MOScout Daily Update: Why Hruza-Mania - Brown Named in Wage Dispute - Subsidies for Ag Tech? - JeffCo RFP and more...
Power District: Why Folks Are Watching Hruza
Later this month George Hruza will have a fundraiser hosted by Bob and Kim Brinkman. See the invite here.
· Brinkman gave $100,000 to LG Mike Kehoe earlier this year.
· Treasurer Vivek Malek and House Floor Leader Jon Patterson are the special guests at the fundy.
Why the big guns all firing for a state representative candidate?
Yes, Hruza has a compelling personal biography and yes he was a good soldier running into the buzzsaw that was Tracy McCreery for Senate. But it’s as much about the district as much as it is about the candidate.
· House 89 is one of the wealthiest districts in Missouri.
· It’s reliably Republican, but not Trump-crazed (Parson won by 9 points, Trump by 3).
· And most importantly, it has produced two speakers in recent history (John Diehl, and the current speaker, Dean Plocher).
And
Just in time for the fundraiser, Brighter Days for Missouri was formed this week. It appears to be a PAC to support Hruza. PACs aren’t limited by the contribution limits that apply to candidate committees.
Brown Named in Wage Lawsuit
KSDK reports on a lawsuit against Sen. Ben Brown and his restaurant. Read it here.
· (Willie) Williams worked for Satchmo's Bar & Grill between June and August of this year. According to the lawsuit, he was employed hourly at a rate of $16 per hour and $24 per hour of overtime, and received his checks bi-weekly.
· The lawsuit claims Brown knew Williams regularly worked overtime yet still only paid him for 40 hours a week, withholding hundreds of dollars from his paychecks.
Read the lawsuit here: “On August 18, 2023, when Plaintiff noticed that his paychecks did not include the overtime he was working, Plaintiff asked Defendants for his wages owed. Defendants fired Plaintiff and refused to pay Plaintiff his overtime pay.”
Subsidies for Ag Tech?
The Columbia Missourian reports on technological advances happening in the field of agriculture… Read it here.
· MU rolled out its first all-electric, autonomous tractor Tuesday, calling it a “revolutionary piece of technology” that could pioneer new agricultural practices and make farming more efficient and sustainable.
· The Monarch MK-V tractor, bought with grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the Midwest’s first fully autonomous tractor, according to Christopher Daubert, dean of the MU College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources…
· The MK-V runs solely on electricity and is equipped with cameras and sensors that allow it to be driven remotely. Its artificial intelligence capabilities are designed to collect data and analyze crop health, allowing the machine to align with future agricultural innovation.
· The tractor does come with a high price tag: A standard model starts at about $89,000, more than twice the price of a traditional tractor of the same size…
· Because of the nascency of this new technology, no state subsidies are yet available to help farmers pay for it, according to Teng Lim, a professor at MU Extension. There is, however, a “good chance” of future state support, he said…
Post: No Overrides Coming
Kurt Erickson writes that although the House may vote to override a few of Governor Mike Parson’s line-item vetoes, no such action is likely to occur in the Senate. Read it here.
· (Sen. Lincoln) Hough, however, is an ally of the governor. He spent time earlier this summer barnstorming with Parson as he championed money set aside in the spending plan to widen Interstate 70 to three lanes in each direction across the state.
· Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, said she voted against the overall budget in May because she felt it was already too large. For that reason, she said she won’t support any override attempts because it would bring back added spending.
eMailbag on Gragg Announcement
"The legislative process seems to be getting more difficult each session" said the person who has been there for one (1) session…
Help Wanted
County of Jefferson seeks Professional Governmental Consulting and Legislative Services. “The professional services will include, but not be limited to: Representing the best interests of the County of Jefferson as determined by the County Executive in regards to legislative issues that come before the Missouri Legislature and working, as directed by the County, to effect passage or defeat of legislation that influences those interests…” See the RFP here.
Lobbyists Registrations
Maddie McMillan Green added Scientific Games, LLC.
Chris Liese, Jim Foley, Andy Foley, and Tony Dugger added CDPQ U.S. Inc.
$5K+ Contributions
Another Viceroy PAC - $30,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri, LLC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Emily Weber, Rex Sinquefield, Sheila Solon, and Kathlyn Fares.