MOScout Daily Update: Eigel Hopes to Abolish DESE - North County Throwdown - Ed Reformers Heart CBC and more...
Eigel Contra DESE
Springfield News Leader reports on Sen. Bill Eigel’s SB 1005 which would abolish DESE.
The department of elementary and secondary education is abolished, and its powers, duties, personnel, and property shall be transferred as part of a reorganization plan of the governor…
Eigel quotes in the story…
· “My campaign is about busting up the bureaucracies of Jefferson City. I'm not sure there is a bigger bureaucracy in Jefferson City than the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.”
· “It serves as an authoritarian branch over local public school districts and really, after taking a bunch of money from the federal government, is pushing mandates down on those local school districts that I don't think that they agree with whether it's requiring them to teach DEI standards, CRT standards, whatever it is.”
Why This Matters
Stories like this make me believe that the fragility of the budget process will be tested this year. There are six Freedom Caucus members with a seventh, Sen. Mike Moon, soon joining. They are likely all going to oppose DESE funding.
The 24 Republican senators minus the 7 Freedom Caucus members is one short of the 18 needed to pass bills. So the Republican governing majority in the Senate will need Democratic votes.
That shouldn’t be a problem for funding DESE.
But, it will increase Democratic leverage in the budget process. When it comes to accommodating member’s requests, Senate Appropriations Chair Lincoln Hough will be mindful where his votes are coming from. In House Bill 2 (the education funding bill) and every other funding bill, Dems may have greater input than Republicans taking an adversarial position.
And all of this could lead to a blow-up in the final weeks of session.
We’ll see….
1 Big Thing: North County Throwdown
Post-Dispatch reports on a political war brewing in North St. Louis County. A primary challenge to Sen. Angela Mosley is at its center. Read it here.
· A heated primary to represent a north St. Louis County state Senate district is in store as two Democrats from opposing political camps prepare to compete for the job. State Rep. Chantelle Nickson-Clark, 46, will challenge incumbent state Sen. Angela Mosley, 53, who is running for a second four-year term next year.
· On one side is St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Shalonda Webb and allies, including Nickson-Clark, of unincorporated St. Louis County, near Florissant. On the other, family members and allies of Elbert Walton Jr., a long-time politico and former state representative from St. Louis, are looking to continue their influence.
· Nickson-Clark’s announcement followed a dust-up at a September event to mark the demolition of Jamestown Mall in which Webb and Mosley, the incumbent senator, traded barbs from the podium.
· In addition to the Senate race, two of Mosley’s daughters have filed paperwork to run for the state House next year as two other family members face term limits. Janay Mosley is running for the Florissant-based 68th House District, which is being vacated by her father, state Rep. Jay Mosley. Jay Mosley is married to Angela Mosley. Meanwhile, Chanel Mosley is running for the Black Jack-based 75th District, a seat being vacated by her uncle, state Rep. Alan Gray. Alan Gray is married to the former county councilwoman, Rochelle Walton Gray.
Ed Reformers Heart CBC
In the three-way Republican primary to replace Sen. Elaine Gannon, it looks like Rep. Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway will be the pick of the education reformers.
They’re expected to spend $1M on legislative races this cycle in Missouri. Assuming that Senate 3 is one of their targets, we’ll likely see some independent expenditures on Buchheit-Courtway’s behalf.
· In the wake of Gannon announcing she won’t run for a second term, Buchheit-Courtway, Rep. Mike Henderson, and political newcomer John Hewkin have indicated they’ll run.
Did Legal Stalling Kill PP’s IP?
Politico reports on the various pro-choice initiatives across the nation. Missouri gets a mention. Read it here.
· In Missouri, Republican state officials also argued this summer that legalizing the now-banned procedure would cost the state billions of dollars each year because future taxpayers would be aborted. They lost in court but the delays will make it hard for abortion-rights groups to fundraise and collect the signatures they need.
· “The timeline has absolutely impacted the interest of investors because they see how much more of a challenge it is on a limited timeline,” said Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri. “They have lost in court four times in the past month, and they don’t care because their goal was to run out the clock.”
Murray In for House 78
Marty Joe Murray Jr. has formed a campaign committee to run in House 78. It’s a heavy Democratic district in St. Louis that’s been vacant since Rasheen Aldridge resigned to become a St. Louis alderman.
New PACs
Columbia Cares PAC – treasurer: David Riney.
Taney County Democrats Club – treasurer: Willard Gene Harris.
ARC PAC – treasurer: Patrick Rowland.
Cass Citizens in Action – treasurer: April Cederburg.
Audit STL City – treasurer: Cherri Elder.
Missouri Consumer Credit Coalition PAC – treasurer: Kim Akin.
Taney County MRA – treasurer: Marshall Howden.
Lobbyist Registrations
Jeff Andrew Millar added LEAD.
Camellia Peterson added Americans For Prosperity.
Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Brittany Hyatt Robbins, Chris Schoeman, and Alec Rosenblum added Sun Theory Holding Company.
$5K+ Contributions
Committee for Liberty (pro-Ashcroft) - $5,500 from Turn-Key Mobile, Inc.
Missouri Education Alliance - $10,000 from Quality Schools Coalition.
Missouri Education Alliance - $10,000 from Cornerstone.
Nexus PAC - $6,000 from Invenergy Transmission LLC (Chicago, IL).
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Sen. Nick Schroer, Josh Haynes, and Greg Porter.