MOScout Daily Update: Tax Reform Special ‘Highly Unlikely’ - IP Protection IPs Filed - Grain Belt Fires Back at Bailey - Morgan to BJC and more…
Tax Reform Special Session ‘Highly Unlikely’
The House-Special Interim Committee on Property Tax Reform held their first hearing yesterday. They’ll be traveling the state to hear from Missourians before issuing their recommendations.
The news from yesterday’s meeting: Chair Tim Taylor said Speaker Jon Patterson’s original desire to have a tax reform special session running concurrent with Veto Session is “highly unlikely.”
Taylor: I agree with you that we should not rush. We need to do things that are good for the state and not rush something that's going to cause irreversible harm. The sense that I’ve gotten is that our time frame between now and September 3rd is just too short. So it is not off the table officially… The indications I've been given is that it's highly unlikely that we will have a special session at the time of the mandatory veto session.
One possible recommendation to come: funding an ombudsman. State Tax Commission Chair Gary Romine bravely came before the committee and presented good faith answers to their questions. Among the back and forth, Rep. Dean Van Schoiack was upset the lack of a state ombudsman to help taxpayers…
IP Protection IPs Filed
Yesterday, 13 initiative petitions were filed by Respect Missouri Voters PAC. Among the proposals…
· The legislature would be prohibited from enacting any law which would “weaken” the initiative petition power of the people. Changes to signature thresholds or passage thresholds would fall under the “weaken” provision.
· The legislature would need an overwhelming majority (80%) to change any voter-approved laws.
See the Respect Missouri Voters website here.
Grain Belt Fires Back At Bailey
Grain Belt Express filed a petition in court to quash Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s Civil Investigative Demand. See the filing here. Bailey and Senator Josh Hawley have recently been trying to scuttle the Grain Belt development. That populist position plays well with many farmers in Missouri who see the project intruding on their property. But it feels like we’re just continuing to relitigate a settled decision.
· From the filing: The bottom line is that the Attorney General is not engaged in legitimate fact-finding and, instead, has issued the CID for purposes of harassing Grain Belt and interfering with its business in an effort to bring the project to a halt.
Driving the Day: Nuke Summit
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is hosting a “nuclear summit” today.
Missouri sits at a difficult crossroads between sustaining increased demand for reliable power generation and decreasing air emissions. The goal of the summit is to elevate the discussion on nuclear energy in Missouri to meet these two criteria.
· It’s a hot ticket… Due to the large number of attendees registered for the Missouri Nuclear Summit on July 17 this event is now being held at the Missouri Theatre.
Speaker include… Joe Alexander, Chief of Staff, USDOE Grid Deployment Office; Subash Alias, Chief Executive Officer, Missouri Partnership; Maison Bleam – Regional Director, Midcontinent Independent System Operator; Mun Choi – President, University of Missouri; Dennis Corrigan – Chief Executive Officer, Corrigan Company; Tom Hucker – Senior Consultant, USDOE Loan Programs Office; Gary Jungermann – Presiding Commissioner, Callaway County; Michelle Kidwell – Director, Callaway County Emergency Management Agency; Craig Piercy – Chief Executive Officer, American Nuclear Society; Kurt Schaefer – Director, Department of Natural Resources; Doug True – Senior VP & Chief Nuclear Officer, Nuclear Energy Institute; and Lizzy Yates – Director of External Affairs and Communication, Southern Nuclear.
Audit of Treasurer Office
The recent audit of the State Treasurer’s Office, see it here, gave the Treasurer a Good rating. But it dinged Treasurer Vivek Malek for mishandling interest income associated with the roads funds, and for failing to conduct an annual audit of MOScholars Program accounts.
