MOScout Daily Update: Fitz Drafts Hanaway to Tackle MSHAA - Elvis Judge Rebuked - CMT Frets at DOT Plan - Mitten Hits Butz on Rex $$$ and more…
Fitz Enlists Hanaway to Tackle MSHAA
The Missouri State High School Activities Association tries to have a diverse and representative board. That’s getting them in hot water with Republican statewide officials.
According to the paper trail, a white man wanted to join the board. However, he was told that bylaws are written to ensure the board isn’t all white men.
Feeling this was a discriminatory practice, he filed a “whistleblower” complaint. This lead to months of correspondence between Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick and the board’s attorney.
Finally, Fitz has had enough with the pen pal routine and is asking Attorney General Catherine Hanaway to “use all the resources at your disposal to right this wrong.”
SCOMO Heads Voter ID Cases
In oral arguments today, the Supreme Court of Missouri hears two different questions regarding the legislature’s 2022 HB 1878, sponsored by Rep. John Simmons.
· Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, et al. v. State of Missouri, et al. concerns the voter ID requirement.
· State of Missouri, et al. v. League of Women Voters of Missouri, et al concerns a prohibition against compensation for soliciting voter registration applications.
Matthew ‘Elvis’ Thornhill Suspension Recommendation
Post-Dispatch’s Katie Kull reports on Circuit Judge Matthew Thornhill getting disciplined for a variety of reasons, including an apparent Elvis fetish… wearing Elvis wigs, quoting Elvis and playing Elvis music on his phone – all during official court proceedings.
Senate 4: Mitten Hits Butz on Rex Check
In Senate 4, former Rep. Gina Mitten dings opponent Steve Butz for taking a check from retired financier Rex Sinquefield…
Soybeans Making A Comeback
Future prices rising for Missouri’s #1 crop…
CMT Frets At DOT Plan
Citizens for Modern Transit is raising alarms over “recent reports in the news [about] a Department of Transportation (DOT) proposal to the White House potentially eliminating the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund and preventing states from using highway funds for public transit.”
· In Missouri, transit is delivering more than $4 billion annually to Missouri’s economy, according to a study released last January.
· Growth and development patterns are greatly impacted by our decisions on how and where to invest in our transportation infrastructure… in rural communities, investment in transit expands access to jobs, education and quality healthcare through providers like OATS, the largest rural transit provider in the country…
Aune Kick-off
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune kicks off her re-election campaign tonight…
Panel Announced
The Appellate Judicial Commission has submitted to Governor Michael Kehoe its panel of nominees to fill the vacancy on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, due to the appointment of Judge Cristian M. Stevens to the federal bench… Joseph L. Goff Jr., Kathleen S. Hamilton, and Joan M. Lockwood.
eMailbag
Related to child welfare piece, Darrell Missey’s comments related to Missouri’s current child welfare leadership are unfair, untrue and out of line… There is lots of complexity in the philosophy and practice of child welfare… [but] it is pretty disappointing that he would try to harm our current efforts in Missouri. He better than anyone should know how hard it is to do this job well, and the last thing we need is the former director taking shots.
$5K+ Contributions
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $25,000 from AT&T.
MO Republican Party - $25,000 from Growth and Opportunity PAC.
Living Well PAC - $30,000 from Phillips Enterprises (Dallas, TX).
Lobbyist Registrations
Nexus Group added PayIt, LLC.
Holly Rehder added DSL Consulting Group and Par Health; and deleted Mallinckrodt LLC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Fred Dreiling, Tom Crawford, Brianna Lennon, and Kenny Jones.