MOScout Daily Update: House’s A3 Working Group - Lonsdale to DC - Habbas’ New Gig - Hobbs to DCI - Inaugural Kudos - Gragg Seeks School Board Seat and more…

Moody Passes

The great Jim Moody passed away, according to several people in the capitol yesterday.

Moody served as Governor John Ashcroft’s Budget Director.  He was instrumental in the creation of the FRA tax, the mechanism that allows the state to draw billions of dollars in federal aid to make the state’s Medicaid program solvent.

Moody ran a successful lobbying practice for many years, but was best known as a budget expert – often buttonholed in the hallways by a legislator, fellow lobbyist, or journalist seeking to understand some arcane aspect of the state’s finances.  He was a straight-shooter and honest broker.

Though he retired last year, and I didn’t expect to see him in the building this year, I will miss him.

Senate Committees

According to the Senate Resolution 19 introduced by Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, it looks like there will be no major changes to the Senate committee structure this year.  There are only a few portfolio switches…

·       Committee on Health and Welfare will become Committee on Families, Seniors, and Health.

·       Workforce Development is moving from the Education Committee to the Economic Development Committee.

·       Government Accountability Committee will become Government Efficiency Committee.

·       Pensions will move from the Veterans Committee (where it really didn’t fit) to the Local Government Committee (where is only kind of doesn’t fit).

Chairmanships

I’m told we’ll be getting chairmanships and committee assignments for both the House and Senate tomorrow….

House’s A3 Working Group

Rep. Melanie Stinnett will be chairing a working group intended to determine what the House wants to put forward in terms of abortion regulations in the wake of Amendment 3.  She filed HJR 54 yesterday, which will likely be the vehicle for the House’s proposal.

The Republican Caucus’ working group: Stinnett, Ben Baker, Mike Costlow, Jamie Gragg, Willard Haley, Bill Hardwick, Ann Kelley, Becky Laubinger, Mark Meirath, Phil Oehlerking, Matt Overcast, Melissa Schmidt, Brian Seitz, and John Simmons.

The group is a pretty good cross-section of the Republican Caucus including some folks who aren’t know for finding common ground on the abortion issue.  But –Missourians just rejected the total abortion ban. Even hard-core pro-lifers realize they can’t just put a total abortion ban back before voters.  Stinnett’s initial proposal, as drafted in HJR 54, is pretty stringent.  It would prohibit almost all abortions, but retains exceptions for cases of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, and rape or incest. 

·       Stinnett is running for Senate 30, a purple seat, in 2026.  Her willingness to step into a hot-button situation with plenty of risk of political downside speaks to her seriousness as a legislator.

eMailbag on A3

One GOPer: Planned Parenthood still isn’t offering abortions—Amendment 3 isn’t delivering as promised. Republicans might be sitting back, watching Democrats fumble the ball all on their own.

People on the Move

·       Former Rep. Chris Lonsdale was at the capitol yesterday, giving back his state rep license plates.  He told me he’s headed to Washington DC where he’ll work in the State Department of the new Trump Administration.

·       Mark Habbas has left Bardgett & Associates.  He says that he’ll miss Jefferson City and all the folks he grew fond of here, but he’s off to a new adventure.  Habbas has joined a company that provides non-surgical treatment options for skin cancer patients.  He’s handling their governmental affairs.

·       Tyler Hobbs is the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance’s new Legislative Director.  “Mr. Hobbs has most recently served as the Legislative Director for the Office of the Governor.”

Gragg Seeks School Board Seat

Springfield News-Leader reports on Rep. Jamie Gragg seeking an appointment to the Ozark School Board.

·       "Do I want to? No. But I told a couple of the board members that if you're going to open this up, then my name better be on it because I am done with this, the lack of transparency, the good old boy system, that has got to go. It has got to go," he said. "We need people on our school board that are looking out of the best interests of the teachers, the students, the parents ... and the school system as a whole."

·       Gragg said if appointed to the board, a volunteer position, he will continue to represent the area in the statehouse. He was elected to a second term in November.

·       In an interview Monday, Gragg said if appointed to serve the rest of Callaway's term he would not seek election to the board in April 2026. "I don't think there's enough money in the world to make me want to do it more than just for the allotted time of the appointment," he said, adding: "I believe I have my hands full with the legislature."

Kehoe Inaugural Kudos

John Hancock and Jonathon Prouty are winning kudos for their management of the Kehoe Inauguration ceremony.  It’s a ten-thousand piece jigsaw puzzle with the whole state watching.  Hancock had previously run Matt Blunt’s swearing-in twenty years ago in 2005.

·       Also, a shout out to Heather McGee who corralled the 100+ person volunteer effort through the Inaugural events.

Willson to DHSS

Press release: Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Sarah Willson as Director of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).Willson will assume the role of DHSS Director effective February 14, 2025, and awaits Missouri Senate confirmation.

·       Willson has served as Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs for the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) since 2016. In that role, she provided clinical and regulatory guidance to over 140 hospitals across the state, serving as a key expert on licensing, survey processes and compliance for acute care, critical access, long-term care, rehabilitation, and psychiatric facilities. She also collaborated with lawmakers to develop healthcare legislation at both the state and federal levels.

$5K+ Contributions

North Missouri PAC (pro-Clevenger, running House 7 in 2026) - $12,000 from CFM Insurance Inc.

Lobbyist Registrations

Elizabeth Smith added The Nature Conservancy.

Tyler Travers added Kanbe’s Markets.

Sean Ford Mackey added Kansas City Chiefs Football Club.

Mark Habbas deleted all the clients of Bardgett & Associates.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Brendan Cossette, and Virvus Jones.