MOScout Daily Update: Kehoe’s Latest Haul - Deaton Mulls Primary? - Referendum Signatures On Target - AIM on DOR Regs and more…

Breaking: Kehoe Event Raises Close to $1M

Expect to see some big checks hitting the pro-Mike Kehoe American Dream PAC in the coming days after last night’s fundraising event in Kansas City which raised close to $1 million.  The shindig was organized by Shawn Furey, Centene’s government relations executive.  Years ago, Furey staffed Eric Schmitt when he was state senator, before a stint at Axiom Strategies.

·       Interestingly, Kehoe gave a shout-out to Nathan Willett as a good friend.  Willett is running to replace termed Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer.

What It Means

The event showed that Team Kehoe isn’t going to wait until a year out from re-election to start fundraising.  They’re going to enter the re-election cycle with a massive war chest to squelch even a whisper of talk about a primary.

·       It also showed that KC can raise real money for a Republican.

Rumorville: Deaton Eying a Primary?

Yesterday’s report of large contributions added a little more fuel to the rumor that House Budget Chair Dirk Deaton is considering challenging Sen. Jill Carter.

Deaton showed three checks bolstering his PAC, Old McDonald PAC.

·       $25,000 from Rex Sinquefield.

·       $10,000 from Missouri Law Enforcement for Good Government.

·       $10,000 from HEALTHPAC.

Referendum Signatures On Track

Signature collection by the People Not Politicians group is apparently going very well.  They’re planning to have twice the number of signatures as required by law by the deadline in mid-December.

Their urgency for collection is being driven by their fear that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins will use the power of his office to derail their efforts.  They expect he’ll have his team going over the signatures with a fine-tooth comb to disqualify any he can.  I won’t be surprised if there are future court cases ahead in this continuing saga.

Meanwhile, folks gaming out scenarios wonder if – faced with the special session map on ice due to an impending referendum – would the legislature try to pass another map in the early weeks of session?  That seems unlikely given they’d need an emergency clause, and it would disrupt an already troubled capitol atmosphere.

And

Kansas City Star reports on shady opposition tactic.  Read it here.

A mysterious consulting contract appears to signal a targeted effort to halt the vote. A copy of the 13-page contract, obtained by The Star, offered up to $5,000 to a campaign canvasser if they would become a “consultant” for a company called Vortex Elite. Under the contract, they would stop collecting signatures for the campaign and provide a slew of services, including “ground intelligence” on other campaigns and potentially leaving the state. The source of the contract remains a mystery… Sean Soendker Nicholson, a political consultant working with the referendum campaign, called People Not Politicians, provided The Star with a copy of the contract. He suggested the effort could be illegal, pointing to the mystery behind its source and a lack of campaign finance reports detailing any alleged payments.

AIM to DOR: Stick With 2009 Position

In a letter from Associated Industries of Missouri to Ms. Trish Vincent, Director of Revenue, AIM’s CEO Ray McCarty outlines his opposition to the proposed tax on fees charged to customers who use a credit card.  Read the letter here.

A fee charged only to customers who use credit cards as payment for transactions is a charge incidental to the use of credit and is exempt under the statute. Interestingly, this position was held by the Missouri Department of Revenue as published in a letter ruling LR5939 dated October 30, 2009. There has been no statutory change that would eliminate this exemption since then.

MO’s Taxing Districts

Senate staffer Heidi Osner posted a property tax explainer on social media.  An excerpt…

There are now 2,807 taxing jurisdictions that utilize property taxes…

There are 4,856 property tax rates being collected or have been authorized to be collected. Some of these are debt service rates. School and fire districts utilize a debt service property tax rate. Some of these I have to be honest, I have no idea what they are collecting to pay. For instance, there are 282 township districts that have over 775 authorized tax rates and of those 775 only 64 are debt service.

There is no way to discuss each of the districts and what they are paying. I will link the auditor’s report at the bottom so you can find your county and municipality and see how your property taxes are dedicated. However, here are some fun ones:

·       Salisbury folks - did you know you pay property taxes for a museum?

·       There are 8 cities paying for a band. Yes, a musical band.

·       City of Fairfax (all 600 of you) are paying property taxes for lights. Don’t worry, you are not alone; there are 33 rural communities that pay for lights.

·       The City of Craig (pop. 105) will not have their city vehicles be without fuel, because they pay property taxes specifically for motor fuel…

Harbison Retiring

Press release: Gary Harbison, the Executive Director of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health (MCOH), is retiring after 14 years of devoted service. Throughout his tenure, Gary’s exceptional leadership and steadfast commitment have shaped a transformative era for MCOH, leaving a profound and lasting impact on both the organization and the communities it serves. His vision and dedication have set a strong foundation for the organization’s continued success. 

The mission of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health is to improve oral health with all Missourians by advocating for sound public policy. MCOH is based in Jefferson City, MO

New Committees

Jefferson Civic Action Committee was formed.  It’s a PAC in support of Rep. Bill Lucas.

$5K+ Contributions

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $10,000 from Matthew Lowe.

Ready to Lead (pro-Patty Lewis) - $10,000 from PENN Entertainment, Inc. (Wyomissing, PA).

PULSE PAC - $15,000 from Rex Sinquefield.

Missouri Right to Life PAC - $10,000 from Kyle McCollom.

HBS MO State PAC - $16,500 from Tenaska Clear Creek Wind LLC (Omaha, NE).

Lobbyist Registrations

Claudia Alley added MoCannTrade.

John Bardgett, Jacqueline Bardgett, Chris Roepe, and Braydon Pemberton added The Cordish Companies.                                                                               

Gamble & Schlemeier added Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence DBA Missouri Public Health Institute.

James Harris added Ceres Environmental Services.

Craig Redmon added US Wellness Meats.

Sean Grove added Par Health; and deleted Mallinckrodt LLC.

Eapen Thampy added Torch Drinks; and deleted Private Party Impound.

Sherry Doctorian deleted City of Jefferson, Missouri.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Ray Reed, Jessica Seitz, James Owen, Melissa Panettiere, and John Sauer.