MOScout Daily Update: Kehoe Issues Call - Special Session Talk - NAACP Sues Bailey - Abortion Ruling - Loudon Trump World Wedding and more…
Kehoe Makes the Call
Governor Mike Kehoe issued the special session call yesterday. Read it here. It is not a narrow call. He’s asking the general assembly to pass…
· Stadium subsidies.
· Relief aid for Missourians impacted by storms.
· Capital projects from House Bill 19.
What I’m hearing…
Senate Republican and Senate Democrat Caucuses held respective calls to discuss the call. I’m told that Senate leaders outlined an optimistic timeline: Convene on Monday and refer bills to committee, committee hearings on Tuesday, floor debate on Wednesday, send to House on Thursday.
Folks I talked to doubt that it can run so smoothly. That’s because there appears to be resistance from almost every angle…
· Freedom Caucus members (and possibly FC-allied members) are interested in some type of tax cut to be included in the legislation and/or promises that IP Reform will be a top priority – perhaps even as a special session of its own. They’re presumed to be NO votes, the only question is whether they would join others to filibuster.
· The carrots to lure Democrats will need to be sweetened. The tornado damage is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, conservatively, perhaps in the billions. So a $25 million tax credit feels offensive compared to the $800+ million the stadiums could receive. And the $25 million for MURR is less than the agreement reached with the governor during session. That deal allowed Missouri State to expand doctorate degrees for $50 million earmarked to MURR. The degrees legislation passed, yet the call only includes $25 million?
· Additionally, one observer thinks that my suggestion yesterday that Jackson County senators would support the subsidies is off-base. “The subsidies will move the team OUT of Jackson County, so why would they back them?”
· And… as the price-tag rises you risk NO votes from fiscally conservative senators.
This isn’t to say that the needle can’t be threaded, that the deal can’t be made. But the notion that it will zip through the Senate in a week isn’t the vibe coming from almost any corner right now.
· By the way, the governor leaves on a trade mission on June 15.
Eigel Enters the Chat
On Twitter, former Sen. Bill Eigel barks at the stadium subsidy idea… Do the billionaires that own the Royals and Chief deserve $1.5 billion of your money?.. Dividing the $1.5 billion in cost of this albatross by 6 million Missourians means every man, woman, and child will have to pay a sports team tax. For the average family of four, that’s $1,000. Highly dishonest politicians will claim we aren’t sending the teams any of your money and say, “we are just letting them keep the money they would have produced in tax revenue anyway!” Great—when will Missourians who don’t own a sports team be allowed to just keep the tax revenue they generate? Spoiler: THEY WON'T.
Instead, the taxes coming from every working and middle income family in the Show-Me State will make up the $1.5 billion hole in our state finances.
Anti-Hunt
One St. Louis reader shakes a fist… How is it that no one is talking about the fact that [Clark] Hunt was a LEADING advocate for the rams leaving St. Louis? Where was his concern for Missouri economic impact then? He actively campaigned to have a team leave Missouri so he could increase his market share and now St Louis is supposed to help him build a new stadium?! Billionaires treat us like morons because we let them. It’s a total embarrassment if any STL area senators or reps vote for this crap…
Abortion Ruling
Jack Suntrup reports… The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a Jackson County judge to vacate her previous rulings that have allowed abortions to resume in the state this year. The Supreme Court order, signed by Chief Justice Mary R. Russell, directed Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang to reevaluate Planned Parenthood’s request to preliminarily block state abortion laws. The decision delighted abortion opponents while leaders of the state’s two Planned Parenthood chapters said it “puts our state back under a de facto abortion ban.”
Senate Dems almost immediately sent a fundraising blast on the news…
NAACP Sues Bailey
The Missouri State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Missouri NAACP) filed suit against Attorney General Andrew Bailey for failing to publish the “Disparity Index” which shows whether minorities are subjected to disproportionate number of traffic stops. The Index is used to understand if racial profiling is occurring in communities.
· See the suit here. The Honorable Attorney General has an absolute, statutory and ministerial duty, pursuant to § 590.650.4(2)(c) RSMo., to include a “disparity index,” that is a comparison of the percentage of stopped motor vehicles driven by each minority group and the percentage of the state's population that each minority group comprises, in his annual reports.
· See the statute referenced here. “The attorney general shall analyze the annual reports of law enforcement agencies required by this section and submit a report of the findings to the governor, the general assembly and each law enforcement agency no later than June first of each year. The report of the attorney general shall include at least the following information for each agency… A comparison of the percentage of stopped motor vehicles driven by each minority group and the percentage of the state's population that each minority group comprises…”
Simpson to Lead NCFC
Press release: The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) today announced the selection of Duane Simpson as its next President and Chief Executive Officer. Simpson will
formally assume the role on July 14, 2025…
· Simpson… spent the last 17 years at Bayer, leading state and federal government relations, stakeholder affairs, sustainability, and product stewardship teams.
Gubby Appts
Governor Mike Kehoe announced two appointments…
· Hattie Davis, of Marble Hill, was appointed as the Bollinger County Circuit Clerk.
· Rodney McKinney, of Marthasville, was appointed as the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney.
MEC Sues Plescia
The Missouri Ethics Commission filed suit against Diana Plescia seeking $790 in late fees. See the filing here. The late fees date back to 2020.
Empower MO Seeks RFP
This request for proposal (RFP) is seeking proposals from qualified consultants with experience working with non-profit organizations within the St. Louis region to support Empower Missouri’s Board of Directors with board development to include revising board infrastructure to improve board engagement, setting board goals within the framework of the organization’s strategic plan and determining training needs to draft a training plan for board members. Empower Missouri’s Board of Directors are seeking to create better structures and systems to improve the effectiveness of board operations and oversight. Additional areas of need may be included and justified in the proposer’s proposal.
Loudon Wedding in Trump World
Daily Mail reports… Kimberly Guilfoyle was the maid of honor Saturday as [her brother] Tony Guilfoyle tied the knot with Lyda Loudon, daughter of conservative TV personality Dr. Gina Loudon. Energy drink exec Tony, 53, fell for Lyda, 29, after meeting two years ago on the ritzy Palm Beach social scene, where her parents are well-connected members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club…
Lobbyist Registrations
Eapen Thampy added Transcend Clinic.
Will Marrs deleted Missouri Association of Local Public Health Agencies.
$5K+ Contributions
MIC PAC - $10,000 from Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, IL).
Missouri First - $15,000 from QC Holdings Inc. (Lenexa, KS).
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Olivia Wilson, Elijah Haahr, Daniela Velázquez, and Robert Sauls.