MOScout Daily Update: Highway Appointees To Be Vetted - Hough Bill Hostage? - Worker Shortage Talk Everywhere - Scharf Speech and more...

Highway Commissioners in Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Parson’s appointees to the State Highways and Transportation Commission were added to the agenda of this morning’s Gubernatorial Appointments hearing (11AM, Senator Lounge), apparently after the 2nd floor pushed Senate leadership to act on them.

I’ve been told that senators don’t have any personal problems with the two appointees, Brian Treece, a Democrat, and Warren Erdman, a Republican.

But the Commission is very powerful.  It directs hundreds of millions of dollars in highway funds; its work touches the lives of every single Missourians.  And, as I’ve reported before, several senators are upset with MODoT Director Patrick McKenna.  In fact, Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin sent a letter last year saying McKenna should “either resign or be fired.”

·       One rumor is that O’Laughlin’s real target is to make changes to State Board of Education, and she’s “leveraging” these appointments to pressure the governor on that front. 

·       We’ll see how it plays out but I would expect some robust discussion on the Senate floor when these appointments come up there.  We’ll see if we get an preview of that this morning in committee.

Senate Starts Floor Debate

On its surface, the Senate’s first day of floor debate was uneventful. 

The Senate perfected Sen. Denny Hoskins’ “Regulatory Sandbox” bill.  (The House version will get voted out of Economic Development Committee this morning; so this issue is moving).  And they also perfected Sen. Karla Eslinger’s bill to loosen regulations on physical therapists.

However, despite these successes, they sidestepped a couple of tricky situations, shuffling bills to the informal calendar rather than debating them.  This hints at some conflicts on the horizon for the body...

·       Sen. Andrew Koenig’s Parents’ Bill of Rights bill is expected to draw opposition from Democrats.  Koenig has a talent for finding compromise, so we’ll see how he navigates the tugs from both the right and the left on this bill.

·       Sen. Lincoln Hough’s SB 25 would authorize a deduction for companies receiving federal grants to expand broadband in the state.  Rumor in the halls was that Sen. Rick Brattin was preparing an amendment dealing with the taxation of guns. This would echo last session’s Conservative Caucus tactic to add a wedge issue to a bill which would otherwise generate bipartisan support.  If true, it’ll be the first test for O’Laughlin’s leadership.  And it indicates that some old riffs haven’t been repaired.

1 Big Thing: Worker Shortage Hits Everywhere

It feels like the workforce shortage is popping up in every legislative debate this year…

·       Executive Director of [Missouri Veteran Commission] Col. Paul Kirchhoff told the House Veterans Committee the state's veterans homes are only at 50% capacity due to staffing… See it here.

·       During the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Mental Health, Director [of the Department of Mental Health] Valerie Huhn told members there are 400 vacancies at the state's mental health hospital in Fulton. She said beds are available but DMH does not enough workers to staff them… See it here.

·       The House Children and Families Committee yesterday hearing bills about helping day cares increase their capacity were weighing how many kids per adults is safe.  But the context of the discussion is that there’s a shortage of childcare (and childcare workers) in the state.

·       The House Committee on Tax Reform was hearing the corporate tax cut plans yesterday, but all agreed that workforce is the top concern of the business community right now.

This Crazy Thing Called Politics

Some days are head-shaking days…

·       Senator Eric Schmitt – after getting jerked around by Donald Trump’s bi-Eric endorsement during his campaign – is one of the first senators to endorse Trump for president in 2024. Read Politico’s story here.

·       Congressman Eric Burlison invokes the specter of Nazis after DirectTV drops Newsmax in a fee dispute.  See it here.

·       Administrative Hearing Commissioner Philip Prewitt resigned after the MO Supreme Court suspended his law license following accusations of ethical violations.  Read the humdinger of a story here.

Scharf’s Speech

Last night Will Scharf held his kick-off.  Listen to his speech here.  It leans heavily on his successful efforts to get Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett confirmed on the US Supreme Court.

·       It sounds like that’ll be a central theme of his campaign: proven conservative who gets results.

Henderson Adds Hemphill Clients

In the lobbyists registrations (below) Liz Henderson re-registered most of Brent Hemphill’s clients as she’s helping him during session.  But she’s still with the Soybean Association.

Lobbyists Registrations

Rhiannon Duryea added SEIU (Service Employees Intl. Union) Mo/Ks State Council.

Richard McIntosh and Jerry Hobbs added UV Angel, and Book Retriever.

Ward Cook added Raptor Recycle and Transfer.

Michael McDermott added Verizon Communications And Affiliated Companies.

Strategic Capitol Consulting added Proffer Produce.

Liz Henderson added Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, River City Casino, Pearson Education, Inc, Missouri Ambulance Association, Hollywood Casino, Argosy Casino Kansas City, Missouri Pork Association Mosaic Life Care, Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Missouri Propane Gas Association, Gainwell Holding Corp., BJC Healthcare Systems, and PENN Entertainment, Inc.

$5K+ Contributions

Kids FIRST - $15,000 from Civic Progress - Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce.

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $25,000 from Bommarito West County.

Citizens to Protect Robertson - $15,200 from Citizens for Good Government PAC.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Ashley Lawson.