for the St. Louis region. The city uses ankle bracelets to track criminal defendants, but that program has caused problems. The ankle bracelets are bulky and sometimes carry a stigma when people have to wear them out in public… The state has set aside $5 million to pay for electronic monitoring in local jails throughout Missouri, but it hasn’t selected a vendor for this program yet…
FYI
eHawk Solutions is represented in Jefferson City by Gamble & Schlemeier.
KCStar on KC Lobbying Contract
KCStar reports on the status of the Kansas City lobbying contract. See it here.
[L]ess than a month from the start of the 2020 legislative session, Kansas City has no major lobbying firm in Jefferson City. The contract for the city’s former lobbying firm expired this summer. Officials have been seeking proposals for a replacement and likely won’t choose one till around Christmas… For years, the city has had two lobbying contracts. It still employs Sam Panettiere Public Affairs, which is based in town and oversees both state and federal affairs and the city’s other lobbyists. But its contract with Jefferson City powerhouse Gamble & Schlemeier — which has more than 15 lobbyists on its payroll and has represented the city for decades — expired this summer. Newly inaugurated Mayor Quinton Lucas decided to open the contract for competitive bidding. Lucas said he isn’t concerned that the city has yet to select a firm…
When the city opened bidding for the lobbying contract earlier this year, four firms responded, including Strategic Capitol Consulting… Catalyst, which is led by Danny Pfeifer… Flotron & McIntosh… [and] The Giddens Group… Lucas said he was not satisfied with the work the bidders did to include women- and minority-owned lobbying firms as part of their teams…
Panel Announced
The Twenty-First Circuit Judicial Commission announced the panel of three nominees to fill the circuit judge vacancy in the 21st Judicial Circuit (St. Louis County) created by the retirement of Judge Michael T. Jamison. Those nominated by the commission are: Jason D. Dodson, Joseph L. Green, and Nicole S. Zellweger.
Jetton Marries
On Facebook, former Speaker Rod Jetton shares news of his recent nuptials… “Yesterday, I married the beautiful and kind Shen Wang. She has brought so much happiness into my life the last three years and now we can enjoy life together as we walk through this world arm in arm!!”
New Committees
Darrin Reed formed a candidate committee (Committee To Elect Darrin Reed As State Representative) to run for House 155 as a Republican. The current incumbent, Rep. Karla Esinger, is running for senate.
Lobbyists Registrations
Alexus Nichole Buckert, Cameron Copeland, Daniel Daugherty, Julia Goldman, Sagi Rudnick, and James Turner added Associated Students of the University of Missouri.
Richard McIntosh added Gold Rush Gaming.
Nathan Nickolaus deleted City of Windsor.
Johnny Fite terminated his registration.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to former Sen. Jeff Smith, Heidi Geisbuhler Sutherland, and Blake Lawrence.