MOScout Daily Update: Vescovo Tells Derges to Resign - Strong Jan Budget Numbers - Senate Pipeline - Meet Ignite Strategic and more...
Vescovo Tells Derges To Resign
House Speaker Rob Vescovo said in a statement yesterday that he’d spoken with Rep. Tricia Derges and asked her to resign. So far, she’s hasn’t done anything.
Vescovo statement: “Following the announcement of the serious charges filed against Representative Derges I immediately removed her from all of her committee assignments. After speaking with her and with the caucus, I am asking her to resign her seat with the House. The legal process will ultimately determine her guilt or innocence, but this is clearly a time for her to spend with her family as she focuses on her legal issues, and for the people of the 140th district to move forward with selecting a replacement who can effectively advocate for their interests.”
January Revenues Strong
January state tax receipts were strong again, surging 18% over January 2020. The strength was across the board in all tax collection categories: sales tax receipts +10%, individual income tax receipts +13%.
This brought the fiscal-year-to-date tax revenue to $6.4 billion. That’s $1 billion higher than where state revenues were at the end of January 2020.
Still while the state is in a strong budget position right now, some do worry about factors looming in the next fiscal year (higher healthcare costs, tax cut trigger).
What’s Next for the Senate
With the Senate prepped to third read the COVID liability bill today, the next big battles on the Senate floor can be found by simply looking what’s n the calendar for perfection…
· SB 10 – Pro Tem Dave Schatz’ effort to tighten the laws to put the gray machines out of business.
· SB 1 – Sen. Dan Hegeman’s extension of the FRA tax. It helps keep the Medicaid program solvent, but its renewal also offers a pressure point for critics of the hospitals or those seeking to reform the Medicaid program to press their arguments.
· And sitting on the informal calendar is Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin’s SB 55, 23 & 25. The expectation is that Dems will be united in fighting this bill, and they may have help from a few Republican senators. The best guess is we’ll see a repeat of the COVID liability routine: a long night full of filibustering and backroom negotiations, hopefully with a resolution by daybreak.
What Ed Establishment Could Learn From Reformers
One MOScouter who follows the education legislation and sits through all those hearings remarked how Senate Education Vice-Chair Rick Brattin “ran a tight ship” in Chair Cindy O’Laughlin’s absence.
But they also made a comment I thought was especially insightful about the difference between the testimony of the “ed establishment” and the “reformers.” The reformers do a good job humanizing their issue, and the establishment should copy that method.
· “The Ed establishment needs to bring in parents instead of superintendents, school board members and lobbyists. The choice folks had a single dad testify recently. A black man who brought his kids. He was affable and he had a very powerful story. It’s hard to not be on the side of a guy like that.”
Shampoo Deregulation
Rep. Tom Hannegan’s HB 237 was voted out of the House Professional Registration and Licensing Committee as a consent bill yesterday. It deregulates the occupation of shampooing. “The division of professional registration shall not require any person who engages solely in shampooing under the supervision of a licensed barber or cosmetologist to be licensed as a barber or cosmetologist. For purposes of this section, "shampooing" means the act of washing or cleansing hair with shampoo for compensation.
While the notion of licensing shampooists would likely make regular folks chuckle, there’s a principle here with bipartisan consensus that should be used to drive more far-reaching deregulation: while you need the government to regulate the market where the stakes are high, it’s a waste of government resources to do it when the stakes are low (or non-existent).
Ignite Strategic Consulting
Former Sen. Jamilah Nasheed tweeted the logo of a new firm, Ignite Strategic Consulting.
Ignite Strategic Consulting, LLC was formed at the end of October last year. According to paperwork filed with the secretary of state’s office. The organizers for the LLC are Nasheed, and LaTanya H Reeves.
The purpose for which the limited liability company was listed as “governmental and political consulting and all other purposes allowable by law.”
eMailbag on Gas Tax
As impressive as Randy Scherr’s numbers were, it’s not clear they included the increased fuel efficiency of vehicles. Gallons per mile economy of the US fleet appears to have dropped by about 20% over the same time period. More efficient cars mean more miles driven to get the same amount of gas tax….
eMailbag on Curator’s Horserace
Sure, Todd Graves was the chief apologist for Governor Eric Greitens. He was also the MOGOP Chairman who sent $200,000 from the Party to a PAC he has tied to, leaving the Party in debt (a debt Governor Parson had to help cleanup).
Fast-forward to today - Graves/Lager/Patek have donated the old State Party offices to Governor Parson’s PAC. I guess we will see which Todd Graves the Governor chooses to see…
eMailbag on Moon Shakes Fist
Bless his heart, Moon should lower the fist he's shaking, crack open the copy of the Missouri Constitution he keeps nearby, and read Art. IV, Sec. 4 again. This was a straight-up vacancy appointment. There might be local party committee recommendations (which governors can take or leave, and Greitens always ignored). There's certainly no Senate advice or consent, and therefore, no strong tradition of consultation with local senators.
New Committees
Invest in Rolla was formed. It’s a PAC. Its treasurer is Molly Malone.
SCOPE PAC was formed. Its treasurer is James Luetkemeyer, of Jefferson City.
Lobbyists Registrations
Katlain Rapoza added Professional Beauty Association.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Heather Grote, and Danny Pfeifer.