MOScout Daily Update: What's Next For FRA? - The Senate and The Damage Done - Barge Back Up - Who Won The Session and more...

FRA Failure

The failure of the FRA tax to be renewed was one of the bigger surprises of the legislative session.  It was repeatedly described as “critical,” “essential,” or with some other such adjective.

However despite being “essential,” the impasse refused to be negotiated.

FRA – and the billions it provides to sustain the state’s Medicaid program – is still considered essential.  And so, everyone assumes there’ll be a call for a special session emanating soon from the governor’s office.

As folks game out that scenario, one question arising is the extent to which the governor can craft the call to alleviate the troublesome language Sen. Bob Onder wishes to attached to the tax renewal.

One MOScouter sent this attorney general’s opinion outlining where those lines are drawn.  See it here.

It’s an old document, written a half-century ago by then-AG Norman Anderson, a Democrat, at the request of then-House Majority Leader Mel Carnahan.  Democrat Warren Hearnes was governor at the time of the opinion.

What’s Next

·         I think it would be hard to rule the Onder language beyond the scope of a special session called on the FRA tax renewal. 

·         I could see Missouri Right to Life making any vote on the language a “rated” vote, adding to pressure on Republican legislators to fall behind Onder’s position.

·         We’ll see, but this may be a bit more knotty that folks realize.

Damage to the Senate

On the last day of session, Minority Leader John Rizzo decried the “death of the Old Senate,” and accused Republican leadership of not honoring pledges they’d made.

While the act of closing debate (the PQ) is often described as “traumatic” in the Senate, breaking one’s word on a deal is nothing short of catastrophic.  That is the single currency by which all legislation is crafted.  Compromise and handshakes are the entirety of the legislative process.  Take away the handshake and nothing is possible.

Rizzo’s accusation stems from Pro Tem Dave Schatz backing Sen. Bob Onder’s amendment to the FRA renewal (see above).

One lobbyist explains the blow up: The Ds sat down on SAPA with the promise that they would get FRA done. That meant that leadership would keep FRA up long enough to outlast Wieland and Onder. The FRA strategy failed because Onder’s amendment was adopted. It was adopted 16-14 because Schatz abandoned the deal and voted yes. If he had voted no, they could have seen the plan through.

Schatz’ motivation?  That same lobbyist: “a US Senate primary in mind.”

Barge Back-Up

One reader pointed out this article about a barge back-up on the Mississippi, noting “this is going to be a problem for Missouri manufacturers like Magnitude 7, the aluminum smelter previously owned by Noranda, in Southeast Missouri. Upbound tows bringing raw materials to Missouri are currently the last in line with the US Coast Guard’s prioritization for getting all these bardges out of queue: Department of Defense munitions tow, Liquid tows supporting Colonial Pipeline, Liquid tows, Passenger vessels, Downbound tows, Upbound tows.”   Read the article here.

The U.S. Coast Guard lifted the waterway restriction on the Mississippi River near I-40 bridge in Memphis, Tennessee after it was deemed safe for vessels to transit beneath the bridge.  The Mississippi River is now open to all vessel traffic with no restrictions. As of Friday, there were 62 vessels and 1,058 barges in queue prior. A crack was discovered in a crucial structural support beam of the I-40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge on Wednesday during a routine inspection of the bridge by the Arkansas Department of Transportation, which immediately shut the bridge down to road traffic.

Who Won the Session

Caleb Rowden – The session saw the passage of several big pieces of legislation many thought were unattainable especially with the Senate’s weekly mini-eruptions. Those accomplishments had one common link: Caleb Rowden.

Rob Vescovo – Some feared that the new speaker would be a bit too hot for a position that requires a cool temperament. But the yin-yang of Vescovo and his chief of staff Kenny Ross proved to be an effective counterbalance helping unify the House Republicans against an often hopelessly divided Senate Republican caucus.  

Dean Plocher - With the speaker’s race decided nearly a year and a half before the victor assumed the role, Plocher had one session to either prove his mettle, or make significant mistakes. Plocher had a solid session with no major errors, and is the clear favorite in the Speaker’s race.

Senate Dem freshmen: Steve Roberts and Barbara Washington brought their legal training and fire power to Senate debates over and over this session.  Both demonstrated an ease and comfort in holding the floor and subjecting bills to a rigorous examination.  Greg Razer meanwhile was able to push important items on his agenda forward: Mental Health Parity, and continuing to raise the issue of non-discrimination.

Andrew Koenig – Koenig carried the ball through a landmine-ridden Senate on two of the biggest items this session: ESAs and Wayfair.  While his rhetoric, especially in committee hearings, could sometimes veer into bombastic territory, he never took his eyes off the prize of moving bills into the TAFP endzone.

Hannah Kelly – Only 22 House bills made it across the finish line (not including budget bills) and three of those were Kelly’s.  It’s obvious that the speaker trusts her to carry his top priorities.

Holly Rehder – After laboring for years to pass a PDMP against the conservative distrust and skepticism of anything big government, Rehder achieved her goal.  It’ll be interesting to see what she puts her energy towards next session without the PDMP fight to distract her. 

Kate Casas – The quarterback of the ESA legislation produced a landmark success for education reformers.  But also, together with David Jackson, achieved a very good restart for the Sinquefield family with wins in criminal justice reform, a new priority for the family.  And perhaps more importantly, it was done without creating any of the backlash that seemingly characterized all previous Sinquefield efforts.

Jake Hummel – The president of the Missouri AFL-CIO is now one of the most visible labor presences in the building.  His experience as a former legislator together with his stature as a labor leader gives him a unique set of tools.  The fruit of his efforts this session was seen in the passage of the gas tax.

Jeremy LaFaver and Brian Colby – For more than two decades, Missouri Budget Project (MBP) has been fighting for a state earned income tax credit. And for the last 14 years, MBP has worked on the Wayfair issue. In order to achieve both those priorities, MBP’s policy team compromised on additional income tax reductions, and helped make it a reality.

Criminal justice reformers - It was a strong session for the reform camp, which in SB 53 passed everything from police reform (chokehold ban, establishment of a registry of disciplined officers); to sentencing reform (language allowing prosecutors to revisit potentially wrongful convictions, Rep. David Evans' language facilitating alternative sentencing/treatment for nonviolent primary caregivers of children); to improved county jail conditions (funding for access to feminine hygiene products); to enhanced support for re-entry services.

Who’d I miss?  Let me know.  dave@moscout.com

Lobbyists Registrations

Liz Henderson added Brent Hemphill & Associates, and all of his clients.

Drew Weber added Lombardo Homes of St. Louis LLC; and deleted Provence Development, LLC.

Travis Brown deleted Public Consulting Group c/o MultiState Associates Inc.     

$5K+ Contributions

Freedom's Promise PAC - $11,950 from The Habitat Alliance.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Doug Funderburk.