MOScout Daily Update: Cupps Gone Crazy? - Moon-atic Senate - Pro-life Tactical Rift - Nicola Rejects Secularism - Another Roundup Lawsuit and more…

Situational awareness: The Senate – after the Moon filibuster (see below) - gaveled in and out around 2AM for today’s session.  They’ll be back on Monday.

Cupps Gone Crazy?!?

Yesterday’s House Rules – Legislative Committee hearing might be remembered for decades in capitol lore.  Chair Scott Cupps “played Bingo” to decide what bills to vote out. See the show here.

One lobbyist explained, “He’s pissed his committee is not getting any Senate bills referred to him.  So, he will only hear 5 House bills for every Senate bill that gets referred.  He brought a wire bingo ball roller/machine and selected 5 balls with numbers out of it, and if your bill was that number on the list that he drew, he heard your bill.  All the other bills have to wait.”

Some lawmakers – and lobbyists – were incredulous.

·       Another lobbyist: “Absolute mockery of the legislative process.  I don't see how JP [Speaker Jon Patterson] keeps him as a chair after this stunt.”

Schatz Survives Moon-atic Senate

Sen. Mike Moon vehemently objected to Governor Mike Kehoe’s appointment of former Senate Pro Tem Dave Schatz to be Franklin County Commissioner.  He voiced his objection in the Gubernatorial Appointments Committee yesterday morning, the lone dissenting vote (8-1) against advancing the nomination.

When the Schatz confirmation came to the Senate floor yesterday afternoon, Moon redoubled his opposition, and began filibustering. 

In committee Moon had told Schatz, “I hope you don’t take this as a as a personal attack, because it’s not.”  Yet, his intense desire to block the appointment – filibustering until 1AM – seemed to undermine this statement.  Additionally, during his filibuster he recounted various slights from his time when Schatz was in the Senate, for example being unwilling to override one of Mike Parson’s vetoes.

·       Despite the long night, I think the hallway was relieved that leadership didn’t capitulate and let a single senator veto the will of the body.  Chaos may come to Senate in the weeks ahead, but they kept the wolf outside the city walls for one week longer by refusing to give in.

And

Before Moon began his long filibuster of the Schatz nomination, he had attempted to add an “endowment tax” to the ballooning capital gains tax bill.  The amendment (see it here) was aimed at Washington University because of their involvement in training OBGYN doctors who perform abortions. The amendment failed 6-17 on a standing division.

·       The capital gains bill was perfected containing not only the capital gains cut, but also a circuit breaker credit, a couple of sales tax exemptions and some enabling language for local taxes.  It’s headed now to Fiscal Oversight.

House Defeats Telecom Priority

Rep. Ben Keathley’s HB 661 went down yesterday on the House floor with a 3rd read vote of 69-77. 

The bill would have required “municipalities and the Missouri Department of Transportation to reimburse non-rate-regulated utility providers, including telecommunications, Internet, and cable providers, for facility relocation due to road maintenance, construction, or other right-of-way work activity.”

While businesses and telecom companies pushed for the bill, cities effectively rallied their base of councilman and drummed up opposition, arguing that the use of public right-of-way is a privilege, not a right.

Nicola Rejects Secularism

Yesterday the Senate Children and Families Committee heard SJR 57 which would put gender distinctions into the constitution. In one remarkable exchange Sen. Joe Nicola rejected the notion of secular government, saying his theological beliefs would trump testimony from doctors.  Listen to the clip here.

I'm not gonna listen to doctors either that say one thing that disagrees with the God of creation. Or your schooling or whatever is being said out there because there's all kinds of things out there that are being said.  If we don't have morals, we don’t have guidelines by the God that created us, then we’re left to our own decisions to believe what we want to believe and I refuse to do that.

RoundUp Lawsuits Continue

Another lawsuit was filed in Missouri concerning RoundUp.  See James Nelson vs Monsanto here.

Plaintiffs in this action seek recovery for damages as a result of developing Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (“NHL”), which was directly and proximately caused by such wrongful conduct by Defendant, the unreasonably dangerous and defective nature of Roundup®, and the active ingredient, glyphosate, and the attendant effects of developing NHL.

Pro-Life Schism

Missouri Independent reports on a Republican in the effort to reverse Amendment 3.  The House has backed Rep. Melanie Stinnett’s HJR 54, but others prefer Sen. Adam Schnelting’s “repeal and replace” SJR 33.   Read MOIndy’s article here.

What It Means

These types of disagreements can sometimes escalate into a stalemate – even though both sides agree on the big picture – and prevent anything from happening.

·       Bottomline: good news for Dems.

WSJ Nervous About Smith

Wall Street Journal editorial page is worried about Congressman Jason Smith.  Read it here.

Apologists for President Trump’s tariffs keep telling us not to worry… some Republicans are now floating the idea of raising corporate and individual income tax rates… A spokesman for Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith told us Mr. Smith says everything is on the table. That may sound like boilerplate, but it isn’t what we would have heard from any modern GOP Ways and Means Chairman…  They would not have considered raising tax rates. That rate hikes are now possible shows how confused today’s GOP is about economics. It’s bizarre enough that the Trump Administration is selling tariffs as tax cuts…

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Kehoe make four new appointments…

·       Paul "Stephen" Buckley and Chris Slinkard were reappointed to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.

·       Adli Jacobs was reappointed as a student member to the Truman State University Board of Governors.

·       Mark Kurkowski was appointed to the Stop Cyberstalking and Harassment Task Force.

eMailbag on Barky

According to public records, David Barklage was part of the Sam Page transition team... Not shocked that he's supporting Tishuara Jones, who is closely aligned with Page.

New Committees

Sarah Graff formed a committee for Senate 18.  See the filing here.

$5K+ Contributions

A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC (pro-Spencer) - $7,400 from Missouri Leadership Forum.

A Brighter Future for St Louis PAC - $5,036 from Sheet Metal Workers Int'l Ass'n Local Union NO 36 Political Fund.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters Missouri PAC - Federal Committee - $38,439 from International Brotherhood of Teamsters DRIVE Committee.

International Brotherhood of Teamsters Missouri PAC - Federal Committee - $40,000 from MO Drive Fund.

Committee to Elect Heather Hardinger - $10,141 from Heavy Construction Laborers Local Union No. 663 PAC.

Senate Democratic Campaign Committee -$76,650 from Majority Forward.

House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $5,001 from Diehl for Missouri.

Lobbyist Registrations

James Bowers added Ideker Inc, and Metro Dumpsters LLC.

Curtis Jahr added Curtis Jahr.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Dusty Schnieders, Eapen Thampy, Charles Portwood, and Ron Schieber.