MOScout Daily Update: House Set to Pass FRA - Hartman Out of CD-4 - House Leadership Talk - Gross Wins Big on Sunshine - COVID Surge in SWMO and more...

House Set To Pass FRA

The House Budget Committee passed out the Senate’s clean FRA bill yesterday, as well as a bill from Rep. Nick Schroer to defund “any affiliate or associate of such abortion facility.” 

The House convenes at 9AM today, the final day before Governor Mike Parson’s July 1 deadline.

There’s no reason to think that FRA has any problem at this point as the Schroer bill should give conservatives ample consolation.

·         The next question becomes: will the Senate return to take up the Schroer bill?

Gross Scores Sunshine Win

Elad Gross, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic attorney general nomination in 2020, scored a big win for the Sunshine Law with the Missouri Supreme Court yesterday.

See the decision here.

The case began in 2018 when Governor Mike Parson’s team responded to Gross’ sunshine request with a combination of delays, fees and redactions to thwart the request.

The judgement delivers point by point blow to the governor’s handling of the sunshine request.  Among the most damning finding…

·         The reasonable inference that can be drawn from these allegations and the incorporated facts related to Mr. Gross’s first records request is that the Governor’s Office violated the law in the ways Mr. Gross alleged and knew it was violating the law when it took the challenged actions (i.e., charged $40 per hour for research/processing time, failed to provide the earliest date records would be available, and failed to provide a detailed explanation of the cause for delay).

·         The reasonable inference raised by these allegations is that the Governor’s Office knew it could not redact records without explanation.

·         These allegations sufficiently allege the Governor’s Office had an intent to violate the law.

House Leadership Talk

In all likelihood Floor Leader Dean Plocher will be unopposed for speaker. 

·         We’re seeing money flowing into the Plocher PAC (Missouri United).  $18K this week.

·         Cody Smith, perhaps the only one with the standing in the caucus to challenge Plocher, appears set to remain as Budget Chair.

In the Floor Leader race, there’s less clarity.

·         One source says that Rep. Mike Haffner “is telling people that he's going to [run for Congress], though he has not officially dropped out of the leadership race.”

·         Hannah Kelly is beloved by the caucus, but her status as a would-be senior could be problematic.  If, for example, Rep. Mike Henderson, wins the Pro Tem spot, then you’d have an uncertain succession plan.  It would mean that someone outside of leadership would ascend to Speakership in 2025.

·         Meanwhile Rep. Jon Patterson continues to quietly work the race.  He’s likely to make a formal announce for Floor Leader later this summer.

Hartman Out of CD-4

MOScouter tips: Dan Hartman has determined now is not the time for him to run for public office… He will continue his duties at Sen. Josh Hawley’s state director…

·         Word is that Hartman ad his wife are infanticipating their second child!

COVID Surge Hits SWMO Hospitals

Springfield News-Leader reports that the COVID surge in southwest Missouri has led to patient transfers to relieve strained hospitals.  Read it here.

·         If you live in southwest Missouri, hospital executives say acquiring a severe case of COVID-19 could now mean a stay in St. Louis or Kansas City, as the global pandemic that has killed 3.9 million people continues to stretch Missouri hospital staffing toward what one statewide association recently called a "breaking point" in its 2021 workforce report.

·         A handful of Springfield-area patients are already being treated hundreds of miles away in the state's two biggest cities, the leader of CoxHealth confirmed Tuesday morning.

eMailbag on Labor Shortage

·         In Branson where the economy relies heavily on tourism. Walked into a restaurant last night, they said, “We don’t have enough workers so we can’t offer food and if you want a drink, you need to order at the bar. Otherwise, come on in."

·         Maybe the solution is as simple as just paying a little more for entry level wages, i.e. law of supply & demand

$5K+ Contributions

Sander for Missouri - $30,343 from Christopher Sander.

A Better Missouri Political Action Committee - $15,000 from Anheuser-Busch Cos.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Jeff Porter and Pat Dougherty.