MOScout Daily Update: Anti-Trans Care Rally Today - Peters Promoted - Bi-State Leans on IL Sens - Pot License Value - Alford's Trump Fundy - Iron County Crazy and more...
See information about how you can help the family of Jessica Pabst at the bottom of the post.
Anti-Trans Care Rally
Missourians supporting the ban on gender-transition for minors are organizing a rally “and filibuster watch” today. They’re meeting at 2PM in the capitol in support of Sen. Mike Moon’s SB 49. See it here.
· Former Sen. Bob Onder – a potential 2024 statewide candidate – will be speaking at the rally.
And
Axios reports on various states limiting gender-affirming care for transgender people; it’s almost all “red states.” Read it here.
· Utah in January enacted a law banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. Since then, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee have followed suit. Arkansas in 2021 became the first state to make gender-affirming care for patients under 18 illegal, but the ban is being challenged in court. A similar law in Alabama is also on hold…. Florida last year became the first state to enact a ban through a non-legislative body, using a medical board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis… Kansas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas have bills moving through their legislatures to ban care for people under 21. Texas also has a proposed ban for people under 26…
· Opponents say the measures impose restrictions on the doctor-patient relationship…
Cleaning out the in-box from a 3-day weekend…
Personnel Moves
· Benjamin Peters was promoted to Assistant Director of House Media.
· Blake Shier, previously a senior law clerk with the Court of Appeals, has joined the secretary of state’s office as chief counsel.
Where Have The MO Senators Gone?
One MOScouter writes, “It’s so sad that Bi-State state is having to go through Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth for transit funding, but that’s what they’re doing. Our senators are worthless. Roy Blunt used to get it for us.”
Pot License Value
Wonder what some of these marijuana licenses are worth? Here’s one, a Missouri marijuana manufacturing license, listed for $1.5 million. See it here.
Alford Power Moves
One reader writes, “Freshman Congressman Mark Alford is quickly showing he will be a power player for MO. After securing strong committees for his district and MO as a member on the House Armed Services Committee and AG Committee, he is showing he can raise money as seen at last week’s fundraising event hosted by former President Donald Trump held at Mar-a-Lago; that raised over $230k…”
· See the Facebook photo of Alford and Trump here.
Iron County Crazy
Post Dispatch reports on crazy things happening in Iron County. The sheriff and two deputies are charged with “criminal street gang activities.” Read it here.
· “Without the sheriff working, state law throws control of the department to the county coroner, Tim Harbison.”
· Iron County is represented by Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder and Rep. Chris Dinkins.
· I have a feeling we might hear about this if state takeover of the St. Louis City police force comes to the Senate floor…
Carnahan Takes MDP Reins
Former Congressman Russ Carnahan was elected the chair of the Missouri Democratic Party
Press release: At Saturday’s State Committee Meeting in Jefferson City, The Missouri Democratic Party sent a strong message by electing Russ Carnahan as its next chair. “The encouragement from rural and urban party leaders on the State Committee and from many of our top Federal, State, and Local elected leaders has convinced me that together we can do this. My first job is to listen. And I'm a good listener. Then, build our bottom-up organizing and networking to deliver the Democratic message from local candidates and leaders in every district. From the top down, we can put that organization to work and market it across Missouri and the country. I believe supporters will want to INVEST in a smart unified plan for the Missouri Democratic Party.” Carnahan immediately assumes duties as chair…
School Board Races Heat Up
Jack Suntrup writes about increasing partisanship in school board races. See it here.
School board races in Missouri are technically nonpartisan, but Republican moves at the local level have changed the election landscape. This year, the politically charged battle for school boards in the April 4 election has been concentrated in a few districts in St. Charles County and west St. Louis County where conservative-backed candidates gained ground a year ago and are now aiming for outright majorities on several local school boards.
Why It Matters
· School boards are often a proving ground for future state legislators. They are one of the first places that Republican and Democrats look as their recruit candidates for House races.
· Republicans found that their opposition to COVID restrictions resonated with a lot of school parents. Since then, removing CRT from curriculums has been a popular target.
Parson Touts MO’s EV Prospects
One capitol veteran called Gov. Mike Parson “the very soul of inconsistency.”
· In the midst of a European trip, Parson tweeted a picture of himself at Mercedes-Benz HQ in Germany, noting the world's leading luxury automaker ‘is getting ready to go all electric by the end of the decade, and it has a comprehensive plan, which includes significantly accelerating its path towards electric mobility, sustainability and digitalization.’ Parson added: ‘With the company’s aggressive expansion plans, Missouri is a great location for any future investment opportunities in the EV manufacturing industry in the US moving forward.’
· Then Parson popped by Porsche in Germany and tweeted he got to ‘hear about their current operations in North America and future goals for Electric Vehicles.’
· But this is exactly the sort of data-based, long-range investment planning Parson and other Republicans are blasting by criticizing investors taking "environmental, social and corporate governance" ("ESG") of companies into account as a condition of investing. In a tweet hours before his German electric cars admiration, Parson said he joined other GOP governors writing a strong protest of "ESG" and "radical environmental politics."
· Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, laid out the philosophy regarding investing in a 2022 open letter: "In a few short years, we have all watched innovators reimagine the auto industry. And today, every car manufacturer is racing toward an electric future. The auto industry, however, is merely on the leading edge – every sector will be transformed by new, sustainable technology… I believe the decarbonizing of the global economy is going to create the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime… The next 1,000 unicorns won’t be search engines or social media companies, they’ll be sustainable, scalable innovators – startups that help the world decarbonize and make the energy transition affordable for all consumers. ..."
Lobbyists Registrations
Heath Clarkston and Doug Nelson added DailyPay Inc.
Taylor March added Local Motion.
Gamble & Schlemeier added Cardinal Health, Inc.
Joe Sweeney-Legore added Joe Sweeney-Legore.
John Arthur Young added City of St. Peters, and Medwise LLC; and deleted QuikTrip Corporation, and TAS LLC.
$5K+ Contributions
Leadership Counts - $25,000 from SLC Holdings, LLC.
21st Century St. Louis PAC - $10,000 from Post Holdings, Inc.
21st Century St. Louis PAC - $20,000 from First Bank.
Committee to Elect Lacey Miller - $10,000 from Lacey Miller.
Local 757 Fire PAC - $10,000 from St. Charles Police Officers Association.
Citizens For a Safer Community - $8,000 from V-Twin Vapors.
Citizens for Chris Lonsdale - $25,000 from Chris Lonsdale.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to State Treasurer Vivek Malek.
Remembering Jessica Pabst
· Husch Blackwell Strategies has established the Jessica Pabst Memorial Fund. You can contribute here.
· You can upload photos here for Jessica’s memorial service.
· Stephanie Willis and Heather McKnelly are organizing a meal train for the family here.