MOScout Daily Update: Folks Getting Sick of Each Other - Budget Passed - GM $$$ Advances - New STL County Indictments - Names for Erby Seat and more....

Legislature Passes Budget, Advances GM $$$

We’ve entered the beginning of the end.

·         Yesterday the House – in a move it telegraphed the day before – rejected the conference committee report on budget bill HB 3.  Their beef was the removal of a provision to prevent DACA students from receiving the in-state tuition rate at universities. The conference committee, spurred on by the conservative backlash, put the language back in. And the entire budget was passed by both chambers, easily beating today’s constitutional deadline by about fifteen hours.

·         The House also passed it version of LIHTC res-start.  The House vote of 143-7 was a “strong” vote, much like the Senate’s 31-0 vote a few months ago.  Each side will claim at conference committee that their chamber won’t take the other’s version.  From the outside looking in, the differences don’t seem substantial to me – a public scoring of proposals, some changes to transfer of credits.  But apparently to those in the weeds, these differences may be deal-breakers.

·         The House added fantasy sports changes to SB 87, and sent that bill to Fiscal Oversight Committee.

·         The main event of the day was House’s addition of the General Motors’ incentives to SB 68. The amendment adding the incentives and governor’s Fast Track proposal squeaked through 76-64 with 18 absent without leave. The overall bill fared a bit better with 92 votes.  It now moves back to Senate.

People Getting Sick of Each Other

The long days led to a lot of testiness.  For example, Rep. Nick Schroer called his Republican colleague Rep. Justin Hill a “liar” on the House floor.  And then there’s this Twitter exchange … this.

Next STL County Indictments

This morning Sheila Sweeney and John Rallo will be in court today for their roles in the Stenger corruption schemes.  This isn’t much of a surprise as they were both mentioned repeatedly in the indictment of Steve Stenger. 

And

Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby is resigning to join the new Page Administration. See it here.  Erby, 73, of University City, was first elected to the council in 2004. She is taking a new position: director of diversity, equity and inclusion. Her salary will more than quintuple from her $20,000 council salary. She starts on Monday.

One finger-on-the-pulse MOScouter thinks we’ll see former Rep. Courtney Curtis be hired by Erby, thereby taking him out of the sweepstakes to run for her seat.  The names being mentioned to run for Ervy’s seat… former Sen. Rita Days, Rep. Cora Faith Walker, former Rep. Clem Smith, and Ferguson Councilmember Ella Jones.

New IPs

Mark Pedersen filed a new marijuana reform initiative petition.  See it here.

$5K+ Contributions

A Better Missouri Political Action Committee - $24,400 from Anheuser-Busch Cos.

American Property Casualty Insurance Association Political Account - $16,393 from American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

Missourians for Effective Leadership PAC - $35,000 from Burns & McDonnell Inc.

Hirth for Judge - $20,000 from Andy Hirth.

Lobbyists Registrations

John Bardgett, Jacqueline Bardgett, Erika Leonard, and Chris Roepe added FB Farming Co., Abundant Holdings LLC, and Lavvan, Inc.       

James Harris added FWD.us, and Navigant Consulting Inc.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Rep. Ron Hicks.

Saturday: Rep. Greg Razer, Leslie Korte, Abram Messer, and Jerryl Christmas.

Sunday: Peter Kinder, and Leann Chilton.