MOScout Daily Update: Eslinger to DESE - Senate Pre-Files - Brattin Kicks Off and more...
Eslinger to DESE
I’m told that Sen. Karla Eslinger will be appointed the new Commissioner of Education. The announcement is expected at today’s State Board of Education meeting.
From Eslinger’s Senate bio: Senator Karla Eslinger is a lifelong educator with more than 30 years of experience in a variety of educational settings. She most recently served as a senior analyst for education services with the AEM Corporation and provided technical assistance to the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Previously, she served as an assistant commissioner of education for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and went on to work as a building principal and a superintendent of schools in Ava and West Plains.
· Commissioner of Education would be a capstone for Eslinger’s long career in education.
Reformers vs Establishment
Much of educational policy gets seen through the lens of “reformers” versus the “establishment.” Eslinger was one of three Republican senators joining all the Democrats to vote against Rep. Phil Christofanelli’s 2021 bill establishing educational saving accounts. For reformers, that means she’s not one of them.
· But one pro-school choice advocate wasn’t distraught, calling her “reasonable and really good to work with.”
Meanwhile…
Don’t forget the context here: Four of the eight members on the State Board of Education are serving on expired terms (Charlie Shields, Carol Hallquist, Donald Claycomb, and Peter Herschend), and the term of a fifth (Mary Schrag) will expire next summer. Some have imagined that a new governor could sweep in a new working majority very easily if they wished to make radical changes to the department.
· I think that scenario becomes less likely with a newly installed commissioner at the head of DESE, though as we saw in the Greitens tenure it’s not impossible to muscle someone out.
But Don’t Take Eslinger Off Your Whip Sheets
The timeline is for the current commissioner, Margie Vandeven, to exit on July 1. So Eslinger will serve this upcoming session in the Senate.
· It’ll create some patches of conflicts of interest where Eslinger could theoretically be voting on the department’s budget and policies that she’s about to step into.
Also
For those watching the Republican Senate primaries, the abdication from the incumbent puts Rep. Brad Hudson in the front-runner spot to be the next senator from District 33.
Senate Pre-Files
I started working my way through the Senate pre-files…
For those seeking higher office pre-filing offers a chance to publicly advance their platform.
· Sen. Denny Hoskins’ SB 724 would create an Office of Election Crimes and Security within the Secretary of State’s office.
· Sen. Andrew Koenig’s SB 727 would increase the tax credits allocated under the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program by 50%. The treasurer’s office oversees that program.
· And, of course, Sen. Bill Eigel loves to talk about taxes. His SB 733 would begin a 50-year phase out of the personal property tax.
Over the interim, Senate Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin made no secret of her ire at the Public Service Commission. Her SB 758 would make PSC commissioners come back more often for Senate confirmation, reducing their current 6-year terms to 2 years.
We’ll likely be revisiting some old hot-button topics…
· Several Republicans filed bills to eliminate the sunset provision on lasts session’s transgender care bill.
· Dueling sports betting bills are back again from Sens. Hoskins (SB 824) and Tony Luetkemeyer (SB 852).
· There are several proposals to restriction on gun ownership in special circumstances: Sen. Tracy McCreery (domestic violence conviction), Sen. Steven Roberts (under 18), and Sen. Angela Mosley (red flags).
We could see bipartisan efforts made…
· On cutting sales tax, as there are bills to cut sales tax on food (Sen. Mike Moon), feminine hygiene products (Sen. Barbara Washington), and diapers (Sen. Lauren Arthur).
· On foreign ownership of land (Sens. Doug Beck, Rusty Black, Travis Fitzwater, and Rick Brattin).
Finally, Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder’s SB 767 would force love-drunk teens to wait until they’re 18 to marry.
Razer’s Bill Would Scuttle Liberty Merger
Sen. Greg Razer’s SB 789 appears to be taking dead aim at the announced merger between Liberty Hospital and the University of Kansas Health Systems.
SB 789 - Under this act, no hospital district board of trustees shall approve any agreement to partner or otherwise collaborate with any health care system operated by an institution of higher education that is located outside of Missouri for the purpose of providing health care services to Missouri residents unless the agreement is first submitted to the voters of the district and approved by two-thirds of votes cast.
· By my eye-balling of the map, I think Liberty Hospital is actually in the district of Sen. Denny Hoskins. But, of course, that doesn’t mean Razer can’t file a bill he thinks is in Missourians’ best interest.
Brattin Kicks Off Re-election Campaign
From the press release: Rick Brattin, a Republican serving in the Missouri State Senate,
will be holding his campaign kickoff event on Tuesday, December 5. 230 people are scheduled to attend the event, which will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Beck Event Space in Harrisonville. Sen. Bill Eigel, Aaron Door of the Missouri Firearms Coalition, and Rev. Matt Goodsell of Capitol Ministries will also be speaking at the event.
· Brattin faces a primary from two state representatives: Mike Haffner and Dan Houx. Baseline MOScout polling showed Brattin starting with a big lead.
· The speakers at his kick-off indicate he’ll stay true to his political core and run a hard-right campaign.
Pro-Choice Missouri Rebrands
Pro-Choice Missouri which was formerly NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri has rebranded as Abortion Action Missouri. They have a new website (see it here).
· The word “abortion” has long since carried negative assumptions. By openly and honestly using the term, we can normalize discussions about abortion, challenge misconceptions, and reduce the shame associated with it.
· The majority of Missourians have had enough of politicians interfering in our personal decisions. Now is the time to join the fight to re-establish reproductive freedoms for all. We are choosing determination over despair, but we can’t do this alone.
· We are the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Missouri with a 54 year history of fighting for abortion access. We work to protect every person’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including but not limited to preventive care, family planning, sexuality education, prenatal and postnatal health care, and accessible, legal abortion.
eMailbag
· If REPACCMO’s goal is to weed out Republicans in Name Only (RINOS) from running as republicans they will have a hard time explaining how Jacob Turner got a 100% rating with their organization when he was running against Jason Smith as a Libertarian two years ago. Literally the definition of RINO.
· Mike Hamra doesn’t have a voting record but he def has a record…There’s a reason labor didn’t hesitate to stick fully with Crystal Quade.
Lobbyist Registrations
Chase Campbell added Winton Policy Group, and all of their clients.
Amanda Lynn Nemeth added Missouri Association of Realtors.
Cara Hile added Abortion Action Missouri.
Irl Scissors, and Sarah Wood Martin added Clarkston Nelson LLC, and Netflix; and deleted Flock Group Inc. dba Flock Safety.
Gamble & Schlemeier deleted Kooth USA LLC.
Angie Schulte deleted Gilead Sciences Inc, and NOMI Health.
Casey Wasser deleted J & J Ventures, and Elevance Health and Its Affiliates dba Anthem, Inc.
$5K+ Contributions
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $15,000 from Ameren Missouri.
American Dream PAC - $10,000 from ACEC Missouri PAC.
Northland Forward (pro-Nurrenbern) - $15,000 from Missouri Drive Fund.
A Better Missouri Political Action Committee - $7,175 from Anheuser-Busch Cos.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Rep. Gary Bonacker.