MOScout Daily Update: PBM Starts Ads - In Praise of Tony - Dems’ Surprising Trouble - Murphy Passes - Bomb Threats?! and more…
First in MOScout: PBM Ads Begin
Press release: Prescription Benefits Matter has launched a new statewide ad campaign that focuses on how prescription benefit managers (PBMs) lower the cost of prescription drugs for nearly every Missourian. The robust campaign will run on broadcast, digital, radio, and social channels in order to reach and educate consumers about prescription benefits and the role that prescription benefits managers play advocating for patients and lowering drug costs. Through the series of ads, the organization aims to empower families and employers to better understand the prescription benefits system that serves 275 million Americans every year.
· SB45, sponsored by Sen. Travis Fitzwater, is one of several bills this session which would bring new regulations to PBMs. It’s on the Senate’s formal calendar for perfection. Fitzwater’s father, Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater, is also president of the Missouri Pharmacy Association.
What It Means
The PBM industry is prepping for a legislative fight. Any changes they view as harmful to their business will face stiff resistance.
Luetkemeyer’s Steady Hand
Looking back at the first half of the session, one MOScouter pegs Senate Floor Leader Tony Luetkemeyer as “the highest functioning legislator in the building.”
· He’s given bills time, but doesn’t let the floor get stalled. If in an issue hits resistance, [Luetky] pulls it before it gets personal, gets it worked out face-to-face off the floor, then puts it back out there and passes it. He deserves the most credit for moving Governor Mike Kehoe’s agenda.
There’s also praise for Senate Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin: The senate is functioning, and as the person who put everyone in the right position, she gets the credit.
Dems’ Surprising Unity Problem
Meanwhile, the Democrats in the building are facing a surprising problem staying unified.
· There’s the renegade clutch of House members leading an open revolt against Minority Leader Ashley Aune.
· And the Senate side has displayed a series of divided votes. For example, Sen. Karla May made her opposition to the state takeover the top of her agenda, yet several Dems voted for it; Similarly, Sen. Tracy McCreery led the resistance against the big utility bill, but several other Dems backed it.
One would think that Dems, after a decade of geographic shrinkage in Missouri, would have fewer internal conflicts than the sprawling Republican electorate. And yet, in the building, it seems that the harsh reality of being on the losing end of battle after battle has created a culture of discontent.
In the House, it’s evidenced by the impulse to blame leadership; and in the Senate, it’s manifested with senators looking out for their own interests ahead of caucus unity.
Henderson Hits Hole-in-One – Again
Women’s Policy Network at the Governor’s Mansion
The Women’s Policy Network of Missouri has issued an open invite to a special networking reception with First Lady Claudia Kehoe at the Missouri Governor’s Mansion.
The event – Wednesday April 2 from 5:30PM – 7:30PM – will bring together women working in and around the state capitol to connect, build relationships, and strengthen professional ties.
· Additionally, Leann Chilton, Vice President of Government Relations at BJC HealthCare, will be honored. Chilton is retiring after 25 years of dedicated service. As a founding member of the Women’s Policy Network, Chilton has been instrumental in fostering mentorship and collaboration among women in public service.
Space is limited, so please RSVP here by Wednesday, March 26. Contact Linda with any questions at (314) 330-8442.
Host committee: Linda Rallo, Monica Combest, Ellie Harmon & Christine Page – founding members of the Women’s Policy Network of Missouri.
Capitol Bomb Threats
News Tribune reports that there have been bomb threats at the capitol – unbeknownst to lawmakers. Read it here.
Information about security threats to the Missouri Capitol has not been shared with the House and Senate's security teams on "a number of occasions," according to state representatives.
· "There have been two bomb threats that came through Capitol Police, and our security wasn't notified, and none of our staff or any of us in the House or Senate were notified," said Rep. Dave Griffith, a Jefferson City Republican.
· Republican Rep. Richard West, of Wentzville, said that in addition to the bomb threats, there was a "threat against personnel and specific members in the building" that was not communicated to the chambers' security teams.
West’s Bill, HB 1193, “would give legislative security teams greater access to information not just from the Capitol Police, but also local police departments, the Missouri Highway Patrol and federal agencies.”
Allegations in Pike County
Hannibal.Net reports that the Bowling Green police chief is alleging the Pike County Sheriff’s Office is involved in a “coverup” surrounding a death.
· “On Jan. 16, I began an investigation into a robbery that occurred within the city limits of Bowling Green," [Chief Ty] Bounds explained.
· During the investigation into digital data, multiple organizations concluded there was a close intimate relationship between one of the suspects in the robbery and a Pike County sheriff's deputy.
· “It is clear that the Pike County Sheriff's Office knew of the location of [Nathaniel] Mueller's body for a month prior to the discovery of his remains," Bounds said. "The Pike County Sheriff Stephen Korte was notified of this relationship, which displayed an apparent conflict of interest, but took no action to preserve ongoing and future investigations.”
· “The discovery of any corrupt law enforcement official in Pike County is a tragedy and will have long lasting effects for this community," Bounds said.
Bowling Green is represented by Sen. Travis Fitzwater and Rep. Chad Perkins.
On the Move
According to the Missouri Accountability Portal, Sam Swoboda is now a Communications Specialist with the Secretary of State’s Office. He previously served as Communications Manager with the Missouri Department of Revenue, and before that managed the State of Missouri’s video team under the Office of Administration.
Murphy Passes
Post-Dispatch reports “former St. Louis Sheriff James W. Murphy, a soft-spoken mainstay of St. Louis politics for more than four decades, died Saturday at Mary, Queen and Mother Center, a nursing home in Shrewsbury. He was 88. Murphy, a Democrat, was the city's elected sheriff for 28 years, serving seven four-year terms from 1988 to 2016, when he didn't seek reelection.”
A memorial for the beloved pol was quickly erected at the Cahill Courts Building in downtown St. Louis…
Photo Credit: Tipster.
$5K+ Contributions
Page PAC - $10,000 from Roy Pfautch.
A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC (pro-Spencer) - $10,000 from Iron Workers Local No 396.
Lobbyist Registrations
Gamble & Schlemeier and The Winton Group added Recidiviz.
Jason Chipman added Libertas Institute.
Andy Blunt and Jay Reichard deleted VRBO.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Rep. Tricia Byrnes, Dan Seitz, Jim Farrell, Francis Slay, and Tod Martin.