MOScout Daily Update: Riley Won’t Recognize Dean - Brattin’s Suggestion for Wasinger - Team Trump ‘Annoyed’ With Hawley - VLT Hearing and more…
Legislature returns to work today…
Riley Won’t Recognize Dean
House Floor Leader Alex Riley does a regular segment on The Elijah Haahr Show every Monday to preview the week. Listen to the interview here.
Two interesting things he mentioned yesterday regarding the continued fallout of the House’s recent reprimand of Rep. Jeremy Dean.
· Speaker Jon Patterson is going to move Dean’s office to “a very small location, on basically the top floor of the Capitol.”
· Riley won’t recognize Dean on the floor. “As the Majority Leader in the House, I control the floor and I have a lot of influence over who gets to speak on the floor and who doesn't get to speak. And Jeremy's not going to have opportunities to speak on the floor of this legislative session.”
These are in addition to having been removed from all his committees.
Hardwick’s Gaming Bill Gets Hearing
Rep. Bill Hardwick’s big gaming bill is scheduled for a hearing this afternoon in the always-busy Emerging Issues Committee.
HB 2989 would legalize and regulate video lottery terminals. The past couple of months have seen lobbyist hires and campaign checks in preparation for this session’s showdown.
· Sen. Jason Bean has a similar bill on the Senate side.
Brattin’s Suggestion for Wasinger
Commenting on a post by Lieutenant David Wasinger referring to the “Jefferson City Swamp,” Sen. Rick Brattin offers a suggestion… “My suggestion is to concentrate on your job of running the senate floor without needing a coach or a potato head floor manual before you start critiquing the rules and calling everyone the swamp.”
Jones: Local Vote for Royals $$$
Rep. Mike Jones posted on Facebook: I have recently learned that Mayor Quinton Lucas is seeking to direct approximately $500 million in Kansas City taxpayer funds through the KC Port Authority for the Kansas City Royals. This proposal would move forward without a public vote, and efforts are being made to keep the plan out of public view. I do not believe that is appropriate.
This isn’t about whether the Mayor’s plan is good or bad. This is about who decides. When hundreds of millions of dollars are on the line, voters deserve a seat at the table.
That’s why I intend to introduce legislation requiring a public vote on any local funding over $100 million for the construction of new sports stadiums under the Show-Me Sports Investment Act.
· MOScouter: This jibes with JP saying last year, and during special session, that he wanted a local vote, and after all the blowback from the Kansas giveaway to billionaire Clark Hunt, this is smart policy to safeguard the taxpayer…. And good politics for both Republicans and Democrats on the ballot.
Hawley ‘Annoys’ Trump?
This morning, Axios reports that Team Trump is ‘annoyed’ by Senator Joshua Hawley’s positioning ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Read it here.
It's a stunning turnabout for the senator, who objected to certifying Trump's 2020 election defeat and was famously pictured raising his fist in solidarity with Jan. 6 rioters before they launched their assault on the U.S. Capitol… But Trump allies who've been closely monitoring Hawley's moves point to more than a half-dozen other episodes in which he's broken with the president's positions.
MEC Fines Collins-Muhammed, Estes
The Missouri Ethics Commission issued two decisions…
· Former St. Louis Alderman John Collins-Muhammed was fined $19,712 for a slew of violations, most critically commingling contributions with personal funds. See the order here.
· Tom Estes was fined $1,000 for failing to register a committee on time. See the order here.
Help Wanted
Alzheimer's Association seeks Missouri Government Relations Director. The Missouri State Government Relations Director serves as the principal staff for state government affairs and chief lobbyist in Missouri representing the Alzheimer’s Association before Missouri legislature, governor, relevant state agencies, coalitions and community partners, and on statewide task forces and work groups. This position serves as a registered lobbyist with the state and is responsible for developing and executing a strategy to implement the Alzheimer’s Association’s coordinated nationwide state policy priorities including issues related to insurance coverage, Medicaid, long-term care, training standards, workforce issues, aging policy, and other related issues. See the posting here.
$5K+ Contributions
Conservative Justice for Missouri PAC (pro-Hanaway) - $10,000 from Kevin Perz (Leawood, KS).
Lobbyist Registrations
Nico Pento added Elevation Missouri, LLC.
David Winton, Jessica Petrie, and Matthew Thompson added Boone County Fire Protection District, and Missouri Task Force 1.
Gretchen Thompson added Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc.
Kouri Marshall added Chamber of Progress.
James Matthew Nolker added Missouri American Water.
Dr. Quinones added True Divine Word Ministries Intl.
Gamble and Schlemeier added Trilogy Integrated Resources LLC.
Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, Chris Schoeman, and Caleb Rowden added Subtext Acquisitions, LLC.
James Harris added Mid-Continent Public Library; and deleted LivaNova USA, Inc.
David Sweeney added St. Louis Sports Commission; deleted Gateway Reimagined, LLC.
Eapen Thampy deleted Transcend Clinic.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday to Jill Schupp, and Dan Guenther.