MOScout Daily Update: Senate Pulls All-Nighter - Trump Praises Long - Moody: Revenue Data Flawed and more...
Sunrise in the Senate
The Senate is “at ease,” as they have been for about the last five hours or so. That means the session is still technically going on, but there’s nothing happening on the floor as senators try to work out a knotty problem. In this case, they are once again wrestling with the congressional map.
The Senate was on SB 758 with Sen. Bob Onder and others trying to add an amendment to prevent businesses from requiring COVID vaccinations as a condition of employment.
Post-Dispatch’s Jack Suntrup captures the frustration that was mounting as the Senate was spinning its wheels.
They went to “at ease” around 1AM.
· One source: Apparently, it all hinges on the percentage of St. Charles County [in one congressional district]… so we’ve just been in a holding pattern figuring that out for a few hours.
Trump Praises Long
Former President Donald Trump put out a statement praising Congressman Billy Long, while making it clear it wasn’t an “endorsement.”
Have the great people of Missouri been considering the big, loud, and proud personality of Congressman Billy Long for the Senate? Do they appreciate what they have in him, a warrior and the first major political leader to say, “You better get on the Trump Train, it’s leaving the station.” That was before I even announced I was running for President. This is not an Endorsement, but I’m just askin’?
Long’s Reaction
Here’s Billy Long’s reaction: "When I received an unprompted call from President Trump last night I was thrilled. Today I received another call from him and he said that he was about to put out a statement on the Missouri Senate race and thought I would like it. Five minutes later my phone started blowing up and he was correct l liked it."
"I've been criss crossing the state sometimes on 3 hours sleep. He's the hardest working candidate I've ever seen so I think he appreciates a candidate that works extremely hard. Maybe, just maybe, my months of hard work are starting to bear fruit."
What It Means
· One operative sees this as fall-out from the latest Eric Greitens bombshell. Greitens is “out of consideration for Trump endorsement… It’s not a coincidence this comes a day after the revelations.”
· Some national publications, plumbing the shallows of Trump’s mind, say that he is concerned with his endorsements ultimately winning their races – so he doesn’t look like a loser. In that context Long’s languishing in the polls might inhibit a full Trump endorsement.
Moody Says Revenue Data Flawed
Former budget director Jim Moody in his latest missive says that the state’s revenue data is “a mess,” and unreliable.
The Department of Revenue previously admitted to a major error in its sales tax revenue data last December. But Moody, sussing through the data, has identified “another significant DOR computer error in January 2022 that also makes the January 2022 monthly report incorrect… [and] yet another major sales tax depositing error at the end of February 2022 that made the February 2022 monthly revenue report incorrect. And then the correction of those two separate January 2022 and February 2022 errors in March 2022 will also make the March 2022 monthly revenue report incorrect…”
Tilley Firm Buy Hangers
St. Louis Business Journal reports that a “firm tied to the lobbyist Steve Tilley closed Tuesday on the purchase of Bayer's airplane hangars at Chesterfield's Spirit of St. Louis Airport.”
Brittany Robbins, a spokeswoman for the buyer — Perryville, Missouri-based Strategic Holdings LLC — said the purchase price was $8.6 million. The sale included two hangar bays, with an entire facility of more than 80,000 square feet on 11 acres at 18500 Edison Ave. One hangar has an office with a reception area, pilot quarters, executive offices, kitchen, conference rooms and gym, according to a listing published in June. There's also parking for 100 cars…
Robbins said Wednesday that Strategic Holdings is the sole investor in the facility, and it will make updates to the facility's office space. "We see the demand for private aviation and the economic growth coming to the St. Louis region," she said…
New Candidate Filings
Pamela Paul filed to run in House 68 (Florissant) as a Democrat, primarying incumbent Jay Mosley.
Samantha Deaton filed to run in House 134 (Springfield) as a Democrat. Republican incumbent Alex Riley should be safe in this solid GOP district.
$5K+ Contributions
Reform St Louis County Now (pro-Dogan) - $50,000 from Alicia McDonnell.
MO Republican Party - $25,000 from Joseph Gray.
MO Republican Party - $25,000 from Stacchya Gray.
IAFF FirePAC VIC Missouri - $60,000 from International Association of Fire Fighters Interested in Registration and Education PAC.
Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $10,000 from Loellke Plumbing Inc.
Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $10,000 from C.E. Bollmeier Company Inc.
UAW Region 5 Midwest States Political Action Committee (PAC) (MO) - $6,000 from UAW Region 4 Exchange Account.
Lobbyists Registrations
Amyra Hasan added Responsible Business Lending Coalition.
Andrea Todd-Harlin added Sanofi US.
Jeffrey Altmann added MO Hemp Trade Association.
Nancy Giddens and Shannon Cooper added Missouri Energy Development Association, and Missouri National Education Association.
Brianne Doura added National Council on Problem Gambling.
Jim Gwinner added ALC Schools LLC.
Tracy King added Central States Water Resources.
Mike Talboy deleted Burns & McDonnell Engineering.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Mike Gibbons, Chris Liese, Tony Wyche, Kelly Schultz, and Matt Bain