MOScout Daily Update: Hoskins Fights Budget Cuts - Byrne to Joint Ed Committee - Riggs Blasts Leadership Push on VLTs - Measles in Missouri and more…
Four weeks left of the legislative session…
1 Big Thing: Hoskins Fights Cierpiot Budget Cuts
The Secretary of State’s office will be circulating a memo today detailing the impact of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposed cuts to their budget. Missouri Independent reported on those cuts in last week’s committee hearing… State Sen. Mike Cierpiot of Lee’s Summit cut 25 employees and $684,000 from Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ budget, noting that the positions had been open for a long time and the office seems to function acceptably without them.
The 37-page memo (read it here) outlines key areas of the office’s functions, where the jobs would be cut and how a reduction in staffing could diminish their operations.
With just 207 FTEs serving in 16 operational areas, the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office is the only statewide agency currently under consideration for staffing reductions...
The Office strongly cautions against the proposed staffing cuts. Reducing personnel at this time would heighten the risk of service disruptions, financial harm, compliance failures, and reputational damage to both the Office and the State of Missouri…
The Office urges lawmakers to maintain current staffing levels and consider targeted increases in key areas, including:
● Business Services, where backlogs remain due to post-pandemic demand, shifting federal requirements, and transition staffing gaps.
● Securities, where limited examiner capacity hampers regulatory enforcement and delays business approvals.
● Legal and cybersecurity functions, which are essential to protecting Missouri citizens and the integrity of state systems.
Alexander Antes $$
Sam Alexander, running in Senate 28 to replace termed Sen. Sandy Crawford, seeded his committee with $20,000. Alexander is running against Rep. Brad Pollitt who didn’t raise any money last quarter, but had $64,136 cash on-hand.
· The primary will determine the next senator as it’s a safe Republican seat.
Byrne to Joint Committee on Education
Mary Byrne has been hired as the new executive director for the Joint Committee on Education.
Byrne was a founder of Missouri Coalition against Common Core, and regular witness before legislative committees concerning education bills (like this year’s HB 477 and last year’s HB 2937).
· In addition to education bills, Byrne also testified in favor of Rep. Bill Hardwick’s Son of SAPA bill this year.
Among the Joint Committee’s duties…
• Review and monitor the progress of education in the state’s public schools and institutions of higher education.
• Make recommendations to the General Assembly for legislative action.
• Upon review, approve or deny any expenditures made by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to section 160.530, subsection 5.
Measles Come to Missouri
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the first confirmed case of Measles in Missouri this year. See the press release here.
There is no indication of widespread exposure as this person was diagnosed soon after arrival to Taney County. Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted… The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97 percent protection from measles infections.
· There’s concern that as anti-vaccination sentiment has risen, we’ll see a return of disease outbreaks. MO DHSS, however, does not seem to be echoing the vaccine skepticism of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Riggs Blasts VLT Bill
In his latest Capitol Report, Rep. Louis Riggs pulls no punches in his opposition to the VLT bill and leadership’s persistence in pushing it…
· I voted against this bill twice, at perfection and again on third read. Well over half the Republican Caucus voted against this bill—twice—but House leadership rammed it on through anyway…
· There are a number of ads out there that claim voting against this bill is a vote against Veterans. That is another lie. My votes against this bill were votes against the power of lobbyists who wanted this bill to pass. Most of my Republican colleagues did not support this bill and House leadership went to extraordinary means to get this pig in a poke through…
· I would much prefer to focus on policies that promote job growth, economic development, and infrastructure improvements. In 2025, those bills are in remarkably short supply.
Allred Passes
Kansas City Star reports on the passing of former Rep. Vic Allred. Read it here.
It’s hard to exaggerate just how much Vic Allred’s restaurant meant to him. “It was his life,” said Buddy Lahl, a 20-year friend of Allred’s and the CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association. In addition to founding Jazz — A Louisiana Kitchen, Allred served on the board of the Greater Kansas City and Missouri Restaurant Associations, as well as the National Restaurant Association. Then, he decided to advocate for restaurant owners on a political level and became a Missouri representative, representing District 13 from 2019 to 2021. Allred, who was in his early 60s, died recently, leaving Lahl and others in the restaurant community heartbroken. His cause of death has not been shared publicly.
eMailbag Why We Have A Sprawling Constitution
Senate Republicans spent the last few years occupied with SJRs trying to make it more difficult to amend the constitution. But when someone tries to amend statutes, they immediately try to reverse it.
$5K+ Contributions
Sam Alexander for Missouri - $20,000 from Sam Alexander.
MBA Pony Express Region PAC - $6,700 from BTC Bank.
Lobbyist Registrations
Caroline Hoover added Missouri Beverage Association; and deleted Navient, and Rosen Law Firm.
Elizabeth Lauber deleted NCIC Correctional Services.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Gary Romine, and Dana Rademan Miller.