One MOScouter says we haven’t heard the last about the Treasurer’s Office. They see it landing in the middle of several big issues in the coming year. First, and foremost, the lawsuit from the MNEA questioning the constitutionality of the Treasurer’s involvement in the MOScholars Program. “Anyone who has read the Missouri Supreme Court case Farmer v. Kinder knows the Treasurer has questionable authority – at best – for most of his current work…”
· Farmer v Kinder: This Court concludes that article IV, section 15 restricts rather than expands the role of the state treasurer by limiting her to powers and duties related to those specifically enumerated in article IV, section 15 of the state constitution, and no others. To read article IV, section 15 as nonetheless granting the treasurer authority to enforce the delivery of property would be inconsistent with the section's plain language.
Is this a ticking time bomb to unravel Kehoe’s big school choice win last session? We’ll see…
7-OH Concern
MOIndy’s Rebecca Rivas reports that a “Kansas City company is illegally marketing pills that have opioid-like effects and could face possible action, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in a warning letter sent Tuesday. Shaman Botanicals LLC is a leading supplier of a substance called 7-OH being sold in pill form and as an ingredient in drinks. The name, 7-OH, is short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, and it’s made by chemically converting the main opioid-inducing element in kratom.”
[Shaman owner Vince] Sanders told The Independent Tuesday that the company conducted three research studies on the products, including using rodents and beagles, which he believes shows the products are safe… “We’ve spent an enormous amount of money and time on this,” he said, regarding the scientific studies. “My 82-year-old mother takes it twice a day. She was in so much pain… and it changed her life.”
· In Jefferson City, Shaman Botanicals is represented by Eapen Thampy and Ron Hicks.
Fox2 Profiles Roberts
See a Fox2 profile on Sen. Steven Roberts here.
· Steven Roberts is dedicated to public service. The Democrat is not only a Missouri state senator, he’s also a former St. Louis City prosecutor who joined the U.S. Air Force.
· Stationed in Missouri, Roberts is a Captain in the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster, Missouri…Roberts is the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the infamous bomber wing at the high profile air base, which is home to the B-2 stealth bomber.
Morgan to BJC
Press release: BJC Health System is pleased to welcome Christian Morgan as vice president of Government Relations, starting Aug. 11. Christian will lead an integrated team across BJC’s East and West Regions to advocate for positions and policies at the local, state, and federal levels that build healthier communities for the future. Prior to joining BJC, Christian served as managing principal at HB Strategies, working out of Missouri and Washington, D.C…
· Morgan was Congresswoman Ann Wagner’s chief of staff prior to joining HB Strategies, and part of Jeff Roe’s Axiom team before that.
Lobbyists Registrations
Catherine Gunsalus and Harrison Hems added Consumers' Defense.
Holly Redher added Missouri Health Plan Association, School Choice Missouri, Axiom Strategies, AxAdvocacy, Shelton Fireworks, and Empower Pharmacy.
Daniel Pfeifer, Greg Porter, and Tashayla Person Donohoe deleted DraftKings, Inc., BetMGM LLC, MyLand Inc., Secure Elections Project, Heart of Missouri CASA, FanDuel Group, Inc., Sports Betting Alliance, Lexia Learning Systems, Center for the Rights of Abused Children, and Thrive Homes LLC.
Daniel Pfeifer and Greg Porter deleted The Parking Spot.Greg Porter deleted Show Me Spin Gaming.
Tashayla Person Donohoe deleted Fairway Management Company.
$5K+ Contributions
Ameren Missouri Political Action Committee - $9,480 from Ameren FED PAC.
Teamsters 245 PAF - $6,964 from IBT Missouri PAC.
Missouri Alliance Network - $10,000 from Michael Ellenhorn.
Kingdom Leadership PAC (pro-Fitzwater) - $5,100 from The Leadbelt PAC.
Respect Missouri Voters PAC - $10,269 from Dennis Jones Jr.
Missouri Leadership Fund - $8,000 from Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council Missouri-Kansas Area PAC.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to David Klarich, Jeff Rainford, Guy Black, Adam Schwadron, Jeffrey Earl, and Richard Callow.