MOScout Daily Update: Plocher Named Next Speaker - SB226 Override? - Ashcroft on Trans - Cannon Out - Chatter from Veto Fundys and more...

Veto Session

The legislature convenes at Noon for their annual Veto Session.  Here’s what to watch for…

·         SB 226 has buzz as a possible override.  Multiple folks last night were saying that sponsor Sen. Andrew Koenig had been whipping a vote count and Rep. Phil Christofanelli was working the House side as well.  See the bill summary here.  It’s a bundle of tax provisions, some of which were passed in other bills.  And see Governor Mike Parson’s veto letter here.

·         The House is thought to have a few budget line-item vetos teed up for overrides, but there’s skepticism that the Senate will take these up.

·         On the Senate side, Sen. Greg Razer is expected to stand and speak about the removal of the gay rights exhibit from the capitol building.

·         And I’ll be surprised if we don’t get speeches from multiple Republicans concerning President Joe Biden’s vaccine plan.

Plocher Elected Speaker-Designate

The House Republican Caucus unanimously selected Rep. Dean Plocher to be the speaker in January 2023.  No surprise here.

Plocher’s statement via press release: “I want to thank the majority caucus for their unanimous support and their confidence to lead us forward in these historic times. The work we have before us is both challenging and important. Missourians expect us to pass commonsense bills that protect our freedoms and preserve the Missouri values that have made our state great. I look forward to leading my colleagues in the Missouri House in 2023, to do the work we were sent here to do – which is to do our best every day to address the challenges before us with common sense, purpose, and dedication to the cause of leaving Missouri better then when we arrived.”

Cannon Out in CD-7

The field in CD-7 is firming up as Missouri Times reports that Joelle Cannon is out.

It looks right now like we’ll have four strong Republicans running to replace Congressman Billy Long.  Dr. Sam Alexander, Sen. Eric Burlison and Sen. Mike Moon have all announced.  And former Sen. Jay Wasson is said to be in, perhaps waiting until after the September 30 quarter deadline to make an official declaration.

FYI

Here’s how consultants are lining up right now in CD-7

• Alexander - Victory.    

• Burlison – Axiom and James Harris.

• Moon – Chasen Bullock.

• Wasson – Josh Thompson leading a team of consultants

Veto Fundy Chatter

The most common refrain from the legislators last night… “just waiting on the maps.”

But what’s interesting is all the termed senators still doing events. For example, this morning Sen. Paul Wieland will have a breakfast event.  As other did last night…

·         Sen. Bill Eigel – Has recently become a radio host which doesn’t hurt one’s name ID.  Some think he’s eying a potential 2024 statewide.

·         Sen. Bob Onder – Recently penned a letter to St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann, bemoaning the County’s health Department for “senselessly quarantining thousands of healthy children, depriving them of tens of thousands of days of education.” Some see Onder as a possible County Executive, others think he might look at a congressional run, but is “waiting on the maps.”

MOIndy: Bad Test Scores

Missouri Independent reports on the “preliminary results from Missouri statewide assessment tests administered last spring amid the pandemic [showing] scores declined across nearly all grade levels and subjects tested, with the greatest drop in mathematics.”

·         The 2020-21 school year results, which were released Tuesday by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, show that fewer than half of Missouri students passed with proficient and advanced scores across all subjects.

·         The tests show only 45 percent of students are proficient or advanced in English, 35 percent in math and 37 percent in science. Results from social studies exams will be available in the coming weeks.

·         Compared to results from the 2018-19 school year, that represents a drop of four points in English, seven points in math and five points in science — though state education officials stress that the unprecedented circumstances surrounding last spring’s tests make blanket comparisons to previous years a misapplication of the data.

Elder Ashcroft on Transgenders

Springfield NewsLeader reports on former Senator John Ashcroft’s visit to Evangel University.

·         He also addressed contemporary and Christian ideas about gender identity in response to an audience member question.  "My family and I believe that gender is assigned by God," Ashcroft said, to significant applause. "Because every cell in your body includes the DNA and the programming that determines gender. And so either if you're trying to add body parts or take off body parts, the trillions of cells in your body that are not programmed in the ways that the artificial additions or subtractions, just put yourself at war with who you are."

IE PAC List Updated

I made a few updates to the IE PAC list.  Find it here.

These are the independent expenditure committees.  Legislators can raise money for the PACs without limits, but can’t direct how the funds are spent.

Added with this update…

·         Sen. Rick Brattin – True Patriot PAC

·         Rep. Jamie Burger – Bootheel Values PAC

·         Rep. Dirk Deaton – Old McDonald PAC

Valenti to Ipsen

John Valenti, Senior Director State Government Relations of Sanofi is headed to a different pharmaceutical company… Ipsen.

$5K+ Contributions

HealthPAC - $7,300 from Committee for Quality Healthcare.

Local 41 Political Action Fund - $16,195 from DRIVE Committee.

Missouri AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education - $7,947 from Missouri AFL-CIO.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Sen. Holly Rehder.