MOScout Daily Update: STL Eyes Reopening - Omnibussing Draws Criticism - Pfizer Vaccine - Senate Passes Budget - Fitz for Gannon and more...
Driving the Day: May 18 STL Reopening
St. Louis leaders are expected to detail their “reopening” plans this morning. In tweets, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said that May 18 would mark the first phase to loosen their stay-at-home orders.
Omnibussing
Post-Dispatch reports on the House’s work yesterday. See it here.
A sweeping package of legislation with controversial changes to crime and gun laws was hotly debated Tuesday by the Missouri House. The omnibus package is nominally focused on public safety, but its provisions are wide-ranging. It contains over 40 separate pieces of legislation, and lawmakers considered over a dozen proposed amendments Tuesday…. Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake Saint Louis, said he was embarrassed that he even had to vote on it. “How many bills have we got on this?” he said. “Shame on us.”
Diverse Groups Denounce Omnibussing
A wide-range of groups from across the ideological spectrum denounced the expanded agenda of the legislature. See it here.
Passing bills unrelated to the budget or the COVID-19 virus without the scrutiny of sunshine taints the legislative process and public trust in the institution… Term limits mean that some lawmakers who want to pass a bill in their final year in the House or Senate may not have that opportunity. While frustrating, it is no excuse to push legislation without the public being able to engage in their First Amendment rights…
As long as voters who sent lawmakers to Jefferson City are unable to be part of a fully open and accessible government -- the cornerstone of democracy in the United States -- the only legislation that should be considered is the budget and bills directly related to COVID-19. Otherwise, a “government by the people” rings hollow and tarnishes the institution of the Missouri Legislature.
Sincerely,
ACLU of Missouri – Sara Baker – Policy Director
Americans for Prosperity Missouri – Jeremy Cady – President
Empower Missouri – Jeanette Mott Oxford – Executive Director
Missouri State Conference of the NAACP – Nimrod Chapel Jr. – President
United for Missouri – Carl Bearden – CEO
American Association of University Women
Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis
League of Women Voters of Missouri
Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation
Missouri Faith Voices
Missouri First, Inc.
Sierra Club Missouri Chapter
St. Louis Jewish Voice for Peace
The Scene
With everything pretty much in play now, many lobbyists were back are back in the building this week. Still it’s an empty capitol because there’s are no bus-loads of school children, no non-profits presenting at tables in the rotunda, no trade associations or business groups making their annual trip to see legislators and of course, no rallies on the first floor, and of course no random citizens visiting to testify on a specific issue.
Fitz for Gannon
In her April 22 amendment to her campaign committee, Rep. Elaine Gannon changed the office she’s seeking to now state that she’s running for Senate 3. But she also changed treasurers. Her committee treasurer now is former Rep. Paul Fitzwater.
Fitzwater was a popular state representative before winning an appointment to the Probation and Parole Board. His name was initially mentioned as a possible Senate 3 candidate. However, now he’s on Team Gannon.
Senate Passes Budget Bills
The Senate worked through the budget bills. Today the two chambers will start the process of conferencing and finding a compromise. The constitutional deadline to pass the budget is Friday.
· Sens. Eric Burlison and Bill Eigel voted NO on all the budget bills (expect HB 2001 dealing with public debt). They that the budget should have greater austerity given the current economic contraction. Burlison said, “To be optimistic is to be unaware of the reality.”
· Education Chair Cindy O’Laughlin voted against the education budget bill (HB 2002).
· The greatest drama came with HB 2004. Language in that bill expanded the footprint of pull-tab games from 500 to 600, allowing them into truck stops. Sen. David Sater said that this was “a direct offence to our low-income people who will divert their money to things like this.” Burlison said it “disgusted” him. Sen. Mike Cunningham recalled growing up and seeing the toll that alcohol and gambling took on many families. Other senators, like Sen. Bill White, growled at the use of the budget to legislate. Still it passed 21-10. NO votes: Sens. Lauren Arthur, Burlison, Sandy Crawford, Eigel, Ed Emery, Bill Onder, Sater, Jill Schupp, Wayne Wallingford, and White.
Pfizer COVID Vaccine Trial
Press release: Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced today that the first participants have been dosed in the U.S. in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the BNT162 vaccine program to prevent COVID-19. The trial is part of a global development program, and the dosing of the first cohort in Germany was completed last week…
Post-Dispatch reports that “County Executive Sam Page said in a post on Twitter that Pfizer has chosen its St. Louis County facility to produce the possible vaccine.”
New Committees
Tony Dorsett formed a candidate committee (Friends for Dorsett) to run for House 117 as a Democrat.
Lobbyists Registrations
Randy Scherr and Brian Bernskoetter added Family Advocacy-Missouri, Inc.
Peter Fjelstad added Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers of America.
Steven Tilley and Thomas Robbins added Group XI Health, LLC.
Steven Tilley added OCM financial LLC.
Jewell Patek added Alivia Analytics, Alliance for Automobile Innovation, Osage River Gaming, Curative, and deleted Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, and BASF Corporation.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Reps. Tom Hannegan (the big 5-0), and Danny Busick.