MOScout Daily Update: Senate Passes Crime Bill, Perfects New Tax Credit - House Advances Open Enrollment, Utility Bill - No MO Guard in Gaza? - Williams Eyes Next Race and more…

The legislature had a productive day yesterday…

Senate Passes STL Police Takeover

The Senate passed the omnibus crime bill by a wide margin, 27-5.  Only Dem Sens. Karla May, Steven Roberts, Stephen Weber, and Brian Williams voted against.  They were joined by Republican Sen. Mike Moon.

The bill was sent to the House, where it’s scheduled for a Fiscal Review hearing on Wednesday.  That means it could very well be sent to the governor before the legislature leaves for Spring Break.

·       The bill has an emergency clause, meaning it will take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature, rather than the normal effective date of August 28.  And, according to the bill, “the four inaugural citizen commissioners shall be appointed by the governor” within 90 days of the bill’s effective date.  That’d be mid-June-ish.

And

The Senate then pivoted to Sen. Steven Roberts’ SB 35, “Revitalizing Missouri Downtowns and Main Streets Act,” which creates to convert old office building into residential.

After a filibuster by Joe Nicola which at times sounds like a Sunday sermon, and an amendment adding a sunset provision, the Senate perfected the bill.

·       MOScouter: Not to take anything away from Steve, but he and his chief of staff, Mike Weaver are one hell of a team. Mike is one of the most qualified staffers in the Capitol, with a JD from Mizzou, an MBA from Wash U, and valuable experience working on both sides of the aisle. They complement each other incredibly well.

House Open Enrollment

The House perfected HB 711, the open enrollment bill.  It’s yet another big bill moving.  It will face some resistance in the Senate.  But it looks like they’re on track to pass it this week. Sending it over to the Senate by Spring Break gives that chamber a lot of time to work out any necessary compromises, and increases the its chances of passage.

House Utilities Votes Out Cierpiot Bill

The big utilities bill took another step forward yesterday.  The House Utilities Committee held its hearing and then voted it out by a vote of 17-4.  Chair Bob Bromley defended the expediated timeline, “I just want to remind everybody in the audience and in the committee We have heard almost every one of these bills in this committee. We've also heard many of these and passed them through the chamber through the House chamber multiple times and so we’re going to close the hearing on this bill and we’re going to move into executive session.”

·       Former Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, the final witness against the bill, disagreed… “When businesses look for a way to prey on the poor and to make all the money that they can, it is abominable and this is not good government to rush a bill this important and huge and complicated through. Please slow down and do it right. There's a lot of session left.”

And

With folks amazed daily by the legislature’s Republicans strange new ability to work well with each other and pass legislation, Missouri Independent profiles former Sen. Bill Eigel.  Read it here.

·       Eigel is gone, and so is the infighting that dominated the chamber.

·       Even state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and chair of the Freedom Caucus who fought many of the intraparty battles alongside Eigel, acknowledged earlier this year that the “dumpster fire” of a 2024 session “had to do with personality, with particular individuals.”

·       Eigel makes no apologies for the gridlock he helped inspire, saying last year that most of the bills GOP leadership wanted to pass were bad policies that he was happy to kill.

Constitutional Amendment: No Gaza Policing

Brad Ketcher has filed an initiative petition to amend the constitution with one sentence:  “To the fullest extent allowed by law, no soldier of the Missouri National Guard shall be deployed for the invasion, occupation, or policing of the Gaza Strip.”

·       Ketcher served as Gov. Mel Carnahan’s chief of staff, and now runs Ketcher Law Firm. One of their practice areas is ballot language.

Williams Eyes County Exec Race

Post-Dispatch quotes Sen. Brian Williams saying he’s “strongly considering” running for St. Louis County Executive.

"I'm very concerned about the direction of the region," said Williams, whose term ends Jan. 6, 2027. "That's why I've spent the last few sessions in Jefferson City to bring resources back to St. Louis County."

·       Williams, who is term-limited, has been active in recent cycle backing candidates in St. Louis County elections.

Continued Lack of Quorum at MEC

The latest “no action” from the Missouri Ethics Commission concerns a complaint against Rep. Mike Coslow.  See it here.

The Missouri Ethics Commission received a complaint filed against Michael Costlow and Costlow for Missouri. Missouri statutes require that an investigation be completed within 90 days of receipt… Because there were not four Commissioners able to consider the investigation within the statutory timeframe, the Commission could take no action on this complaint.

eMailbag on Exceptions

Did Senator Mike Moon set up his fellow Republicans for a no-win situation? If, as he argues, any lawmaker who supports HJR 54 is voting to create a “sub-human group” and allowing the “murder” of some unborn children, does that mean the resolution’s sponsor, Rep. Melanie Stinnett, and anyone who votes for it could now be accused of not being pro-life enough?

$5K+ Contributions

Back on Track America PAC - $16,500 from Great Northwest PAC.

A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC - $50,000 from The Lamar Johnson Collaborative Inc.

Lobbyist Registrations

Catalyst added PMI US Corporate Services Inc. and Affiliates.     

David Winton, Jessica Petrie, and Matthew Thompson added Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

Chelsea Chaney added American Family Insurance.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Jay Reichard, Matthew Choinka, and Dean Plocher.