MOScout Daily Update: Wick LA Seeks Seat? - Roundup Winddown? - Billion Dollar Budget Buster - Leiendecker Buys Dominion and more…
Wick LA Seeks Seat?
I published a job posting here yesterday for legislative assistant for Rep. Wick Thomas. It turns out the vacancy is because the former LA is planning to run… for Wick’s seat.
· Phyllis Hernandez tells a MOScouter she’s planning to run...
Roundup Winddown?
Post-Dispatch reports that “the Missouri Supreme Court declined to reconsider a $611 million Roundup verdict against the company.” And that has Bayer considering “stopping production of glyphosate, the active ingredient found in the Roundup weedkiller. Brian Leake, spokesperson for Bayer, said in a statement Thursday that the current situation was untenable…”
What It Means
Farmers in the Missouri legislature warned last session that without a change in the legal framework (HB 544, for example) they could be left without a critical tool. We’ll see if the heightened chances of Bayer pulling the product push legislators to find a compromise.
Billion Dollar Budget Buster
Missouri Independent’s Rudi Keller looks at next year’s tight budget. It won’t be fun. Read it here.
· The coming year will bring additional pressure on current revenue as the state exhausts extra federal aid for health care banked during the COVID-19 pandemic. To make up the difference, the Department of Social Services is asking for $784 million in two areas of the Medicaid program.
· Two other items push the need for new spending to continue current operations above $1 billion. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says it needs $190 million to continue foundation formula school aid at current levels and $32 million to meet the demand for student transportation.
What It Means
This is just one more reason next session looks like it’ll be a doozy. Angry Senate Dems, simmering Republican regulars, election year hijinks, and a tight budget.
Senate 14: Union Endorsements for Bowman
Press release: John Bowman has earned the support of UAW Region 4, UFCW Local 655, and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)—a coalition of labor voices that have long fought for working families across the region.
What It Means
The Senate 14 race – to succeed term-limited Sen. Brian Williams – is still wide open. But Bowman is near the top of the pack. He entered with name ID and hustling for early endorsements.
Leiendecker Firm Buys Dominion
Axios reports that “Dominion Voting Systems — the voting machine behemoth that President Trump and his allies baselessly attacked after the 2020 election — has been sold to [Liberty Vote]… Liberty is a new company owned by Scott Leiendecker, who in 2011 created a software program focused on enabling election workers to verify voters and check them in at polling locations. According to Leiendecker's LinkedIn page, his company KNOWiNK has more than 150 employees and $55 million in annual revenue.”
· Years ago, Leiendecker was the Republican elections director for the St. Louis City Election Board.
The Liberty Vote press release touts Leiendecker’s vision…
· 100% American Ownership: Liberty Vote is committed to domestic staffing and software development.
· Paper Ballot Focus: Leveraging hand-marked paper ballots enabling compliance with President Trump’s executive order, and ensuring election security and compliance with federal standards.
· Third-Party Auditing: Incorporating rigorous, industry-leading third-party auditing standards to verify election integrity at every step.
· Simplified, Transparent Systems: Designed for election officials and voters alike, with an emphasis on clarity and accountability.
What It Means
The lies from Donald Trump and his allies about the 2020 election attempted to undermine Americans’ faith in the democratic process and created a culture of conspiracy theories regarding voting machines.
· Leiendecker’s acquisition of Dominion offers a critical chance for a reset.
Lane To Lead HBS ’50 State Practice’
Press release: HB Strategies today announced the addition of Jasmine Lane as Principal in its 50 State practice group, the firm's specialized team of state lobbyists that serves as a dedicated national lobbying hub for client organizations navigating the complex landscape of state-level policy and regulation. Jasmine brings more than ten years of government affairs experience managing multi-state lobbying efforts and will expand the 50 State team's capacity to provide clients with seamless integration into their organizational structures as an on-demand state-level extension.
Sheriff Under House Arrest
STL crazy, baby… Post-Dispatch reports that “St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery has been indicted on five new charges accusing him of tampering with and retaliating against witnesses in a federal investigation…The indictment, which accuses Montgomery of five new felonies in addition to a previous misdemeanor civil rights charge, outlines expletive-laden recorded phone calls in which Montgomery rails against people who he believed were cooperating with law enforcement.
· Sheriff Alfred Montgomery “I don’t have to take this (expletive),” Montgomery said. “I’m the (expletive) sheriff. I say it’s either done or it ain’t. I don’t have to tolerate this (expletive).”
· A judge placed Montgomery on house arrest.
Former Smith Staffer Charged with Arson
Puxico crazy! KFVS reports on an arson… “Steve and Matthew Phillips, Larry Doublin and Dallas P. Landry were taken into custody by federal authorities on Wednesday morning, October 8… They were allegedly involved in the fire that burned down The Midway restaurant and other businesses in Puxico, Missouri on February 22.”
During an interview in April, Landry admitted to starting the fire and told investigators he set the fire at the request of Matthew and Steven. He said they asked him to burn it down because of the debt and financial stress they were in. Landry said he agreed to start the fire because he was in a financial bind and owed Matthew money.
· Matthew Phillips’ LinkedIn says he was a Field Representative for Congressman Jason Smith a decade ago.
eMailbag on New Columbia Charter School
On the item a couple days ago about the Columbia charter school… Worth noting is that Job Point has been around -- successfully -- for 60 years, so while opening a charter school is new for them, helping prepare struggling youth for jobs in the building trades is not.
eMailbag on VLTs
Whether or not it is a VLT, it looks like a VLT, put where VLT’s are put, and used instead of a VLT. This is not a game. Its a paid for rigged bet, and the winning bets so far have been placed on the politicians who are on the take.
$5K+ Contributions
MO Beverage PAC - $20,000 from Coca-Cola North America (Atlanta, GA).
Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri 2665 PAC Fund - $8,656 from Professional Firefighters of Eastern Missouri.
MO Republican Attorneys for Civil Justice PAC - $10,000 from Christopher J Finney LLC.
DougPac (pro-Beck) - $15,000 from Penn Entertainment, Inc. (Wyomissing, PA).
Spire Political Action Committee - $15,000 from Miller Pipeline.
STLCO PAC (pro-Brian Williams) - $10,000 from Orvin Kimbrough.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Secretary Denny Hoskins, Roger Wilson, Terry Jarrett, and Bruce Holt.