MOScout Daily Update: Budget Day in Senate - Danforth for CLEAN - Nixon for Bakker - Jami for Mayor?? and more...
Driving the Day: Senate Works Budget
The Senate Appropriations Committee reported out the budget bills yesterday, paving the way for floor debate and third reading today.
MO Dems Betting on C-Virus?
MO Dems questioned the reopening of the Missouri economy as Missouri continued to report a high level of new cases.
Amidst a significant rise in COVID-19 cases in Missouri, Mike Parson today reopened the state of Missouri — and left many workers and some rural communities deeply worried about their safety. By reopening the state, Parson is defying the advice of the White House — which calls for a clear downward trajectory of cases over the course of 14 days, sufficient PPE for frontline workers, and robust contact tracing. Yet instead of dropping, Missouri’s cases are now clearly rising…
What It Means
It appears Dems will be tracking the data closely and will be ready to second-guess the governor’s choices. If on the doorstep of the November elections, the look-back shows that the coronavirus was not well-contained in May, they’ll make the case that he blundered.
Ashcroft Reopens Campaign
On Twitter yesterday Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced he was resuming campaign activities. With the lifting of the statewide Stay-at-Home order in Missouri on May 4th, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who suspended his campaign during the outset of the Covid 19 crisis, announced he will resume campaign activities on Monday. #MoLeg #MoSOS
Nixon For Bakker
Prompting lots of open-mouthed WHAAA??, KCStar reports that “former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is taking up the legal defense for Ozarks televangelist Jim Bakker, who regulators and law enforcement want to quit pushing an unproven product as a means for treating the novel coronavirus… In March, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued Bakker and his Morningside Church Productions for misrepresenting ‘Silver Solution’ as a COVID-19 treatment. Schmitt’s lawsuit alleged violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. Nixon, a partner for St. Louis law firm Dowd Bennett, along with attorneys from the Kansas City law firm Spencer Fane, claim in court filings that Schmitt’s lawsuit infringes on Bakker’s free speech and religious rights…”
And
Dem Rep. Gina Mitten implores folks to see the bigger picture… What’s important here isn’t that Nixon is representing Bakker. It’s that #MoLeg is trying to gut the very law - #MMPA- the AG is using to sue Bakker.... and China too.
Jami For Mayor?
Sen. Jamilah Nasheed floated a mayoral run yesterday. See it here. I don’t see it happening. She’s been allies with presumptive candidate Tishaura Jones. But one observer dubbed the possible candidacy as “Christmas in May for Lyda [Krewson.]” Nasheed would likely splinter the vote opposing Krewson.
Blues Bill Extension Floated
Yesterday during Senate debate, Sen. Mike Cierpiot tried to slide through (sorry) an amendment to extend the deadline for the Department of Economic Development to help with upgrades to the arena in which the St. Louis Blues play.
99.585. 1. The state of Missouri, acting through the department of economic development and the office of administration, or any other public body may, upon such terms and with reasonable consideration as it may determine, expend funds for the purpose of aiding and cooperating in the planning, undertaking, or carrying out of a land clearance project or projects within the area in which the public body is authorized to act to develop, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, repair, or improve any tourism infrastructure facilities existing as of August 28, 2019, and for which application is made and approved by the department of economic development no later than August 14 28, [2020] 2022.
The coronavirus crisis has state government putting its expenditures on ice (sorry again) and advocates for the project are hoping with extra time to do the deal there could be a thaw (can’t help myself at this point).
After Sens. Bill Eigel and Andrew Koenig signaled that might speak awhile on the amendment, it was withdrawn.
Danforth Defends CLEAN
Jack Danforth, patriarch of MO GOP, writes an op/ed defending CLEAN Missouri. See it here.
I was proud to support the Clean Missouri amendment on the 2018 ballot. The amendment changed the state constitution to clean up Missouri politics in various ways, but above all by reducing the role of politics in the way state House and Senate districts are drawn. The power that partisan and special interests have in drawing these lines was diminished in favor of a nonpartisan state demographer, whose work would then be reviewed by a citizen commission that must hold public hearings…
Now, however, the people’s amendment is under attack. In the midst of the current public health crisis, our state Legislature is seeking to place a new constitutional amendment on an upcoming ballot. It would overturn voter-approved redistricting reforms before they could ever take effect. Instead, it would substitute a redistricting scheme more extreme than Missouri has ever seen. Indeed, if the proposed constitutional amendment is fully enacted, Missouri’s legislative maps could be more gerrymandered than any in the country…
Schmitt’s China Policy
AG Eric Schmitt’s China lawsuit draws cheers and jeers.
· Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot, praises it here. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) owes the world answers to some pressing questions. After becoming aware of the coronavirus outbreak, why did China continue to allow flights from Wuhan to other parts of the world? And why did China buy an estimated 2.2 billion masks between Jan. 24 and the end of February? A new lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt may help us learn more… Missouri should be applauded for recognizing the massive harm that CCP has inflicted. Others are joining the call for the CCP to account, as well. The attorney general of Mississippi, Lynn Fitch, has filed a similar suit to Missouri’s….
· But former Republican gubernatorial candidate John Brunner isn’t impressed. Attacking China with a lawsuit: Interesting for political purposes, this could build a little ground noise to get the voters excited…but substantively is China really going to say, “I’m sorry—here is a few trillion dollars for our malfeasance?!” We all know the answer! In the meantime, this distraction is avoiding the enormous challenges and threats in our own backyard… As for our mutual friend, our attorney general…Was he not just a few years ago a big proponent of a taxpayer funding for building the great “China Hub” distribution center in the heart of America? What has changed? Of course, the wind is blowing in the other direction!
eMailbag on Lobbyist Power
Could it be that legislators don't have the long-term learning curve of the past? You are in and out in 8 years which is just about when you really begin to understand all the processes. Term limits left the institutional knowledge with the lobbyists and legislative assistants.
New Committees
Luke Hagedorn formed a candidate committee (Friends of Luke Hagedorn) to run for House 124 as a Republican.
Lobbyists Registrations
Nexus Group added HNTB Corporation.
Gamble & Schlemeier added Tutera Senior Living & Health Care.
Steven Carroll added MAAL.
$5K+Contributions
Local 41 Political Action Fund - $17,209 from DRIVE Committee.
UAW Region 5 Midwest States Political Action Committee (PAC) (MO) - $6,000 from UAW Region 4 Exchange Account.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Michael Hafner, John Hickey, and David Day.