MOScout Daily Update: Senate Debates IP - Hough Sinks Eigel Bill - Kehoe Hits SPFD for $$$ - Schmitt on "Weaponization" and more...

Senate Debates IP Reform

The Senate spent several hours debating the House version of initiative petition reform.  It was filibustered by Dems and laid over for future debate.

How this may go… After today we have six weeks left of session. If recent history is any guide, Republicans may try one “big” issue a week in the Senate.  They’ll arrive at the final week of session with three or four priorities that have been consistently derailed or stonewalled by Democrats.  At that point the two sides sit down and negotiate.  The GOP, with the PQ, will insist on one or two items passing, and Dems, in the super minority, will have to swallow it.

If this session follows this well-worn path, it wouldn’t surprise me to see IP reform on that short list, that second week of May.

Hough Sinks Eigel 2A Bill

Yesterday Sen. Bill Eigel’s SB 10, the “anti-red flag” bill died in a committee vote in General Law when Sen. Lincoln Hough joined the two Dems (a couple GOPers were absent) voting No.

What It Means

The Hough-Eigel relationship has been one of those bellwether relationships between the Senate “regulars” and the former Conservative Caucus.

This vote by Hough will likely rankle Eigel and could incite some retaliation on the floor.

We’ll see…

Only In MOScout: Kehoe Collects SPFD $$

Tomorrow is the last day of the quarter.  Tonight Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe will be in Springfield for a big fundraiser at the home of Julie and Mark Cook.  He’s the CEO - Central States Industrial (CSI).  And the invite (see it here) has a lot of Springfield heavy hitters on it.

Some of the bold-names… Sens. Karla Eslinger and Lincoln Hough, Jim Anderson, Joe Carmichael, Loren Cook II, Bill Darr, Brian Gelner, Peter Herschend, Crista Hogan & Abe McGull, Bryan Magers, Will Marrs, Terri McQueary, and Jay Wasson

Why It Matters

SWMO is viewed by some as an area of strength for Kehoe’s rival Jay Ashcroft. Mike’s hard work is clearly paying off.

Schmitt To Testify on “Weaponization”

Senator Eric Schmitt is set to testify before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (8AM local time).  From the press advisory: Senator Schmitt will testify about the federal government’s role in colluding with social media companies to censor speech, specifically relating to Missouri v. Biden. Senator Schmitt filed that landmark lawsuit in his previous role as Attorney General of Missouri.

·       From Schmitt’s written testimony submitted to the committee earlier this week… “In 1984, George Orwell imagined a world where the government completely controlled speech and thought through its Ministry of Truth.  President Biden and his administration may lust for its own Ministry of Truth, but I along with millions of Americans will not stop fighting for the God-given right to speak your mind, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech.”

What It Means

This signals that one of Schmitt’s top priorities will be taking on any perceived alliance between “big gov” and “big tech.”  Don’t be surprised to see Schmitt file legislation on the issue.

Christ Contra Gardner

As quickly as St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced she was revving up to run for re-election, Rep. Brad Christ announced he was drafting an amendment to prevent her from running – if AG Andrew Bailey is successful in removing her from office.

·       From the press release: Christ, who has carried legislation this session to place the St. Louis Police Department under state control, said he is committed to making St. Louis safer for families and businesses. He said it’s a matter of commonsense to prohibit an official removed from office for dereliction of duty from holding that position again.  “When we have a crisis situation where the Attorney General has to intervene to restore order we should respect that process and abide by its results. If our legal process confirms an official isn’t fit to hold office, we need to honor the finality of that decision and protect the process from being circumvented simply by running for office again,” said Christ, R-St. Louis.

Scharf Contra Parson

Will Scharf took aim at Governor Mike Parson over his tepid remarks on the Richey DEI amendments to the budget.

Parson quoted in the Post-Dispatch took his usual “wait-and-see” stand.  Scharf tweeted that Parson “should be supporting this, not sitting on the sidelines… State dollars should NOT be going to support radical leftist ‘diversity’ offices and consultants.”

·       Parson, obviously, is supporting his AG appointee Andrew Bailey, Scharf’s primary opponent.

Lobbyists Registrations

Eapen Thampy added Shaman Pharma LLC.

Angie Schulte added Missouri Motion Media Association.

Steven Tilley, Tom Robbins, Brittany Hyatt Robbins, Christopher Schoeman, and Alec Rosenblum added CarShield.

Steven Tilley and Tom Robbins deleted Blue Arrow Botanicals.

Tom Robbins deleted Jefferson City Medical Group.

$5K+ Contributions

Liberty and Justice PAC (pro-Bailey) - $15,000 from XCaliber International LTD LLC (Pryor, OK).

Missouri Agrees - $8,335 from The Center for Election Science (Redding CA).

Vote Yes Committee - $8,297 from National Association of Realtors (Chicago IL).

Birthdays

Happy birthday to David Pearce, Wes Shoemyer, Jeff Roorda, and Anne Schweitzer.