MOScout Daily Update: Gregory vs Fitz Opening Message - $8B for MO Infrastructure? - SAPA Pushback from SEMO Law - Long Host Snafu and much more...
Gregory Message vs Fitz Message
Rep. David Gregory’s kick-off announcement was a contrast to Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick.
See Gregory’s here. See Fitzpatrick’s here.
· Gregory ran through the laundry list of red meat issues and ended with the slogan “Stop the Woke Left.”
· Fitzpatrick’s pitch had conservative talking points, but was wonkier, as in “Missourians want to know that their hard-earned tax dollars are being used wisely.”
It’s pretty clear that Gregory’s speaks more directly to the Trumpified Missouri Republican primary voters.
It’ll be interesting to see if Fitzpatrick sharpens his message in response as the campaign unfolds.
Potential Game-Changer
Kansas City Star reports on the infrastructure bill in the Senate that could bring billions to Missouri. Read it here.
· Kansas would receive $3.2 billion and Missouri $7.9 billion to upgrade highways, bridges, broadband coverage and public transit under the massive bipartisan infrastructure deal set for a Senate vote soon, the White House said Wednesday.
If, Then
If the infrastructure bill passes, Missouri will have to dust off some reports, and figure how much capacity the state has (labor and otherwise) to deploy the money efficiently.
· Missouri Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation 2030 envisions Missouri as a “leading logistics hub.”
· 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers report says that the state has “4,800 bridges that need repairs, totaling an estimated $4.2 billion.”
SEMO Law on SAPA
Daily American Republic reports on local law enforcement asking legislators to reconsider the recently passed Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA). Read it here.
· Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs, Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley and Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor are all strong supporters of the Second Amendment. So it might surprise some to see that all three have reservations about the newly-signed law House Bill 85, also known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act…
· [T]here recently has emerged the potential for suspects to sue state and local law enforcement agencies for HB 85 violations to intimidate or prevent them from cooperating with federal law enforcement and could hinder the efforts to prosecute criminals, according to local officials…
· In that suit, four law enforcement officers were sued in the Ripley County Circuit Court last week over allegations they were in violation of HB 85. The suit was filed by Curtis Poor of the Limbaugh Firm in Cape Girardeau on behalf Cameron C. Acosta, who is currently under indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri for possession of drugs and firearms.
· The suit named four members of the Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, two troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the colonel of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and a Butler County deputy assigned to the SEMO Drug Task Force. The suit was dismissed shortly before it had a hearing, but without prejudice, meaning it can be re-filed. If the suit had succeeded, the law enforcement officers could be fined up to $400,000 and barred from testifying against Acosta in federal court.
· Whiteley also pointed to the recent arrest of Quinton S. Wilson, who was arrested with an accomplice over the weekend after allegedly leading Poplar Bluff police on a high-speed chase. Wilson currently is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, delivery of a controlled substance and resisting arrest by fleeing and creating a substantial risk of injury or death. However, Whiteley said, the department is hesitant to file federal charges on Wilson because of HB 85.
Vax Attacks
Six Republican senators asked Governor Mike Parson to call a special session to prohibit companies from requiring that their employees receive COVID vaccinations.
Wall Street Journal has reported many of America’s largest companies are adopting this policy.
In recent days, companies from Arkansas-based Walmart Inc. to Microsoft Corp. in Seattle have imposed vaccine mandates mostly on white-collar workers returning to offices. Meatpacker Tyson Foods Inc. on Tuesday took a harder line, saying all its workers must get the vaccine by Nov. 1… Some companies want to reassure the public it is still safe to shop in their stores or visit their theme parks. Others want to prevent worker illnesses or absences from crippling their operations again. Still others want to end remote work and get staff back into offices. Union rules for a number of companies are complicating matters further.
The senators signing the letter were: Sens. Rick Brattin, Bill Eigel, Denny Hoskins, Mike Moon, Bob Onder, and Holly Rehder.
The request is unlikely to go anywhere.
· The mighty Jason Rosenbaum noted on Twitter that Parson is on the record saying that it’s up to companies to form their own policy.
· The Department of Justice has published an opinion that it’s legal for companies to require vaccinations of employees. See the opinion here.
