MOScout Daily Update: Replacement Value versus Market Value - JP Flips - DTF STL Filmed in ATL and more…

Welcome to Week 7…  The House will convene today, but the Senate is celebrating Presidents’ Day and won’t return until tomorrow.

The Move to Replacement Value

Dealing with property tax is a top priority in this legislative session, though no consensus solution seems to have emerged.  One tack, offered by Rep. Tim Taylor’s HB 2780, changes the way property tax is assessed: from market value to replacement value.

HB 2780 was perfected last week on the House floor.  And at the House Democrats’ press conference, Rep. Kathy Steinhoff warned that this change would hit differently depending on income.  “I predict there's going to be a shift from our wealthier taxpayers. I believe some of their property bills will go down. I think some of our poor taxpayers’ property bills will go up.”

This argument came up during the bill’s committee hearing.  A “replacement value” process removes the essential ingredient of that old real estate saw: location, location, location.  A house in a wealthy neighborhood would see a decline in its assessment as market value assigned to a good location would be removed.  Homes in less attractive neighborhoods would not get this benefit.  And the fear is that you’d have low-income homeowners picking up a larger share of the burden.

·       Interestingly, when I casually mentioned this proposal to a real estate agent friend over the weekend, she guessed my old city house, built in 1912, would have a replacement value approximately twice as high as our market value. Rebuilding the solid masonry is cost-prohibitive these days.

JP Flips on Gender Affirming Care

Last week the House passed Rep. Melissa Schmidt’s HB 2033 which removes the sunset provision on a prohibition on gender transition procedures for minors. 

The vote split along party lines.  But one interesting detail: Speaker Jon Patterson, who had voted against the original measure in 2023, voted with his party in passing the bill this time.

·       In 2023, he’d been reluctant to intrude on the physician-patient relationship.  Now, perhaps wary of the right-side challenger in his Senate primary, he’s less reluctant.

Nurrenbern Reiterates Committee Criticism

In her weekly Capitol update, Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern doubled down on her criticism of the Senate Education Committee… The Senate Education Committee has met for public hearings four times since the beginning of session. These hearings have been dominated by culture-war distractions instead of policy discussions to improve educational outcomes for our students…   I’m beyond disappointed to see a committee, which should be one of the most important committees in the Senate, devolve into such a sham.

Missouri Future Adds Lobbyists

Missouri Future LLC added Tom Dempsey and Dave Berry to their lobbying platoon. 

·       Missouri Future is the vehicle for the Sinquefield family’s policy agenda, which includes lower taxes, educational opportunities, and criminal justice reform.

Tow Truck Schism?

Shawn Rhoads registered last week for Professional Towing Association of Missouri.  That’s interesting because there’s already a Missouri Tow Truck Association that’s represented by Strategic Capitol Consulting.

There are a couple “tow truck” pieces of legislation.

·       SB 1426 (Sen. Kurtis Gregory) and HB 1741 (Rep. Dave Griffith) which deal with nonconsensual towing of commercial vehicles from roadways.  It would have the Department of Transportation establish a “Towing and Recovery Review Board.”

·       SB 1460 (Sen. Adam Schnelting) changes the legal recourse available to the owner of abandoned property that has been towed.

DTF STL?!

Wikipedia says that “DTF St. Louis” is an upcoming dark comedy television miniseries… for HBO… set to premiere on March 1, 2026.   It stars Jason Bateman.   (If you don’t have a Gen Z relative to explain DTF, you can probably google it.)

Why It Matters

It was filmed in Atlanta!  This despite the Show MO Act which has a 20% transferable tax credit on in-state production expenditures, matching Georgia’s incentive program.

Gubby Appts

Governor Mike Kehoe announced several appointments…

·       Michelle Cocayne was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit.

·       Catherine Dierker was appointed as Circuit Judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

·       Karma Johnson was appointed as Associate Circuit Judge in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

·       Brian Eyestone, Michael Flagg, and Jenna Sweeney were appointed to the Credit Union Commission.

·       Fred Kostecki was reappointed to the Missouri State Board of Accountancy.

·       Jason Napuli was appointed to the Missouri State Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

$5K+ Contributions

Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri (pro-Bean) - $12,500 from Sterling Bancshares Inc.

MFR PAC (pro-Gregory) - $15,000 from Raymond Christopher Enterprises LLC (Livonia, MI).

STLCO PAC (pro-Brian Williams) - $10,000 from Missouri Leadership Forum.

Missouri Leadership Forum - $25,000 from MHS Trust.

Missouri Leadership Forum - $15,000 from SGS Properties, LLC.

People Not Politicians - $10,000 from Nancy Meyer (New York, NY).

Respect Missouri Voters PAC - $15,000 from Show Me Integrity.

Together KC - $289,000 from Kansas City Forward Progress PAC.

Lobbyist Registrations

Thomas Dempsey and Dave Berry added Missouri Future, LLC   

Courtney Mueller added TKFC LC dba St. Louis CITY SC.

Michael Grote added Waymo LLC.         

Holly Rehder added Missouri Hemp Association.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthdays to Chris Pieper and Matt Alsager.