MOScout Daily Update: Moonatic Fringe - House Passes IP, Sports Betting - Gardner Replacement Talk - New IE PACs and more...
3 Days Left
It was another meandering day in the Senate thanks to Sen. Mike Moon, who seemed to wander in and out of mini-filibusters. Dems had it easy. They rarely needed to do anything to slow Republican priorities. Moon handled that all by himself.
Moon said he was anxious that the House pass his bill on trans issues. He was slowing down the Senate to create pressure on the House.
It is expected that the House will pass the trans bills today. Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder’s SB 39, and Moon’s SB 49 are both on the House calendar for third reading.
But some in the hallway believed that Moon had multiple motives for his actions. One of those: he was engaged in a kind of “pre-filibuster” of the open enrollment debate which had been on the docket for yesterday. It should come to the floor today.
· Folks are anticipating a “halfway normal” day in the Senate today. All together now: We’ll see…
Moon quote of the day: “I hope you understand I’m not trying to be contrary.”
Rejoinder: When you’re Mike Moon, you don’t have to try to be contrary. You just are.
Talk on Potential STL Circuit Atty Replacements
Governor Mike Parson’s opportunity to appoint the new St. Louis City Circuit Attorney continues to generate talk – even amid the busy final week of session.
· On lobbyist notes that Sen. Steven Roberts faces political headwinds... “I assume [Mayor Tishaura Jones] will block Roberts... Can’t see Parson appointing someone she says absolutely no to.”
· I’m told Patrick Hamacher was in Jefferson City to argue before the Missouri Supreme Court. Meanwhile he authored an op/ed in the St. Louis Business Journal outlining a course of action for the new circuit attorney. It’s a nice pitch that says, “put me in coach.” Read it here. In the first 90 days, the circuit attorney will be in triage mode, utilizing all the resources available to begin to rebuild what is currently a broken office. Within the first week, a task force of experienced attorneys should be formed to work through the backlog of cases. This task force should review all cases, prioritizing those that are both the oldest and the most serious crimes.
The Bigger Picture: One difficulty Parson faces is the incongruence between his politics and the current zeitgeist of City politics. Is there a traditional law-and-order candidate for the circuit attorney spot who would also be acceptable to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party which now dominates St. Louis City elections? I’m not sure there is.
House Passes IP Conference Report
The House passed the conference report on HJR 43 (initiative petition reform), bringing that priority one step closer to the ballot in 2024.
· A couple MOScouters took issue with my summation of the compromise: The CCR on HRJ 43 does NOT protect IP statutory changes from meddling by legislators. They can still override statutory provisions with a 57% majority in both chambers, which Republicans currently hold. It is a false flag added solely to confuse voters. Just more ballot candy.
· MOIndy gets the quote of the day from Rep. David Tyson Smith describing his feelings about the measure: “You just have dog poop with icing on it.”
What’s Next: I expect some gnashing of teeth on the Senate floor. Dems don’t like it for a variety of reasons, and some Republicans will stomp their feet that it lacks the concurrent majorities. But in the end, I doubt neither will stand in the way of a vote. That’s because Dems think they’ll beat it at the ballot box, which stuffs the issue in the closet for at least a cycle or two. And Republicans won’t sink their chance at some incremental “improvement.”
Sports Betting’s Hail Mary
As expected, the House added sports betting language to SB 92, Sen. Denny Hoskins’ Rural economic development bill.
Post-Dispatch notes that low-income housing developer Jeffrey E. Smith will certainly want the bill to pass. The gambit appears to hang on the hopes that juice from Smith will encourage Hoskins to make the trade: clean sports betting for his ecodevo bill.
The Bigger Picture: Although Hoskins has been the center of attention, the opposition is broader than any one senator. Will VLTs stand down if Hoskins does? Could Smith’s backing also generate some new opposition? Sports betting remains a “long-shot.”
Razer Cuts
The Senate passes SB 127 yesterday. It’s a laundry list bill naming various highways and bridges etc. But interestingly, one provision which was removed was from Rep. Brian Seitz. It would have reduced the amount of time after one’s death that the legislature can make a naming for the individual.
One lobbyist says it was axed by Sen. Greg Razer. “Your readers will perhaps recall when Mr. Seitz had the LGBT museum removed from the building. It’s going to be a while (if ever) before a Seitz bill makes it to the Gov’s desk…”
New IE PACs
Two new Independent Expenditure political action committees were formed. These are allied with candidates. They’re not subject to campaign contribution limits, but the candidates can’t direct their expenditures.
· Independence Leadership PAC: Rep. Robert Sauls.
· Rural Roots PAC: Rep. Dane Diehl.
$5K+ Contributions
MILA PAC - $9,300 from World Acceptance Corporation.
theLOUpac - $6,462 from Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.
Lobbyists Registrations
Jeff Smith added KC Recycle & Waste Solutions.
Courtney Curtis added DEAR M.A.M.A. (MOTHERS ASSISTING MOTHERS ASSOCIATION).
Michael Ventre added FanDuel Group, Inc.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Ron Hicks, and Michelle Sherod.