Still, the letter continues the mind-boggling efforts by some politicians to sow distrust, repeatedly calling the vaccines “experimental” and casting doubt whether they work. “Is it prudent – much less legal or advisable – to force employees to take a drug, against their will, when the FDA is still studying its efficacy?”
CD-7 Talk: Burlie About to Jump In?
There’s a seemingly unanimous consensus among folks I’ve spoken to that Sen. Eric Burlison will be running for Congressman Billy Long’s seat. Burlison posted on Facebook that he was reflecting on the decision.
I don't know if you saw the news... Our congressman, Billy Long is running for another seat. Because of that, we have an opportunity to run for US Congress. God's timing is not our timing, and this is His race to win, not mine. It will be the most difficult race in my life and we need your prayers as we approach this difficult decision.
If, Then
Rep. Curtis Trent is expected to run for Burlison’s senate seat.
Wilson For STL County Council
Terry Wilson announced he’s running for St. Louis County Council. He’s running in District 1 where the current incumbent is Rita Heard Days.
Wilson is currently a Jennings City Councilman. See his website here.
But
What’s most interesting is what one reader tips… There’s some speculation in [Wilson’s] camp that Days may run for County Executive...
Parson Pardons Criticized
Dems pushed back against Governor Mike Parson’s pardon of the McCloskeys by highlighting cases of injustice which remain unaddressed.
· Sen. Brian Williams: Black men who prosecutors know are innocent sit in jail b/c the Gov. denies them a pardon. Meanwhile, white people who have pled guilty get a pardon from the same Gov. I hope this is an eye opener: The justice system does not work the same for Black people
· Sen. Steven Roberts: Governor Parson could use his power responsibly to correct an injustice. Yet, #EricClemmons still sits in prison.
· MOScout reader: There are two men in prison who most probably are innocent, Lamar Johnson -- whose prosecuting attorney says he was wrongly convicted -- and Kevin Strickland -- who was declared innocent by the Western District court of appeals but cannot obtain judicial relief because he is not under a death sentence. Why are they not on Parson's pardon-commutation list?
Long Host Committee Snafu
Washington Examiner reports that the host committee for Congressman Billy Long’s event next week are not necessarily endorsing his US Senate bid.
· Rep. Billy Long raised eyebrows when an invitation to an event launching his Missouri Senate campaign listed his state’s two Republican senators, Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, as “honorary co-chairmen” of his bid for higher office.
· Except neither Blunt, who is retiring next year, nor Hawley have endorsed Long, who jumped into the Senate race late Tuesday. Spokesmen for Blunt and Hawley confirmed in statements to the Washington Examiner Wednesday morning that they remain neutral in the Republican Senate primary…
· “Sen. Blunt is not endorsing anyone at this time,” said Katie Boyd, a spokeswoman for the outgoing senator.
· “Congressman Long asked Josh to be a host of this event, but as a congressional candidate and before he was a Senate candidate,” Hawley chief of staff Kyle Plotkin added. “Josh is no longer a host, and he hasn’t endorsed anyone.”
· According to a copy of the invitation to Long’s Senate campaign launch event, the congressman was scheduled to unveil his bid on Aug. 11 in Springfield, Missouri. It’s unclear if the several other supporters listed on the invitation have agreed to support Long’s Senate bid, as opposed to his reelection to the House in 2022, should he end up running.
Over 65 Vax
Kaiser Health News reports that “the United States on Tuesday hit a milestone that some thought was unattainable: 90% of people 65 and older are at least partly vaccinated against the disease.”
· Missouri, as of this morning, has 81.8% of 65+ people with at least one dose onboard.
Hawley, Leading Prez Prospect?
Josh Hawley gets a lede he must love from the NYTimes (see it here).
When it comes to reining in presidential war powers, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, regarded as a leading prospect for the 2024 Republican nomination, agrees with President Biden. Mr. Hawley supports repealing a decades-old law authorizing the use of military force in Iraq…
The senator, who has styled himself as former President Donald J. Trump’s populist heir, said it was a matter of listening to his party’s voters, who he said want “to get out” of the nation’s wars…
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Judge George Draper III.
Congratulations
To Aubrey and Caleb Rowden on the birth of their son, Theo Xavier Rowden.