MOScout Daily Update: VLT Lobbying Arms Race - Formula Question: How to Count Kids - Half-Billion $$$ Bet and more…
Welcome to Week 5 of our 19-week legislative session…
Ratliff Registers
Jonathan Ratliff has registered to lobby. He’s well known in the building as a campaign strategist and manager who’s guided scores of legislative races in Missouri.
Now he’ll take those relationships and help shepherd bills.
It’s not really a big surprise that the issue which appears to have lured him into the biz is VLTs. He’s registered to lobby for J & J Ventures…
The VEA: VLT Employment Act
· J & J’s lobbying army… Jeffrey Altmann, Andrew Arnold, Andy Arnold, Amy Blunt, Jean Evans, Ryan Gill, Tim Green, Matthew Hortenstine, Dean Plocher, Ratliff, Jay Reichard, Ryan Rowden, Phillip Schnieders, Erin Schrimpf, Gunnar See, Troy Stremming, Noel Torpy, Olivia Wilson, and Jason Zamkus.
· Meanwhile Torch Electronics, purveyors of the gray machines, have also augmented their ranks beyond their core Strategic Capitol Consulting team added Alix Cossette and Dan Houx this month. Their platoon… Ron Berry, Cossette, Scott Dieckhaus, Cassandra Allana Henderson, Houx, John William Payne, Thomas Robbins, Alec Rosenblum, Caleb Rowden, and Steve Tilley
· And let’s not forget the various casinos as well as their association the Missouri Gaming Association. While they have not added new lobbyists this year, they have a formidable crew… Aaron Baker, AJ Baker, Fred Barnes, Jeffrey Brooks, Cyndi Gamble, Jack Gamble, Katie Gamble, Bill Gamble, Brent Hemphill, Megan Howerton, David Jackson, Jeffrey Morris, Jewell Patek, Mark Rhoads, Grace Riley, Jorgen Schlemeier, Sarah Schlemeier, Nikki Strong, and Mike Winter.
Up Next
Rep. Bill Hardwick’s gaming bill is expected to be voted out of Emerging Issues Committee this evening. That’s despite opposition from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Missouri.
Wasser: Eyeing SCOTUS
Casey Wasser, CEO of MO Soybeans, tells Brownfield AG News that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to review a Roundup lawsuit is casting uncertainty over state legislation.
· “We’re going to be navigating, what do we do next? Do we wait to see what SCOTUS says because lawmakers don’t want to pass a bill and then, it be null and void by SCOTUS. We’re talking to bill sponsors right now.”
· Kurtis Gregory, a State Senator in Missouri, is the sponsor of one ‘failure to warn’ bill, SB 1005, in the Missouri Legislature. Another bill related to pesticide liability is HB 2712, sponsored by Representative Dane Diehl. Gregory tells Brownfield lawmakers are discussing their options.
· Missouri’s Attorney General Catherine Hanaway was at the Missouri Soybean Association’s annual meeting this week, and Wasser says she’s expecting a favorable outcome from SCOTUS. “But, we’ll have to wait and see. We’re thinking SCOTUS will take things up in early summer.”
$$$ Follows Kids, How Do You Count the Kids?
Aligned’s latest newsletter says that one of the Formula Modernization work groups is rethinking how it counts students, a key determinant in any formula.
From Aligned…
· The Student Counts Working Group focused on how Missouri counts students for funding purposes, recommending a shift from the current hybrid attendance/enrollment-based system to one that averages enrollment over time.
· Missouri remains an outlier nationally in relying on attendance, and the group argued that districts budget based on who is enrolled, while others proposed that attendance incentives would be maintained in the state’s accountability system.
· The group also recommended eliminating the thresholds that currently limit how many students from specific populations are fully counted for additional funding. The proposed change would expand funding to all students from low-income backgrounds, students with disabilities, English language learners, and young students served through pre-K.
· In practical terms, removing the thresholds would bring thousands of additional high-needs students into the formula who are currently undercounted. Task force members were clear about the implications of this recommendation: it would better align funding with student needs, but it also carries a meaningful fiscal impact that would have to be managed.
$540M Bets Made
Statement from Missouri Gaming Commission Executive Director Michael Leara: As we review the data from the first month of legalized sports wagering in Missouri, we are encouraged by the early results. More than $540 million in wagers were placed across over 25 million individual bets. During this initial launch period, the state received more than $8 million in total revenue, including approximately $521,000 from wagering taxes and nearly $7.5 million from initial license fees. The license-fee total reflects the fact that a majority of the licenses issued at launch are five-year licenses. These figures also reflect a market in its early stages, including the impact of significant promotional deductions that are customary during initial rollout.
· We all saw these advertisements for ‘sign up and get $250 free bets’ etc. I would expect that the bets total comes down and the taxes total to go up, as those promotions roll off. We’ll see…
Royals Vote?
Fox4KC reports that there could be a petition to force a vote on a Royals stadium subsidy.
A Kansas City Royals stadium measure in Kansas City, Missouri could still go to a vote of the people. Mayor Quinton Lucas has said it could be done without one, but a petition could be started to trigger one.
More than 41,000 people voted in the Mayor Lucas-Clay Chastain election in 2023, and to trigger some type of initiative petition, just 5% of the total votes cast are needed for candidates in the last mayoral election. “And it would only require something along the lines of 2,100 to 4,200 votes, which could be easily collected in a weekend,” Councilman Johnathan Duncan said on Friday… “I think the vote of the people is required here because they should have a say,” Duncan said.
Meanwhile
Lucas seems to be gravitating toward a bigger stage, fueling speculation he’s looking beyond his current term toward a higher office. He’s now the president of the Democratic Mayors Association. And was recently quoted in Politico Playbook talking Minneapolis. “I think why you see so many people standing up for Minneapolis now, it’s not just because of right or wrong, but because the fight needs to happen somewhere or it comes to you,” he said. “We have seen over a year that just being silent doesn’t mean that you don’t get targeted.”
Help Wanted
Hallmark seeks Government and Legal Affairs Strategist. The Government and Legal Affairs Strategist leads the organization’s Political Action Committee (PAC), setting its mission, goals, and overall direction. This highly visible role engages closely with executive leadership and external stakeholders, ensuring that PAC operations, outreach, and communications are strategic, transparent, and fully compliant with federal and state regulations. See the posting here.
$5K+ Contributions
Missourians for a Responsible Budget (pro-Fitzpatrick) - $10,000 from Henry Elster.
Best Start for Kids STL - $50,000 from Missouri Action for Kids.
MFR PAC - $15,000 from True Level Investments, Inc.
Lobbyist Registrations
Gamble & Schlemeier added Stockman Stoneworks.
Joe Burns and Andy Foley added Capstone, and CaseX.
Debbie Johnson, Karen Strange, and Barb York added Professional Houndsmen of Missouri.
Cole Arreola-Karr added Missouri Special Districts Association.
Nicole Marie Lynch added Emmaus Homes.
Anne Murray added Bristol Myers Squibb.
Carolyn Niswonger added Sierra Club, Missouri Chapter.
Andy Arnold added Special School District of St. Louis County.
Jonathan Ratliff added J&J Ventures Gaming LLC, and Palm Strategic Group, LLC.
Mindi Walker added Aeroflow.
Strategic Capitol Consulting added First State Community Bank.
Jean Evans deleted Stowers Institute For Medical Research.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to Sen. David Gregory, Jim Foley, Otto Fajen, Elaine Gannon, Angie Heffer, and Judy Moriarty.