MOScout Daily Update: House Presses Pause - Urban Issues Committee Coming - Bean's RTW Bill - WWTW and more....
House Presses Pause
With a number of members testing positive for COVID, the House announced yesterday afternoon that they were going to cancel session for next week.
“Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the building, we are exercising an abundance of caution to protect members, staff, and visitors by canceling session next week. Our goal is to return to work the following week.”
I’m told the Senate Republican Caucus will be holding a conference call today to plot their path forward. But the assumption is that they will continue as scheduled. Both chambers had already planned to be off for Monday, Martin Luther King Day.
And
See this little twitter-fight between the House Democratic Campaign Committee and Speaker Rob Vescovo. Dems, trying to play the move for politics, were rebuked by the speaker.
· House Republicans are going to remind House Dems of yesterday’s vote for a long time…
Urban Issues Committee Coming
There will be an Urban Issues Committee this year. The speaker’s office had already communicated that to members of the Black Caucus. It hasn’t been formally assigned yet because Speaker Rob Vescovo is still considering who to make the chair.
Watching Bean
Sen. Jason Bean was the only Republican freshman to be assigned vice-chair of two committees: Agriculture and Transportation/Public Safety. He has, in the words of one observer, “good options going forward.” Some lobbyists are already tracking him for a leadership role down the road.
Interestingly, one of Bean’s policy priorities is something that the MOGOP hasn’t pursued lately: right to work. There’s been little talk of the issue since voters rescinded the legislature’s action on it back in 2018.
But Bean’s SB 73 would revive the idea with a local control twist. His bill has the traditional right to work language, but adds a clause that it only applies to counties which adopt it through a vote.
Bean’s district shares borders with Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee. All three are right to work states. Bean’s legislation would allow his district to compete on a similar basis with its neighbors – if they approved it – while not impacting the rest of the state.
The bill was referred to Sen. Bill Eigel’s General Laws Committee.
Who Won the Week
Aaron Griesheimer - Lands the chairmanship of one of the more consequential committees, Emerging Issues. And he’s only a sophomore.
Barbara Washington – The only Democratic Freshman Senator to score a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee.
Lincoln Hough – Maybe he smiled as the Dems went weak on Price? One Republican texted me it was a “huge gift” from Minority Leader Crystal Quade if she should decide to challenge his re-election in two years.
Sheila Solon – Days after her term ends, she gets a nice job with the Parson administration as Acting Director of the Division of Professional Registration.
David McCracken – Flotron McIntosh’s workhorse lobbyist hit the big 4-0 birthday this week.
Find a downloadable version here.
Emailbag on Price Punishment
From a Dem…
Censure is much more than a slap on the wrist, especially with the fine. Rep. Price will be virtually shut out of any ability to work on or advance any meaningful legislation.
The Ethics committee after hearing all the testimony possible, (something that the rest of the body and certainly the rest of the public) was not privy to unanimously came up with the recommendations that we as a body overwhelmingly supported.
Rep. Mark Ellebracht’s comments were succinct in that he emphasized the rights of the citizens in the 84th district and the fact that the intern herself denied the relationship….the sentiment of his words clearly carried the day.
Roeber will be addressed in due time, he also will be completely ineffective and it seems to me it will be up to the citizens of the 34th to accept the fate of their decision as flawed as that decision was.
Lobbyists Registrations
Brent Hemphill, Steven Tilley and Thomas Robbins added US Term Limits.
David Winton and Jessica Petrie added Burrell Behavioral Health.
Travis Brown added HHS Technology Group LLC.
Tracy King added The Opportunity Trust.
Sam Hallemeier added Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA).
Kathryn Harness added Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri.
Collan Barth Rosier added Navitus Health Solutions LLC.
Mike Gibbons and Tricia Workman deleted Dan Hinkle.
$5K+ Contributions
Freedom of Road Riders, Inc-PAC - $14,957 from Freedom of Road Riders Homecoming Committee.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Virvus Jones, Brendan Cossette, and Esther Haywood.
Saturday: Mary Still and Don Gosen.
Sunday: Mike Kehoe.
MLK Day: Robert Knodell, Shawn Rhoads, Carl Bearden, and Bill Lant.
MOScout Schedule
I’m taking the long weekend for Martin Luther King Day on Monday. So I’ll see you on Tuesday morning. No weekend editions.