MOScout Daily Update: Parson to Sign Bills - Hernandez for House - Patterson for Gregory - Drebes on Standing Division and more...
Be warned: I’m in a middle of a couple trips, the timing of this week’s updates will be a little erratic.
The Rise of the Standing Division
There has been a marked increase in the number of times that the standing division is used in the Senate.
A standing division requires that senators come to the chamber and stand beside their desk to record their votes. It’s fun to watch. Those in favor of a proposal will stand, and then sit down, while those opposed stand. The chair skips his or her finger across the floor counting how many senators are standing for each side, and then pronounces the tally.
It can be used as an alternative to a regular rollcall vote. Fifteen years ago, it was rarely (maybe once a session) invoked.
The only real difference: roll call votes are recorded in the Journal. You can see how someone voted. The vote become historical fact.
Standing divisions don’t break the totals down by which senator was standing and which sitting for the Ayes and Nays. It’s a way to vote but not have to (ironically) stand by your vote.
On the one hand, defenders of the practice would say that they’re employing the maneuver often as a courtesy to their fellow senators. They’re trying to spare colleagues the sometimes awkward situations of “tough votes.”
This argument holds weight these days after the 2021 session when Conservative Caucus members seemingly engineered situations to put their colleagues on the record with “tough votes” to use as fuel for insurgent candidates primarying them.
I’m no fan of the standing division.
It seems symptomatic of the term-limited system where we haven’t done away with “career politicians;” we simply force them to run for a series of offices.
(A modest proposal: legislators have a four-year cooling off period after they complete their term limit, where they can’t run for any other elective office.)
With folks always eying the next big race, the standing division reduces the potential heartburn of offending future voters.
I’d rather all senators proudly vote their conscience. And worry less about political consequences.
One veteran building denizen shook his head in disbelief as we talked about this one day during session last month. It’s mind boggling how much work and sacrifice senators make for the honor and privilege to go to Jefferson City and stand on the floor. Why would you pay that price and then not relish making your mark, for better or for worse?
Patterson Backs Gregory
House Floor Leader Jon Patterson is endorsing former Rep. David Gregory for Senate 15.
Gregory faces Mayor Jim Bowlin and St. Louis County Councilman Mark Harder in what might be the hottest Republican states senate primaries in 2024.
· Perhaps Patterson’s calculus: Gregory is the strongest candidate. And by backing him, he’ll have a good relationship on that side of the building in the future.
Mosley Adds Price
Sen. Angela Mosley has hired Bianca Price as her new chief of staff. Price is an attorney.
· According to her LinkedIn, she was Deputy Campaign Manager for Wesley Bell’s first campaign, and she did a stint in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office last year.
Hernandez for House 19
Patricia Hernandez formed a campaign committee, Hernandez for MO, to run for House 19 as a Democrat. The current incumbent, Minority Caucus Chair Ingrid Burnett is termed. See the paperwork here.
· Hernandez is Operations Coordinator at Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, and a member of the Democratic Party State Committee.
Parson to Boston
Governor Mike Parson travels to Boston today (Monday) to attend a BioTech Business Recruitment conference. He’ll headline a breakfast for the Missouri Biotechnology Association on Tuesday morning…
And
When he returns, he’ll be signing bills. On the list of bills he’ll sign Wednesday…
· HB 131 / SB 111 – Dave Griffith / Mike Bernskoetter – state employee pay.
· SB 13 – Sandy Crawford – Division of Finance.
· SB 25 – Lincoln Hough – taxation of broadband grants/
· SB 167 – Ben Brown – update license regulations.
Parson Appoints Iles to AHC
Governor Mike Parson appointed Carole Iles to the Administrative Hearing Commission.
· Ms. Iles has previously served as Of Counsel to the law firms Akerman LLP and Bryan, Cave, Leighton, Paisner LLP. She has served as General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Revenue, as an Assistant Missouri Attorney General, and as a law clerk to Judge Charles Blackmar of the Missouri Supreme Court. She served two terms as Chair of the Missouri Bar Taxation Law Committee and is a current member of the Boone County Bar Association. Ms. Iles earned a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs from The George Washington University and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri–Columbia, where she was a member of the Missouri Law Review and elected to the Order of the Coif.
Other Gubby Appts
· The Honorable Lynne R. Perkins was appointed as Circuit Judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit.
· The Honorable Kaiti Greenwade was appointed as Circuit Judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit.
· Kirsten E. Poppen was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit.
· Robert Cirtin was appointed to the Board of Private Investigator and Private Fire Investigator Examiners.
· Dr. Deiter Duff was appointed to the Coroner Standards and Training Commission.
· Chad Hartman, Sarah Newell, Mike Phillips, and J.R. Webb were appointed to the Missouri 911 Service Board.
· Gregory Sacks, Gregory Eldridge, and Craig Jones were appointed to the Elevator Safety Board.
· Brittney Southworth was appointed to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.
Lobbyists Registrations
James Harris deleted KC Recycle & Waste Solutions, and The Bedroom Store.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Colleen Coble.