MOScout Daily Update: Senate’s Turn - Gossip and Tidbits from Fundraiser Hopping - MO Child Care Works and more…

The Senate convenes today at Noon.  They’ll have a very short Veto Session, and then head into special session to take up the bills coming over from the House.

·       It sounds the plan is to wrap up the special session on Friday.

Notes from Fundraisers

I hopped around fundraisers on High Street last night…

I started at Missouri Credit Union Association where the “Battleground” Senate Democrats Sen. Tracy McCreery, and Reps. Betsy Fogle and Keri Ingle rallied.  Also on hand: Pat Wroblewski. Pat is the nephew of lobbyist Boo Foley. And he’s running for the House 72, the St. Ann seat that Foley held back in the day.  That’s now Rep. Doug Clemens’ seat.  Wroblewski is on the Overland City Council.

Sen. Barbara Washington showed off her summer weight loss, and lobbyist Sarah Wood Martin shared pictures of Sen. Doug Beck meeting comedian-legend Bill Murray at the World Wide Technology Raceway…

Onto the Aubuchon Law Office, where Clemens confirmed he’s endorsing Wroblewski and  lobbyists were analyzing the Cardinals sputtering performance, and talking St. Louis County Executive gossip.  No consensus on the Cards.  But on County Exec, folks expect St. Louis County Assessor Jake Zimmerman to jump into the race – and believe there’s a chance it devolves into a free-for-all.

Jeff Roe held court at the AxAdvocacy opening.  One source says he was in a lengthy discussion with Sen. Kurtis Gregory, leading to speculation that Gregory will in fact jump into the CD-5 race once the new map is passed.  Meanwhile Rep. Mazzie Christensen did a comedy routine, running through funny stories of all the times she’s been confused for an intern at the capitol.

I saw Eapen Thampy on High Street. He told me that his Single Market group had filed an initiative petition with the secretary of state’s office. He thinks conservatives will like it because it would reduce the size of the constitution by subbing out the huge marijuana portion with his slimmer language – and also because he would axe any references to diversity or equity.

At Armstrong Teasdale, Sophie Shore arrived and was surrounded by her state senate clients – Rep. Bill Hardick, Sam Alexander, Dusty Blue, Jim Avery and Lori Rook.  Rook and Shore waved off any concern about the hit text message sent that afternoon (at 4:17PM) from pro-Curtis Trent 417 PAC: “If that’s the best message they have, we’re in good shape.”

Erin Hervey and Jen Tracy hosted a steady number of fundraisers at the MO Realtors offices, while chief lobbyist Sam Licklider made the rounds.  I saw Rep. Cecelie Williams there, along with her JeffCo posse.  She wasn’t ready to say she was running in Senate 22, but the vibe is that she’s seriously thinking about it.   And the Realtors, by the way, with their ginormous war-chest and extensive grassroots network, are watching the special session closely.  They want to keep the IP process open for business in case they need to use it again in the future.  And that’s not a crazy hypothetical, because…

At Bar Vino, I bumped into Rep. Bishop Davidson.  We talked Laffer Curve and taxes.  He played it close to the vest, but it’s clear that Team Kehoe has sketched their plan to phase-out the income tax, and it will require a broader sales tax base.  Such an overhaul could rankle the Realtors who previously used the IP process to put protections in place against a sales tax on services.

MO Child Care Works Launches

Press release: State leaders, business representatives, and child care advocates gathered at the Governor’s Office Building to announce the launch of Missouri Child Care Works, a groundbreaking initiative designed to make high-quality child care more affordable and accessible for working families.

The program, supported by a $2.5 million appropriation in the state budget, will allow child care costs to be shared between the State of Missouri, employers, and employees. Participating families could see their child care expenses reduced by up to 75%.

“Missouri Child Care Works is about supporting families, strengthening our economy, and investing in our children’s development,” said Brian Schmidt, Kids Win Missouri. “We are proud to partner with the state to launch this innovative program and invite employers to learn more at ChildCareWorksMO.org.”

Lobbyist Registrations

Rockne Miller added Osage Nation.

Jorgen Schlemeier, Sarah Schlemeier, David Jackson, Jeff Brooks, and Nikki Strong added Hemp Beverage Alliance.

Jeff Brooks, John Gamble, Kathryn Gamble, David Jackson, Sarah Schlemeier, and Nikki Strong deleted Plift.

Michael Grote deleted Arrow Senior Living, and City of Ashland, Missouri

$5K+ Contributions

American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $15,000 from Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association.

American Dream PAC - $10,000 from Comcast Financial Agency Corporation.

Missourians for a Single Market - $50,000 from Shaman Botanicals, LLC.

Missouri's Energy Future PAC - $20,000 from Ameren Missouri.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Erika Leonard, Jill Kline, and Tom Madden.