MOScout Daily Update: GovWatch Vote Analysis - Phelps Passes - EV Charging Workshop and more...
Budget Buster
Columbia Tribune reports: The Missouri Department of Corrections wants the Western District Court of Appeals to block enforcement of a judgment that corrections officers are owed $118.5 million in back pay. The motion filed Monday for a stay, the second in the case decided in August in Cole County, comes as Gary Burger, attorney for the corrections officers, is seeking to collect the judgment by garnishing state bank accounts. Burger also wants Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce to find the department in contempt of court because it hasn’t implemented a new time keeping system.
What It Means
One budget watcher trembles… “This is a big deal. Not for this year’s budget, but next… They might get back to zero growth this year. Might…”
As of close of business Monday, fiscal year to date net state revenues were down 4.96%.
Driving the Day
From Daily Energy Insider: The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) recently opened a working case to assess potential mechanisms for the further development of Missouri’s electric vehicle (EV) charging network. The PSC directed workshop participants to evaluate three models and noted that participants may also consider and assess additional models or combination of models.
In the first model, a utility could own and operate charging stations. It is similar to the model the commission approved in Kansas City Power & Light Company’s last rate case.
The second model features a “make ready” tariff and includes an option to waive line extension for customers with separately metered EV charging that meets certain public policy considerations.
The third model is an alternate incentive program in which program parameters, implementation and cost recovery would be assessed and defined in the context of a future rate proceeding…
The commission will hold a workshop on March 21 from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm at the Governor Office Building in Jefferson City.
Driving the Night
Sen. Scott Sifton, who has been mulling a gubernatorial run, has a big event tonight at McGurk’s in St. Louis. On the host committee: Sens. Gina Walsh and Brian Williams; Reps. Tommy Pierson, Jr., Ian Mackey, Sarah Unsicker, Doug Beck, and Peter Merideth; St. Louis County Councilman Sam Page, and Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler.
Phelps Passes
Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Phelps passed away Tuesday morning after a brief illness.
Mike Wolff previously had written in a review of the lieutenant governor’s office: “The office was considered a part-time position until Republican Bill Phelps ran and won in 1972 on the platform that he would serve as a full-time lieutenant governor. His nickname — ‘full-time’ Phelps — stuck, and candidates since then have been well advised to promise full-time service…”
GovWatch Vote Analysis
GovWatch released its analysis of the partisanship of members’ voting. They show how many times each House and Senate member voted with a majority of Republicans or Democrats. It also shows how many times each legislator was absent or was present but not voting.
See the House report here. See the Senate report here. (A GovWatch subscription is required to view the links within the documents.)
Highlights (or lowlights, depending):
· Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal was absent more than any other representative – 48 times. The Post wrote an article about this (see it here) in which Chappelle-Nadal blames her new part-time job. “Chappelle-Nadal would not reveal where she is working from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m.”
· Sen. Jamilah Nasheed was absent the most in Senate – 19 times – probably due to her recent campaign.
· Rep. Brenda Shields and Rep. Bill Falkner (both Republicans) voted with Democrats more than any other reps – 72 times for both of them. They both won Democratic leaning districts last year.
· Sen. Brian Williams (D) voted with Republicans more than any other Democrat.
Bits
St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler hired his former state legislative colleague, Steve Webb. See the Post-Dispatch article here. “Webb's annual salary is about $38,000. Webb, 43, is among several people with the title of recorder clerk II…”
Press release: Missouri’s unemployment rate remained at 3.2 percent in February, while employment decreased slightly… Missouri nonfarm payroll employment decreased slightly over the month. The seasonally adjusted jobs estimate was 2,898,600, down by 800 from the revised January figure.
eMailbag: Clayton Not Insatiable
I must protest the inclusion of our community's proposal as an example of an “insatiable appetite for bigger budgets.” Here are the facts. This is the first operating tax increase on the ballot in the Clayton School District in 16 years - the last one was approved by voters in 2003 and was anticipated to last for about five years. It has lasted more than three times that long…. On the expenditure side, the District has shown great prudence by limiting increases to an annual average of only 2.29% over those same intervening 15 fiscal years. This hardly seems “insatiable” to me…
$5K+ Contributions
United Food & Commercial Workers Local #655 Elect Political Action Fund - $6,006 from UFCW Local 655.
City of Fountains Committee - $10,000 from Kevin Westrope.
Lobbyists Registrations
Jacqueline Bardgett, John Bardgett, Erika Leonard, and Chris Roepe added Treehouse LLC.
Jacqueline Bardgett deleted McBride & Son Homes, Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Thomas Long and Trent Summers.
Friday: David Jackson, Yvonne Wilson, Steve Hunter, Will Kraus, Paul LeVota, Sylvester Brown Jr., and Nancy Giddens.
Saturday: Tom Loehner, and Jacqueline Bardgett.
Sunday: Matt Bain, Kelly Schultz, Chris Liese, Tony Wyche, and Michael Gibbons.
MOScout Schedule
I’m taking off tomorrow for a long weekend. So no Update or Weekly Summary tomorrow, and no Weekender this weekend. See you Monday….