MOScout Daily Update: Moody Sees MedEx $$$ Battle - Long on Latest Trump Huddle - No Rams $$$ for Nixon - Better Elections $670K and more...
Budget Issues Await Next Session
There’s a fair amount of pessimism among the lobbying corps about the prospect of a productive session next year.
· Last session the Senate ended with fingers pointing in all directions of mistrust and broken promises.
· It’s an election year which can make things trickier, but also there are several senators eying higher office as well as some House members as well.
· The governor’s decision to not call a special session means that the early part of session will be dedicated to passing a new congressional map.
Now come reports that budget issues will likely dominate the early months with deadlines in February and March.
Missouri Independent reports…
· Missouri has so much money, coming so fast, from federal COVID-19 relief bills that it is in danger of losing almost $2 billion dedicated to schools… The American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March, is the source of the money. The U.S. Education Department approved the state’s plan and released the last of the money in early October. The problem is that the money can’t be spent until there’s an appropriation. And unless lawmakers pass, and Gov. Mike Parson signs, a supplemental appropriations bill before March 24, the money has to be returned.
· “It is Nov. 16 and we are not in session until Jan. 5,” Chairman Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, told Vandeven in the hearing. “There is a tremendous amount of work that is going to be required to move a supplemental bill of that nature.”
And Budget watcher Jim Moody sees another budget battle brewing over a Medicaid Expansion supplemental funding bill.
· “The required Medicaid expansion bills for providers are currently being paid out of the existing, pre-expansion Medicaid appropriations. We are told from a very good source that those appropriations will be exhausted roughly by February 2022. Without further appropriations, the MoHealthnet Division would not be able to pay their providers on a timely basis… This battle will likely get ugly. There is no guarantee that the wrangling will not create a delay in Medicaid payments.”
Politico on Long
Politico ran a profile on Congressman Billy Long. See it here. Lotta color in the article. Here are some highlights…
· Ahead of Congress' Thanksgiving break, Long visited Trump again, this time in Mar-a-Lago. Trump told the imposing 66-year-old that he remains open to a Long endorsement but is in no rush.
· Long's Trump-OG approach is emblematic of the former president’s singular influence in Republican primaries, where entire campaigns are predicated on landing one man’s endorsement.
· As a young boy, Long taught his dog to roll over and play dead upon being asked: “Would you rather be a Democrat or a dead dog?”
· Long is working closely with longtime Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, both because she’s “brilliant” and because she’s willing to go with Long whenever he wants to talk to Trump: “I would hope it would help me a little bit, having Kellyanne on my team.” He said Conway can’t get him the endorsement, but it’s one more way Long appeals to what’s often driven Trump’s thinking: loyalty.
· Even as he predicts Trump would thin the crowded Missouri primary with an endorsement, Long says he won’t drop out if the former president chooses someone else.
$250K Misreported
The Missouri Ethics Commission fined the MACFPD Campaign Committee $10,978 for various violations. See the consent order here.
· The most egregious was mis-reporting the source of a $250,000 contribution. It was, after all, Great St. Louis Inc., an old Travis Brown - Rex Sinquefield vehicle.
· MACFPD was in cahoots with Steve Stenger on various fronts; see Post-Dispatch articles here and here.
· The committee was terminated in 2019.
Better Elections
In the large contributions (below) Better Elections received a $670K in-kind contribution from Article IV, a 501c4 registered in Virginia for the purpose of “educating the public about policies that implicate the democratic process, including electoral systems and redistricting, and to advocate for reform.”
Better Elections, recently changed its name from Final 4 Missouri. Its treasurer is Dave Roland. It is in support of a “TBD ballot measure for improving choices and Support competition in elections.” It has several initiative petitions filed that would help non-major parties retain their supporters in general elections through a ranked voting process.
Dems’ Eyes Meander Back to Nixon….
One veteran Dem: So the water cooler talk now is whether Jay Nixon takes another look at the US Senate race now that the Rams case is settled. Assuming he is getting a payout…
· But… St. Louis Business Journal: The two law firms representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the Los Angeles Rams and the National Football League are in line to receive more than $276 million in fees from the settlement announced Wednesday — more than one-third of the $790 million total — based on terms of a contract approved in 2016... Dowd said in September that Nixon played no role in the RSA's selection of the law firm. Nixon, who hasn't worked on the case, would not receive compensation from it, the law firm added…
Cyberwarfare Widens
NYTimes reports on a cyberwar going on between Israel and Iran which is increasingly aimed at civilian targets. Read it here.
· For years, Israel and Iran have engaged in a covert war, by land, sea, air and computer, but the targets have usually been military or government related. Now, the cyberwar has widened to target civilians on a large scale…
· The escalation comes as American authorities have warned of Iranian attempts to hack the computer networks of hospitals and other critical infrastructure in the United States….
· Nondefense computer networks are generally less secure than those tied to state security assets…
· No one died in these attacks, but if their goal was to create chaos, anger, and emotional distress on a large scale, they succeeded wildly…
Meanwhile…
The Missouri Cybersecurity Commission sits stillborn. Governor Mike Parson has yet to make any appointments to it yet.
TGiving News Dump
West Wing popularized the phrase “taking out the trash” to describe end-of-the-week new dumps. But if you really want to bury something, release it after 5PM on the Friday after Thanksgiving…
ST. LOUIS, MO. – The Missouri Democratic Party withdrew their motion to dismiss an open case with the National Labor Relations Board and has reached an amicable non-Board settlement with a previous employee on Friday. Chairman Michael Butler released the following statement regarding the agreement: “Both parties have worked hard to find a remedy and we are encouraged by the decisions made today. Of course, we wish this situation never came to be, but we are satisfied with the agreement. Organized labor has been a major part of my life and the backbone of America. The MDP has always been and will continue to be fervent union supporters.”
MIC Gets Contract
The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), Bureau of Immunizations (BI), requires a contract to conduct activities for statewide vaccination education efforts, through a statewide immunization coalition, in order to increase immunization rates and vaccine confidence for adults, infants, children and adolescents in Missouri. The Missouri Immunization Coalition (MIC) is the only statewide immunization coalition in Missouri that has a statewide immunization focus. Additionally, MIC is the only immunization coalition that can provide consistent, vaccination education for required vaccination media campaigns, as well as the ability to host a statewide immunization conference… As a result, this represents a proprietary requirement that meets the criteria as a single feasible source under section 34.044 RSMo.
· See the Missouri Immunization Coalition website here.
Panel Announced
The Appellate Judicial Commission, announced the commission submitted to Governor Michael Parson its panel of nominees to fill the vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern
District. This vacancy exists due to the October 2021 retirement of Judge Nancy Steffen Rahmeyer… The nominees are Judges Jennifer R. Growcock, Joseph L. Hensley and Laura J. Johnson.
New Committee
GOFF PAC was formed. It’s an IE PAC for Jeannie Goff. She’s running for Jefferson County Clerk. The current clerk, Ken Waller, has announced that he’s running for state representative (Becky Ruth seat). Goff was Waller’s chief of staff.
Lobbyists Registrations
Dustin Backes added Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
Jennifer Gray, Emre Guvenilir, Ben Hahs, Lexi Jackson, Tanya Jones, Martin Bailey, Hayley Prins, and Abby Weiler added Associated Students of the University of Missouri.
$5K+ Contributions
Better Elections - $669,728 from Article IV (Alexandria VA)
Mo Coalition for Video Lottery PAC - $75,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of MO LLC.
Lincoln PAC (pro-Hough) - $30,000 from IAFF FIREPAC VIC Missouri.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, and Joe Don McGaugh.