MOScout Weekender: Parole Changes Coming? - Hallway on Next Pro Tem - Who Won the Week and more…

Recommended Changes to Parole

One of Governor Mike Kehoe’s early executive orders was the formation of a working group to look at changes to the parole process.

That group released its recommendations yesterday.  Find their report here. Among the proposed changes…

·       Adds the offender’s right to present mitigating witnesses.  Current rules limit testimony of the offender’s witnesses that have direct knowledge of the alleged violation.  This will allow the offender to provide testimony as to why parole or conditional release should not be revoked.

·       Clarifies that the alleged violator may have attorney representation.

·       Adds a grid procedure to allow release without a parole hearing on Class C, D, and E non-violent offenses and drug offenses with sentences up to 20 years.

And it contained this interesting note…

There remains significant disagreement among the working group members about the minimum percent of sentence to be served by an incarcerated individual prior to parole eligibility. Several members of the working group felt the percent of sentence to be served prior to parole eligibility should be increased and several members felt those percentages should be decreased. Ultimately, the decision of the Parole Board with the support of the Department was to leave the percentages unchanged from current policy...

Wood: Worry Less

I stumbled on this nice profile of lobbyist Warren Wood who retired this year.

Reflecting on a long career focused on energy, economic development and serving customers, Wood said his only regret is worrying too much.  “I wish I had stressed a little less through the years,” he said. “If I could go back, I’d say: be strategic, work hard and focus on doing the right thing and things will turn out okay.”

Remington/MOScout Poll:

No poll this week.

MOScout’s Hallway Index: Next Senate Pro Tem

I asked lobbyists, “Who's most likely to succeed Cindy O'Laughlin as President Pro Tem of the Senate?”   24 replies…

RESULTS

1. Jason Bean… 25%

2. Travis Fitzwater… 16.7%

3. Curtis Trent… 4.2%

4. Someone else… 20.8%

5. Wayyyy too early to guess… 33.3%

Sample of Comments

·       Hudson

·       This race is wide open.

·       Brad Hudson

·       Who the hell would want that job right now?

·       Thinking outside the box - Nick Schroer. The PQ has weakened individual senators. Why would lobbyists keep giving to every senator when leadership might be all that matters in a post-filibuster world?

·       The 2026 primary cycle looks like there could be some conservative caucus pick-ups. Kehoe is governing with Eigel living rent-free in his head, so clearly politics and campaigns matter. Without institutional money, grassroots/smaller dollar + the party moving right means more of those races could go on to candidate further right.

·       Perhaps the Conservative Caucus becomes leadership…

·       I’ll take the field against those three.

·       Good question? I chose Bean because you have to run to be elected, and right now he is the only person in the race. Does only one senator kind of running for this spot mean that no one else is interested in stepping into a leadership role to guide the Missouri Senate?

Who Won the Week?

James Harris – He was practically the only lobbyist pushing for the snack food ban on SNAP benefits and yet… with Kehoe’s executive order, he seems to have prevailed on the issue.

Redistricting referendum – The “People, Not Politicians” committee added several big checks.  They’ve now collected $1.4 million.  It’ll be a sprint to collect signatures, but it looks like they’ll have the necessary resources.

Mun Choi – Seizes the agenda and forces Columbia leaders to address their crime challenges.

Ann Wagner – Sabato’s rating change puts CD-2 in the “safe Republican” category, making it much harder for a Democratic opponent to articulate a path and raise money.

Find a downloadable version here.

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Kehoe announced several appointments…

·       Gretchen Shull, of Webb City, was appointed to the State Board of Education.

·       Julia Koester, of Cape Girardeau, was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 32nd Judicial Circuit.

·       Joseph Murray III, of Farmington, was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 24th Judicial Circuit.

·       Paul Boyd, of Columbia, was appointed as the Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney.

·       Rebbeca Minks, of Warsaw, was appointed as the Benton County Treasurer.

·       Joseph "Bryon" Palmer, of Cape Girardeau, was appointed to the Missouri Real Estate Appraisers Commission.

New Committees

Quentin Wilson formed a candidate committee to run for auditor in 2026 as a Democrat. See the filing here.

$5K+ Contributions

People Not Politicians - $100,000 from Think Big America (Chicago, IL).

International Brotherhood of Teamsters Missouri PAC - Federal Committee - $28,515 from IBT Drive Committee (Washington, DC).

North County Labor Club - $14,266 from North County Labor Legislative Club.

Missourians for Sandy Karnes - $20,000 from Jack Karnes.

Missouri Alliance PAC (pro-Patterson) - $17,600 from Missouri Health Associates.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Jerry Nolte, and Randy Asbury.

Sunday: Joe Keavney and Nick Marshall.