MOScout Daily Update: Bill Funnel - Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation - Landfill Fight - Sports Betting on Deck and more....

Good morning.  It’s Presidents’ Day.  No mail. State offices are closed; as well as the House.  But the Senate (and MOScout) will be open for business...

1 Big Thing: The Funnel

Aligned notes in their weekly capitol report that “there is growing frustration in the building with leadership on both ends of the building with regard to bill referral. Many members are beginning to complain about their legislation not being referred to committee. Speaker Plocher has been overly slow in referring bills and this week Pro Tem Rowden did not refer any bills. The growing list on the Senate side is just over 350 bills awaiting referral.”

This seems to be a concerted effort by leadership to keep the bills awaiting floor debate at a manageable level. 

·       Speaker Dean Plocher’s two-bill rule is already limiting the flow of bills out of committee, but by slow-walking referrals he can also make sure that the bills which are coming out aren’t huge omnibus bills.

·       In addition to referral, Pro Tem Caleb Rowden also has an additional funnel point.  Not every bill voted out of committee in the Senate is reported to the pro tem.  The pro tem’s office decides which bills to take in.  But the Senate has a less hierarchical structure and tradition.  That pro tem power can be eroded through senatorial lobbying.  So perhaps limiting the flow from the outset is easier.

Bottom-Line: While individual members may grumble, so far Republicans are passing priorities out of their respective chambers and have avoided careening into the legislative ditch like past sessions.  Hard to argue with success.

Meet MO For Fair Legal Funding

On social media “Missourians for Fair Legal Funding” are running ads to raise awareness about their issue.  They want regulation in how loans are made based on possible legal settlements.    See their website here.

The bills they’re pushing are Sen. Curtis Trent’s SB 342 and Rep. Phil Christofanelli’s HB 628. 

·       Neither have been referred to committee.

Driving the Day: Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation

Coming on the heels of the exoneration of Lamar Johnson, who served 28 years in prison, today’s Senate Judicial Committee hearing may be extra poignant.  Sen. Brian Williams will be presenting SB 253 which would allow wrongly imprisoned Missourians compensation for their time behind bars.

Williams’ bill would allow compensation of up to $65,000/year, the same amount that Kansas has in place.

·       A Go Fund Me website was set up for Johnson.  It has raised over $500,000.  In 1995, Lamar Johnson was wrongfully convicted of murder in St. Louis, Missouri… While he worked inside prison for more than two decades, he was paid only cents per hour. He has no savings and will not receive compensation from the State for his years of wrongful imprisonment. Lamar's legal team worked pro bono and 100% of funds raised will go to him to help him rebuild his life.

Driving the Week: Sports Betting Gets Senate Hearing

One of the session’s biggest issues, sports betting, has its Senate hearing this week (Wednesday 8AM, SCR2) in Appropriations.

On tap…

·       Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer’s SB 30 which deals only with sports betting.

·       Sen. Karla May’s SB 192 which deals only with video lottery machines.

·       And Sen. Denny Hoskins’ SB 1 which deal with both issues.

The conventional wisdom is that the two issues must be disentangled to give sports betting any odds at passing. We’ll see…

Worth Watching: HB 909

We’re up to 17 lobbyists now who have signed on to rep KC Recycle & Waste Solutions.  It appears this is centered on HB 909.  And a proposed landfill near Raymore.  Right now, in addition to local permits, if you’re a half-mile from an adjoining municipality, they must approve the project as well.  Rep. Mike Haffner’s bill would change it to a full mile.  Which would apparently nix this project.

KC Recycle is crying foul: you can’t change the rules in the middle of the game. 

·       It appears that Speaker Dean Plocher is siding with residents in this matter.  The bill was initially referred to General Laws, but then that was changed to Local Government where it’s thought to likely receive a favorable vote this week (Tuesday 10AM).

Committee Changes

·       Sen. Mike Cierpiot amended his committee to run for Lee’s Summit City Council in 2028.

·       Rep. Mike Henderson amended his committee to run for statewide office in 2024.

·       Former Rep. Annette Turnbaugh formed a committee to run for Alderman of Grandview this spring.

Lobbyists Registrations

Aaron Baker and Hannah Beers Sutton added Cass County.

Nexus Group added Greater St. Louis Inc, and Zscaler, Inc.

Richard McIntosh and David McCracken added Animal Legal Defense Legislative Fund.

Bryan Steffan added Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Ginger Steinmetz added Gold Rush Gaming; and deleted Concentra.

$5K+ Contributions

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $30,000 from AT&T.

Curls for Council - $10,000 from Darrell Curls.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Ben Baker, Doug Galloway, Matt Bartle, and Kenny Biermann.