MOScout Daily Update: Kehoe to Border - Corners for Hough - Rosenbaum on IP Timing - MEC in Limbo and more…

Quick Friday update…

Kehoe to Border

Press release: Governor Mike Parson announced that Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe will travel to McAllen, Texas, on Saturday, April 13, to meet with Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) troopers, receive an in-person update on Operation Lone Star, and assess Missouri's ongoing MSHP deployment to the Southern Border. Lt. Governor Kehoe will be joined by Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Sandy Karsten and MSHP Colonel Eric Olson.

What It Means

In an election year in which “The Border” is a hot-button issue with Republicans, Kehoe’s probably very happy to head south and look tough as he receives an “in-person update.”

Rosenbaum: Pro-Choice IP Likely to November

The mighty Jason Rosenbaum says that even though Governor Mike Parson wants to have options about whether to place the potential pro-choice initiative petition on the August or November ballot, it looks like it’s headed for November.  Read it here.

·       Unless Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft uses a procedure aimed at speeding up the petition signature counting process, which his office says at this point he isn’t planning to do, it will be functionally impossible for signatures to be verified before the August primary….

·       “From the last Tuesday in July, we have two weeks to either issue a certificate of sufficiency or a certificate of insufficiency — meaning they didn’t get the required number of signatures,” Ashcroft spokesman JoDonn Chaney said. “So that is after the Aug. 6 primary in most cases.”

·       Even if Ashcroft issued what’s known as a certificate of sufficiency immediately, it would be too late for any initiative petition to appear on the August ballot — since absentee voting will have begun in late June.

·       “It is physically impossible to get on the August ballot unless they do random sampling,” said Chuck Hatfield, a lawyer who has represented groups circulating initiative petitions for years. “The governor can't call the election until it's certified, and they can't get it certified in time for him to put it on in August.”

What It Means

·       This could help Democrats in swing suburban districts if it drives higher turnout in those districts among folks rebelling against Missouri’s strict abortion law.

·       This would also seem to dampen Missouri Right to Life endorsements in the August Republican ballot.

Ethics End in Sight?

The House Ethic Commission which has been investigating Speaker Dean Plocher only has one meeting scheduled for next week (Monday).  Lately they’ve been meeting two or three times a week.  Could the lessened schedule indicate a conclusion coming?

Corn for Hough

Missouri Corn Growers Association endorsed Sen. Lincon Hough.  Read it here.  “Lincoln Hough is never afraid to speak up for farmers, even when it is not always easy. The Missouri Corn Growers Association proudly endorses Lincoln Hough for Missouri lieutenant governor,” MCGA President Brent Hoerr.

·       Hough leads in cash, and now it looks like he’s going to start rolling up the Ag endorsements.

AFP Anti-1480

Post-Dispatch reports on Rep. Brad Christ’s HB 1480, which was perfected this week.  The bill hopes to incentivize “mega-projects,” companies willing to invest billions in Missouri.  It had some critics during floor debate, but also garnered bipartisan support.

Americans for Prosperity, however, issued a “key vote alert” to legislators. “On behalf of thousands of Americans for Prosperity advocates and supporters in Missouri, I urge you to vote NO on HB 1480. We may record this vote in our 2024 session legislative scorecard… Every tax break given to one specific industry drives up taxes for the rest of Missouri's families and businesses. In this economy, taxpayers are tired of being asked to fund corporate welfare for the administration's favored industries…”

Moon Dissents on Marriage Bill

The Senate passed Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder’s bill requiring a minimum age of 18 to get married in Missouri.  KCStar’s Kacen Bayless notes that the only NO vote in the Senate was Sen. Mike Moon who’s previously mentioned anecdotes of young teens getting married and it working out….

MEC in Limbo

Fridays are often the day when the Governor’s office announces new board and commission appointments, so here’s hoping today we get new Missouri Ethic Commission appointees.  Right now, the commission is unable to conduct business due to a lack of a quorum.

Missouri statute, Section 105.955.6, RSMo requires at least four commission members are necessary for a quorum, and at least four affirmative votes shall be required for any action or recommendation of the Commission. Commissioners whose terms expired on March 15, 2024, cannot serve on unexpired terms… Because there were not four Commissioners able to consider the investigation within the 15-Day timeframe, the Commission could take no action on this complaint…

Lobbyists Registrations

Irl Scissors and Sarah Wood Martin added National Strategies, LLC OBO COMPASS Pathways.

Kent Kaiser added Kent Kaiser.

$5K+ Contributions

Together Missouri PAC (pro-Hamra) - $10,000 from Rose Mary McGuire.

Sander for Missouri - $5,001 from Chrisopher Sander.

Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages (higher minimum wage IP) - $63,871 from Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action.

Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages - $10,876 from Missouri Jobs with Justice.

Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee - $15,000 from Loellke Plumbing LLC (Jerseyville, IL).

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Courtney Curtis.