MOScout Daily Update: House Advances Special Session Agenda - Fundraisers Schedule - JCAR on STC - Ethics Hearing - Hanaway Agenda and more…

Fundraisers Schedule

The tradition of a crunch of Veto Session Fundraisers starts this morning at 8AM with Rep. Melissa Schmidt (and special guest Floor Leader Alex Riley) at Yanis Coffee Zone.  But they really won’t start in earnest until this afternoon – after the House has completed its special session business.

Find a downloadable list of fundraisers here.

House Advances Special Session Bills

The House plan to change the initiative petition process, requiring voter-initiated constitutional changes to pass in every congressional district to win approval – was perfected with 96 votes.

It’s hard to imagine an IP with any opposition passing if this change takes place.  Opponents could concentrate their opposition in a single congressional district to sink any proposal.

·       A few Republicans – spanning the ideological spectrum – voted against the resolution: Speaker Jon Patterson, Reps. Chris Brown, Mazzie Christensen, Dave Griffith, Bill Harwick, and Rudy Veit.

The redistricting map was also perfected, but drew more Republican No votes.  12, by my count: JP, Brown and Griffith again, plus: Bill Allen, Bill Falkner, Sherri Gallick, Willard Haley, Tony Harbison, Becky Laubinger, Peggy McGaugh, Mark Nolte, and Tim Taylor.

With only 89 Yes votes, and without an emergency clause, it opens the possibility for Dems to prevent, or at least delay, the implementation of the map.  The mighty Jason Rosenbaum reported on this possibility.  Read it here.

The basics…

·       An emergency clause means that the legislation takes effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.  Otherwise, legislation takes effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session.  (Ordinary session officially adjourns on May 28, which is why most laws take effect on August 28.) 

·       Rosenbaum sketches out a strategy where Dems use the 90 days to collect enough signatures to put the map to a referendum vote.  Rosenbaum says that would require “little more than 106,000 signatures.” In the meantime, the legislation is not enacted until the referendum is concluded.

JCAR on STC

In addition to the final House votes on special session legislation, and the fundraiser, there’s also the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules meeting today at 2PM.

On the agenda: Discussion with State Tax Commission regarding the rules in 12 CSR 30.  That’s the area of rules dealing with the assessment of property taxes – a hot topic these days. 

·       Local Assessment of Property and Appeals From Local Boards of Equalization.

Ethics Hearing Scheduled

The House Ethics Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday “to discuss Complaint 25-02 and Complaint 25-03.”

·       These matters are confidential, but speculation from one MOScouter is that the complaints could be about recent allegations of Dems soliciting contributions while in the capitol.

Hanaway Agenda

Missouri Independent interviews Missouri’s new attorney general, Catherine Hanaway, and reports she’s “going to be a different style” AG.  Read it here.

·       She expressed little interest in headline-grabbing lawsuits or cable-news hits. Her focus, she said, will be things like Medicaid fraud, consumer protection and violent crimes.

·       [On Grain Belt] Hanaway, who is recusing herself from the case, said there’s not much she can comment on regarding Grain Belt.

·       Hanaway promised to continue Bailey’s fight against public corruption, saying that she will prioritize his cases against St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page.

·       Hanaway said she is considering lending assistant attorneys general to jurisdictions she believes need help, including in Kansas City.

·       She also plans to go after “Delta-8,” an intoxicating hemp product that she and others have said are being sold unlicensed and with no age restrictions in gas stations across the state.

WSJ on Equal Custody

Wall Street Journal reports on the move toward equal custody of children in divorces.  Read it here.

Around the country, the fathers’ rights movement was gaining momentum. Dividing time and decision-making equally between parents, advocates argued, reduced children’s feelings of abandonment, promoted gender equality and lowered tensions between feuding couples.

In 2018, Kentucky became the first state to pass a law making equally shared custody the default arrangement in divorces and separations. Four other states—Arkansas, West Virginia, Florida and Missouri—have since passed their own versions of Kentucky’s custody bill. Around 20 more are considering or close to passing similar laws, according to an analysis by the National Parents Organization.

Lobbyist Registrations

Mark Levison added Willert Home Products.

$5K+ Contributions

UAW Region 4 Midwest States PAC (MO) - $5,096 from Midwest State Cap Exchange  (Ottawa, IL).

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Jorgen Schlmeier, Zach Pollock, Garrett Webb, Jack Goodman, Rod Jetton, Alan Green, Dave Plemmons, and Mark Habbas.