MOScout Daily Update: MedEx for August? - How Will Parson Handle Party Crowds? - Wood to DSS and more...

Covid Questions for Parson

Eyes will be on Governor Mike Parson today at 3PM when he holds his daily coronavirus briefing.  At the top of the list of most questions will likely be his response to social media reports of large dense gatherings at the Lake of Ozarks.

The posts went viral and were picked up by national media (see NYPost, NBC), with most commentators tut-tutting the reckless disregard of social distancing guidelines.

How will Parson deal with a business thumbing its nose at the order underlying his Show Me Strong Recovery Plan?  Restaurants may offer dining-in services, provided that the limitations on social distancing and other precautionary public health measures, including proper spacing of at least six feet (6’) between tables, lack of communal seating areas to parties that are not connected, and having no more than ten (10) people at a single table, are properly adhered to.

·         Does he just say they’re not exercising personal responsibility and shrug his shoulders? 

And

Reporters will also be asking about whether the state has inflated its testing numbers by including antibody tests in his tally.

KCStar reports: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced Saturday that it had combined antibody and viral coronavirus testing data, creating an artificially lower percentage of positive tests in the state.  The tests were separated in statewide data Saturday. Antibody, or serology, tests show whether a person has ever had COVID-19. A viral, or PCR test, shows whether a person is actively infected with the virus. In statewide data Friday, Missouri reported that about 6.5% of tests conducted in the state were positive. After separating the two types of test, however, the data showed that 8.3% of PCR tests were positive and 4% of antibody tests were positive.  The combination of the two data could cause patients who received both tests to be listed twice.

Driving the Day: MedEx to August?

Jason Hancock reports that “Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced Friday afternoon that an initiative petition seeking to expand Medicaid eligibility has collected enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot. And because Ashcroft expedited the process of verifying signatures using random sampling instead of sending them to local election authorities, Gov. Mike Parson could still move the issue off of the November ballot and place it on the August primary ballot… Chuck Hatfield, a Jefferson City attorney, sent a letter to Ashcroft’s office Friday morning arguing that in order to use random sampling the secretary of state should have to go through a formal rule making process to establish how the sampling is conducted… The deadline for Parson to move the question to the August ballot is May 26….”

Why It Matters

The thinking is that the governor doesn’t want the organizing power of the pro-Medicaid expansion campaign bringing people to the polls in November because those voters will tend to lean Democratic.

Measuring Reopening Impacts

Surfing the web, I happened on this site, attempting to quantify how states are handling the “exit” from the coronavirus, and whether we’re getting teed up for a second wave.  See it here.

Wood to Children’s Division

Rep. David Wood has been appointed the director of the Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services.  One lobbyist heavily involved in those issues tells me that “the child advocacy community” likes the appointment.

Senate Parking Garage Repairs

O1817-01 | Structural Repairs, Senate Parking Garage, Capitol Complex, Jefferson City, MO

The project includes but is not limited to, full depth concrete repairs, partial depth vertical column/wall concrete repairs, partial depth overhead concrete girder/beam/rib repairs, epoxy crack injection repairs, vehicular traffic membrane patching repairs, repairs over the pedestrian tunnel to the capitol building, hydrophobic injections in the pedestrian tunnel, and painting/re-striping of parking stalls. Cost Estimate: $350,000 to $480,000…

Lobbyist Registrations

Jeff Cook-McCormac added LPPE LLC.

James Harris deleted Missouri Bail A ssociation, Navigant Consulting Inc, and New Florence Wood Products.

Ginger Steinmetz and Amy Blunt deleted Oaktree Transportation Infrastructure Fund LP.

$5K+ Contributions

House Democratic Campaign Committee - $6,000 from Citizens for Crystal Quade.

Missourians for Healthcare - $8,554 from Sierra Club.

Page PAC - $25,000 from Sam and Marilyn Fox General Expense Account.

Page PAC - $25,000 from Seneca CRE LLC.

Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri 2665 PAC Fund - $22,000 from Professional Firefighters of Eastern Missouri.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Rep. Raychel Proudie, and Eric Wilson.

Condolences

To Aaron Baker on the passing of his father, Bob Baker.