MOScout Daily Update: Senate Filibuster (Still Going) - No Cort in CD-2 - Anti-Clean Worth the PQ? and more...
Four days left…
Happening Now….
Senate filibuster, started about 17 hours ago. The Conservative Caucus is stopping Senate business from occurring. The first order of business – approving the Journal – has yet to be accomplished. There is no end in sight right now. Aside from a lot of reading from books, here’s what’s happened…
· The House passed a new version of the GM incentive package, SB 184. But either by honest mistake or malicious mistake, the language in this version is unworkable for the GM investment. However, the mere act of passing a second version angered supporters of the SB 68 as it opened some daylight between the legislative leadership.
· And it gives a roadmap to the compromise that the Conservative Caucus is driving toward: a narrowly focused bill on GM incentives, no piggybackin’ allowed.
· GM’s lobbyists, meanwhile, have been playing it mostly quiet. Senators on both sides of the issue have claimed to have spoken to GM, or to know what they “want” in a package. But GM is decidedly not picking a side. They’re letting the process play out.
· The time lost on an overnight filibuster is more than just filibuster time. Folks will be tired when this ends. The Senate will adjourn for a period of time before reconvening, allowing senators and staff to go home for a nap and shower. In other words, if it ended right now, you’d be losing Tuesday morning also, reconvening in the afternoon. If it goes until mid-Tuesday afternoon, you might not re-convene until Wednesday morning.
· One Senate side observer made this prediction to me before session started yesterday. “I think it goes all night, we get nothing done, and the Gov calls us into special session next week.”
Meanwhile Across the Street
This morning (8:30AM) the Missouri Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in SC97544, James J. Wilson, et al. v. City of St. Louis, et al., Tishaura O. Jones. City of St. Louis v. State of Missouri, “an appeal from St. Louis involving challenges to the constitutional validity of state statutes regulating parking in St. Louis…”
And
From Casenet… 4/29/19… 1922-TJ00752 - DES-CONT VS TISHAURA JONES Judgment Entered Against Jones, Amount of Judgment: $777.91
First in MOScout: No Cort in CD-2
Cort VanOstran, the Democrat who ran against Congresswoman Ann Wagner in 2018, will not challenge her again in 2020. VanOstran raised millions and ignited hopes among Dems who hoped that Trump vulnerability in suburban districts could power an upset. He won 47% of the vote.
Becky Morgan is stepping up to run for Dems in CD-2 in 2020. She’s the volunteer leader of the Missouri Chapter of the pro-gun control group, Moms Demand Action.
Anti-Clean Hiccup?
Post-Dispatch’s Kurt Erickson asks if it’s “hiccup or hijinx?” GOP-led bid to undo the Clean Missouri redistricting changes failed to get out of the Senate Fiscal Oversight Committee on a 2-2 vote today. 3 GOP members were absent…
The mighty Jason Rosenbaum looks at the procedural ways that the GOP can fix the error. The stakes are too high to just let it die.
The Case Against PQ-ing Anti-CLEAN
One MOScouter opines on whether it makes sense to PQ Anti-CLEAN… Rumors persist of a previous question motion on Abortion and Clean Missouri… Using the previous question motion on Abortion would be more in line with Senatorial tradition. But Clean Missouri? Outside interests want this. Ample national money on the Clean side and ample state money on the anti-Clean side.
Democrats see Clean as their savior but it is a false prophet. Missouri isn't a swing state or a purple state. It is a RED state. President Trump won by 20%. 2018 was a good year for Democrats but a bad one for them in Missouri. The “partisan fairness” requirement in Clean guarantees that Republicans will control the legislature.
On the other side, the consultant class have been selling the evils of Clean. Most Republican senators will never run under Clean. Nine could run under a Clean map: Sens. Bernskoetter, Burlison, Brown, Cierpiot, Crawford, Hough, Luetkemeyer, O'Laughlin, and White. Many of those got well north of 70% and it is impossible to draw districts that impacts them any more than any other kind of redistricting would impact them. Cierpiot, Hough and Leutkemeyer could be impacted. But Senator Hough already has about as D district as you can get. Senator Rowden is up for reelection this cycle in a tough district that includes the People's Republic of Columbia. Bad optic for Rowden to shut down debate in that district. Drawing districts that are more D friendly to target Cierpiot and Leutkemeyer could backfire. Sen. Rizzo won his race with a lower percentage than either Cierpiot or Leutkemeyer. Or Sen. Arthur could be damaged. She won in a district previously held by Republicans. The problem for Democrats and the insurance policy for Republicans is the redness of Missouri…
We are being told that districts that will run from St. Louis to Columbia and from Joplin to Kansas City. None of which seems to be true. But if the maps are as awful as the consultants are telling us, come back to the voters armed with that.
There may be better uses of the PQ.
Dems and Farm Voters
Washington Post reports from Iowa, with a question that MO Dems must also confront. See it here. Democrats face an increasingly clear crossroads: Do they spend time and resources pursuing rural voters, who are often socially and culturally at odds with the party’s increasingly liberal direction? Or do they double down on cities and suburbs, hoping to drive up support among the multiethnic, younger, more highly educated voters that many see as the party’s future?
eMailbag: Yay for DOR
Kudos to Interim DOR Director Ken Zellers. My state return, filed Feb. 5, hadn't been processed as of last week. I contacted him directly on the issue--since DOR doesn't have an option for talking to a person on income tax return questions--and within a day he and his staff discovered the technical glitch holding up the return and expedited the refund processing.
RFP for HTC Reviewer
From the RFP: The contractor shall review applications for issuance of Historic Tax Credits (HTC) (hereinafter referred to as applications) for the Department of Economic Development (hereinafter referred to as the state agency) in accordance with the provisions and requirements stated herein and to the sole satisfaction of the state agency….
Help Wanted
Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis seeks Executive Director. “Interfaith Partnership is a non-profit organization composed of over thirty different religious groups which has been promoting positive interfaith relations since 1986. In recent years, the operations and budgets of Interfaith Partnership have been growing. A new executive director is expected to greatly expand the vision and mission of Interfaith Partnership in the St. Louis region…” See the ad here.
New Committees
St. Louis Building Trades PAC was formed. Its treasurer is John Stiffler.
SOCO Red PAC was formed. Its treasurer is Daniel Reid.
Lobbyists Registrations
Mark Rhoads added Appriss Safety and BioKyowa.
Eapen Thampy added A Thousand Ripples Warrior Retreat.