MOScout Daily Update: Fast Start in House - New Kunce Hire - Merideth Targets Parson Press Bullying - More on Arnold Venture - Parson Ignores COVID and more...
1 Big Thing: House Sprints Ahead
The House has been galloping ahead with their priorities at a lightning speed. Yesterday they passed the congressional redistricting map out of committee. They also have held hearings on key priorities: initiative petition reform, charter school funding, and anti-vaccine mandates.
Why It Matters
The Senate historically takes a lot more time (and compromise) to pass legislation. By working to get their priorities over to the Senate side of the building early, the House is doing its best to give the Senate lots of time.
But
This doesn’t mean there won’t be some bumps along the way…
· The congressional map needs an emergency clause to enact it in time for the election cycle. That requires a 2/3 majority and there’s pockets of resistance to the map… Missouri Right to Life, conservatives want a 7-1 map, the St. Charles delegation doesn’t want their county split, and of course Democrats point to the state’s vote total and say it should be 5-3.
· Business organizations testified against bills which would prohibit their businessowners from adopting their own vaccination policies.
· While there’s no shortage of ideas to reform the initiative petition reform, there’s also no consensus yet what the thresholds should actually be.
MOScout Exclusive: New Kunce Hire
The campaign of Lucas Kunce is hiring Blake Thompson to lead their finance shop.
Thompson was finance director for Jeff Jackson’s US Senate run in North Carolina.
More on Arnold Ventures
Yesterday I wrote about Arnold Ventures, a vehicle of Texas billionaires Laura and John Arnold, had hired Amy Blunt to lobby in Missouri. (Today in the lobbyists registrations, Jay Reichard is also repping them).
I mentioned their previous campaign contributions in the state, but neglected to report on their contributions to the CLEAN Missouri campaign.
Action Now Initiative gave over $3.2 million to the CLEAN Missouri committee. CLEAN was the proposal to change redistricting which passed, but was ultimately replaced by another “CLEANER” proposal to undo it.
Action Now Initiative is “a nonpartisan organization that supports the mission of Arnold Ventures to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice through social welfare, public service, political advocacy, and social impact activities.”
COVID and SOTS
With record high number of COVID hospitalizations, and Missourians in the ICU, Governor Mike Parson has remained mum about the latest wave.
Having let the state of emergency expire – over the concerns of Missouri’s hospital systems – Parson seems determined to ignore COVID.
Parson’s State of the State address is scheduled for Wednesday. It’s expected that he’ll be unveiling new initiatives – particularly plans to use the state’s extraordinary cash balance. But is it possible he will pretend that COVID is behind us while hospitals are operating in crisis mode?
Merideth Targets Parson’s Bullying
Rep. Peter Merideth files HB 2420 which creates the crime of “malicious prosecution of a journalist.” It appears aimed at Governor Mike Parson’s attacks on the reporter who alerted the state that teachers’ social security numbers were ineptly displayed in the state’s website source code.
“The offense of malicious prosecution of a journalist is a class E felony… A person in violation of this section shall be liable for damages, which may include, but are not limited to, reputational damages.”
Axios on 2022
From Axios morning email: If Biden's low approval ratings and GOP strength in the generic ballot hold, the 2022 midterms may be the most favorable political environment for Republicans since the 2010 Tea Party wave election.
LA Times on MO
From LA Times’ yesterday edition of Essential Politics… “In several states, including Arizona, Ohio, Missouri and Pennsylvania, the primary fields are still wide open, with plenty of room for Trump or establishment Republicans to try to influence the outcome. The state that could provide Republicans the most heartburn is Missouri, where several Trump supporters are contending for the nomination — and the endorsement. Among them is former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in 2018 over investigations into claims that he sexually assaulted and blackmailed his hairdresser. Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt pleaded with Trump last month to not back him, expressing confidence that if Greitens got the nomination, Republicans would lose the seat.”
Lobbyists Registrations
Jeff Earl added Clean Fuels Alliance America.
Gamble and Schlemeier added Cope 24.
Tracy King and Thomas Robbins added Intelinair Inc.
Rachael Stuart Klarich added Inheritage, LLC.
Jay Reichard added Arnold Ventures.
Jerry Hobbs deleted American Federation For Children, and Children's Education Council of Missouri.
$5K+ Contributions
Missourians for Effective Leadership PAC - $15,000 from Burns & McDonnell International Inc.
Freedom of Road Riders, Inc-PAC - $10,305 from Freedom of Road Riders Homecoming Committee.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Garrett Poorman, and Jeffrey Boyd.
MOScout Schedule
After tomorrow mornings update, I’ll be off for the long weekend. Back on Tuesday. (The legislature is off Monday as well in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day.)