MOScout Daily Update: Riley for Floor Leader? - SITE Endorses Kehoe - Senate Drama - Lonsdale on Open Enrollment and more...

Today is the last day to file bills….

Rumorville: Riley for Floor Leader?

Word is that Rep. Alex Riley is mulling a bid for House Floor Leader.  If true, he’d be joining Rep. Jamie Burger in that race.

Riley is chair of the General Laws committee, and comes from the Republican stronghold of southwest Missouri.

The election for the next floor leader isn’t until after the 2024 elections.  It’s a long race. Candidates for the position typically travel the state visiting representatives in their district, knocking doors for incumbents and prospects during the campaign season, and raising money for the caucus all the while.

·       Burger is also mentioned as a possible state senate candidate depending on whether Sen. Holly Rehder runs for re-election or jumps to a statewide office.

First in MOScout: SITE Endorses Kehoe

SITE Improvement Association endorsed Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe’s 2024 gubernatorial bid yesterday.

From the press release: “This is the first time SITE’s Board of Directors has ever officially endorsed a candidate since the organization was formed in 1966… The construction industry needs someone like Mike to lead Missouri…”

·       SITE represents more than 230 contractors and suppliers in the Concrete, Asphalt Paving, Sewer/Utility, Highway/Bridge, Earthmoving, Landscaping, and Specialty construction services.

Senate Frays, But Keeps Moving

It was a day of drama on the Senate floor…

It started with Sen. Mike Moon, still fuming that he was asked to lay over his bill from the day before.  He complained that he’d been disrespected, and offered an amendment to the Journal to document his humiliation.

He was rebuked by Pro Tem Caleb Rowden who reminded Moon that Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin was elected to lead, not Moon.  He told Moon to go get 18 votes if he wants to change the way things operate.  Moon stomped off, and the Senate moved on.

An hour or so later, a fiery exchange exploded between Sens. Nick Schroer and Rick Brattin – who are natural allies in most matters.  It was concerning the potential landfill at the Cass/Jackson County.  Brattin was incredulous that Schroer would disrespect him by meddling in a situation in Brattin’s district – and without even giving Brattin a heads up.

Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer afterwards said he sided with Brattin because senators should defer to their colleagues when legislation dealt with a specific area of the state.  That brought Sen. Karla May to the floor to hold a mirror to Luetkemeyer: why, then, are you going after the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney in my district?

Lonsdale on Open Enrollment

Rep. Chris Lonsdale wrote to his colleagues that he would be voting against HB 253, one of the “open enrollment” bills moving this session.  See the note here.

“School districts, specifically school district administrators, need to take responsibility for the education of students within their community, and should not be enabled by state law to take advantage of a neighboring school district’s education system… the current iteration of this bill would not benefit Liberty Public Schools.”

Why It Matters

School reformers have to cobble together coalitions, and Lonsdale is giving voice to suburban Republicans who might be sympathetic to the cause, but also keep a keen eye on how their district in particular would benefit or be hurt by changes in the law.

Butz Proposes Campaign Treas Change

Rep. Steve Butz presented a bill in the House Elections Committee yesterday which would forbid a candidate from serving as their own campaign treasurer.

Butz said he was alerted to the situation when he read that St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was her own treasurer.  Butz testified that best practices dictate that a second separate person should be keeping an eye on campaign funds.

I did a quick scan through the Missouri Ethics Commission committees and found that there are dozens of committees where the candidate is also the treasurer.  That includes some committees of current members of the legislature…

·       Citizens to Elect Angela Mosley, LLC

·       Rizzo For Missouri                           

·       Citizens For Karla May

·       Committee to Elect Gary Bonacker              

·       Elect Delbret Taylor

·       Brad Christ For Missouri              

·       Bruce Sassmann Election Committee           

·       Buchheit-Courtway for Missouri

·       Citizens for Rasheen Aldridge

·       Donald B Mayhew FSR                

·       Citizens For Dan Stacy                 

MOHELA at Heart of SCOTUS Debate

Media outlets reported that the US Supreme Court Justices seemed “skeptical” of the Biden Administration’s student debt cancellation program.

But interestingly, there’s a chance it survives the challenge because the plaintiffs might not have standing to sue.  To that end, the plaintiffs are pointing to MOHELA, which they say will be harmed because it’ll lose fees associated with servicing loans.  (Others argue MOHELA will not be harmed because they receive offsetting fees if the loans are discharged).

Justices wondered why MOHELA itself didn’t sue, and has chosen to sit out the proceedings. 

·       Missouri Independent reports that “Four of the justices — Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — on the liberal wing of the court and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, of the conservative wing, were skeptical that the state had legal standing.”

·       MOHELA has been mum on the whole situation, apparently trying to stay away from the hyper-politicalized debate.

WaPo on Missouri Transgender Debate

The Washington Post has a long article following Rabbi Daniel Bogard as he advocates for transgendered son.  Read it here.

“Our state is at war with our family,” Bogard said. “It’s not an exaggeration that we are up at night talking about when and how far we might have to flee.”

Derges Sentenced

Missourinet reports that former Rep. Tricia Derges was “sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison without parole. U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes also ordered Derges to pay $500,600 in restitution to her victims… Derges was convicted of three counts of wire fraud related to her attempt to fraudulently receive nearly $900,000 in CARES Act funds for her businesses…”

Lobbyists Registrations

Annette Driver added Driver and Associates.

Richard McIntosh and John Gaskin added Park Central Development Corporation.

Rachael McGinnis Millsap added Andrea Clark.

Michael Ventre added FanDuel Group, Inc.            

Eapen Thampy added MO Hemp Trade Association, and Strategic Progress.

Birthdays

Happy birthday to Harry Gallagher.