MOScout Daily Update: Senate Hears Clay Stadium Bill - House to Advance Abortion Question - Abortion Action Backs Jones - Erdman Retiring and more…
House Set to Advance Abortion Question
Today at noon, the House Children and Families Committee is scheduled to vote out Rep. Melanie Stinnett’s HJR 54, which would put abortion back on the 2026 ballot.
Stinnett’s proposal would mostly reinstate the abortion ban, while allowing for exceptions for rape and the health of the mother. Republicans believe that the total abortion ban was too far for Missouri voters, but a ban with narrow exceptions will pass.
What It Means
Speaker Jon Patterson said he expects that this issue will hit the House floor next week. With seven weeks remaining in the legislative session, this is on track to get to the Senate in time for a big floor fight near the end of session. The general consensus is that this could bring a PQ in the final week of session. We’ll see….
Bills for Clay County Stadium Get Senate Hearing
Today at 2PM, the Senate’s Local Government Committee will hear bills from Sens. Kurtis Gregory (SB 713) and Maggie Nurrenbern (SB 710) that would “authorize Clay County to establish a county sports complex authority for the purpose of developing, maintaining, or maintaining sports, convention, exhibition, or trade facilities.”
These are seen as vehicles to clear the way for a new stadium in Clay County as talk heats up about the Royals playing footsie with Kansas.
· The fact that you have a Republican and Democrat putting forth the proposal should give it some momentum. But any whiff of stadium subsidies could face resistance in this age of populism.
Education Investments are EcoDevo Investments
The Missouri Economic and Information Research Center published a report on Missouri jobs and education levels. See it here. It reinforces the common sense notion that education leads to greater economic opportunities.
Abortion Action Backs Jones
In the non-committee expenditures, Abortion Action is supporting St. Louis City incumbents Mayor Tishaura Jones and Comptroller Darlene Green with mailers. See the filing here.
And
Jones, in her final sprint ahead of next week’s election, campaigned with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. But one MOScouter reports from the ground: “We went to St. Cecelia’s fish fry… Mayor Jones shows up with the Mayor of Chicago – cuts the line and gets BOO’ed. Cara [Spencer] showed up, people cheered and go up to greet her, then she works the line.”
Page PAC Polls
Ahead of next week’s Proposition B in St. Louis County, the pro-Sam Page PAC, Page PAC, spent $43,800 polling the ballot question.
· Prop B would give the St. Louis County Council the ability to fire County Department heads.
Mulligan to Lead West Plains
Zora Mulligan was named chancellor of Missouri State University-West Plains.
Mulligan, who currently serves as the executive vice president of Missouri State, will begin the new role on July 1… She previously served as commissioner of higher education for the state of Missouri from 2016-22. “Throughout my career, my motto has been, ‘Education changes lives.’ That belief began in Howell County, where I witnessed firsthand MSU-West Plains’ transformational impact,” said Mulligan. “I’m delighted to come home to serve this exceptional campus and continue its tradition of providing quality education for rural Missouri.”
Erdman Retiring
Warren Erdman is retiring from Canadian Pacific Kansas City. Erdman has been CPKC’s Executive Advisor Strategic Projects. He’s a titan of Kansas City’s civic scene. He did time serving as Senator Kit Bond chief of staff, and before that he served both Governor John Ashcroft and then-Governor Bond.
· He’s currently on the Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission.
UnPlug Musk
I wrote last week about a new committee, UnPlug Musk, with former Rep. Deb Lavender serving as treasurer. Turns out it’s the vehicle for an initiative petition filed by Brad Ketcher to force Telsa out of business in Missouri.
MOIndy has the story; read it here. “If Elon Musk was not cutting Medicaid and Social Security and veterans health to fund a tax cut for billionaires and doing it with a bizarre glee, we would not be asking Missourians to say this guy does not deserve to be doing business in this state,” Ketcher said. “We would not be trying to drive this in Missouri.”
Lebanon School Board Prez Resigns
OzarkFirst reports that the “president of the Joel E. Barber C-5 Board of Education, Robert Dale Christiansen, has resigned after being charged with domestic assault in the third degree… According to online court documents, on August 14, 2024, the alleged victim accused Christiansen of pushing her into a doorframe during a dispute about pictures on her phone. She said that while she was attempting to get her phone back, in which Christiansen allegedly took it with him in his vehicle, she was dragged by his truck until they hit the side of a carport.”
· Lebanon is represented by Rep. Jeff Knight and Sen. Justin Brown.
Jackson Arrangements
The funeral for Steve Jackson will be held on April 5, 2025, at 1PM, at Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home, 12444 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, 63141. A visitation will follow from 2PM - 4PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Missouri Chapter of the League of Women Voters (a nonpartisan organization), the Alzheimer’s Association or First Presbyterian Church of Edwardsville.
And there will be a remembrance of life on Thursday in Jefferson City at The Grand Café.
$5K+ Contributions
Back on Track America PAC - $9,710 from Nicole Mingledorff (Savannah, GA).
Lobbyist Registrations
Nexus Group added MoCann Trade.
Brett Felber added Brett Felber.
Jacob Karson added American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Jerry Hobbs deleted Nola Education, LLC.
Olivia Wilson deleted St. Luke's Hospital.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Mark Ellebracht, and Allen Icet.