MOScout Daily Update: New Vax Incentives - Moon Posts Vax Skepticism - Hartzler Gets Maggie Nod - Green Clinic Order - Kehoe to RGA? and more....

Parson Announces Vax Incentives

Governor Mike Parson announced new incentive programs aimed at increasing Missouri’s vaccination rates.

Starting in August and going through October, there will be bi-weekly drawings to win $10,000.  You must be vaccinated to enter.  Additionally, the state will fund $25/person incentives to be administered by the local health departments. 

The cost for these incentives will be $20 million ($9M for the lottery, $11M for the local incentives)

·         From the press release: "Our current COVID-19 situation is serious. This Delta variant transmits faster than what we have previously seen and is more likely to impact children and the unvaccinated, so now is the perfect opportunity to get vaccinated and earn your shot at $10,000."

Meanwhile…

Sen. Mike Moon, who represents southwest Missouri, reacted on Facebook…

Can you imagine going to a store where an item is free to all who want the item?  The store purchased "a ton" of the items, but since not many want the freebie, the store manager creates an incentive (in order to get the item moving).

Could it be that something might be wrong with the free item?

The Governor just stated that Missourians should consult with the health professionals they trust in order to make their decision about whether or not to get the coronavirus shot.  (But, just in case you're not convinced, here's a chance to win $10,000.)

Remember, most healthy people have a 99.7% chance of surviving the virus.  All the more reason to focus on taking proper care of ourselves.

Re-Masking?

In St. Louis and Kansas City, talk of re-masking is starting up again.  It’d be one more front on the fight against the delta variant.

It seems a tough sell. 

·         Folks who are already vaccinated won’t see much reason for the precaution.

·         Folks who refuse vaccination aren’t inclined to follow public health advisories.

Driving the Day: Opioid Settlement

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt will hold a 10AM presser to discuss the $26 billion settlement with opioid distributors.

Of interest…

·         How many hundreds of millions of dollars will Missouri get?

·         How will the funds be earmarked or directed?

Kehoe to RGA

Tipster says that Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe attended the recent RGA meeting in Aspen, CO along with Governor Parson.

Never hurts to make connections in advance of the 2024 race….

Hartzler Gets Maggie Nod

Fox News reports that Maggie’s List has endorsed Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler for US Senate.

See their initial endorsements here.

Maggie’s List is a “Federal Political Action Committee created to raise awareness and funds to increase the number of conservative women elected to federal public office.”

Green Clinic Slapped With Consent Order

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft issued a consent order against Green Clinic, LLC for selling unregistered, non-exempt securities to Missouri residents. Green Clinic was in the medical marijuana business.  The consent order (see it here) is a window into the tough business of operating in a nascent industry.

Green Clinic was established in November 2018.  “No licenses were awarded under the Missouri Medical Marijuana Program until late 2019 and no dispensaries were approved for commencement and open to the public until October 2020. As a result, Green Clinic encountered significant operational, competitive, financial and programmatic difficulties in the two years between its launch and eventual closing in late 2019.”

FYI

Green Clinic briefly hired Catalyst to lobby in the Spring of 2019.

eMailbag on Neidorff

Yesterday’s MO Scout characterization of Michael Neidorff was totally off-base. There is universal recognition that the St. Louis region has serious challenges, violent crime in particular, that need to be immediately addressed. Mr. Neidorff chose to do something about that problem by organizing the St. Louis business community to fund a detailed study by the nation’s top experts in community policing and law enforcement. Unlike others who sit back and complain, Mr. Neidorff actually steps up to the plate and underwrites important initiatives for St. Louis and Missouri.

Michael Neidorff and Centene are generally one of the top donors to virtually every major not-for-profit throughout the state. They fund and participate in thousands of charitable events.

During the height of the Ferguson unrest, when other business leaders were boarding up their windows and running away, Mr. Neidorff chose to open a $30 million Centene Claims Center in the heart of Ferguson, creating 300 new good-paying jobs for the community and building lasting economic opportunity and anchoring small businesses in the area. He has been vocal because he cares and wants St. Louis to be a safe, equitable, and comfortable place for his employees their families, and all families to live and work.

Centene is a Fortune 24 corporation, the largest in Missouri and now bigger than companies like Facebook, FedEx, Disney, etc. We are lucky to have Centene and Michael Neidorff here in Missouri.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Sen. Rick Brattin, Jason Brown and Eileen McGeoghegan.

MOScout Schedule

No Weekender or Sunday6 this weekend.  See you Monday...