MOScout Daily Update: $2B+ Cuts Coming - Candidate Filing Opens - More on Ed Staffing - Dampf Honored and more…
1 Big Thing: Budget Talk Darkens
Rep. Darin Chappell, chair of the Subcommittee on Appropriations - Health, Mental Health, and Social Services, convened an organizational meeting yesterday in preparation for markup of their budget bills (HB 2010 and HB 2011).
He said he planned to place spending into three buckets…
· Musts – things that must be done because the law requires it.
· Needs – things to make sure that those most fragile among our citizenry are provided for.
· Wants – everything else.
Chappell is aiming to cut $500 million. It’s unclear if this is a target he’s been given from Budget Chair Dirk Deaton or if he’s just trying to pull his weight. He noted that HB 2010 and HB 2011 with their enormous health spending account for 50% of the state’s general revenue outlay.
One knotty problem Chappell confronts: because state general revenue often pulls in matching federal funds, these cuts could be devastatingly worse. “I suspect that, in order to get $500 million of GR on the bottom line, we're going to see overall cuts somewhere in the $2 billion range.”
And
I’m told that Rep. Bishop Davidson, chair of the Subcommittee on Education Appropriations, is looking to cut about $300 million from items (HB 2002 and HB 2003) under his purview.
Meanwhile
Rep. Colin Wellenkamp is proposing that Missouri start a “sovereign wealth fund” to invest in the stock market.
He explained at the hearing yesterday… “Once the fund got to the point of actually replacing 100% of our budget then and only then could we access it… So we did a projection on several different initial investments of $100 million to $200 million to $250 million to kind of celebrate America…”
Driving the Day: Candidate Filing
Candidate filing starts this morning at 8AM. A few pre-filing bits…
· United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Gina Mitten in Senate 4. “I am proud to earn their support and will continue fighting to protect workers’ rights, defend collective bargaining, and ensure every Missourian has the opportunity to thrive.”
· Spectrum News says that Mike Carter and Mike Deering are IN for Senate 10 (Fitzwater to MTC), while Rep. Chad Perkins is OUT, and Rep. Doyle Justus is not talking.
Driving the Night: SOTU
President Donald Trump will deliver his State of the Union Speech tonight, 8PM.
With concern mounting among Republicans about a difficult midterm environment, can he articulate a winning message?
Follow-Up Education Staffing Trends
Yesterday’s chart on the increase in school staffing as enrollment has dropped garnered diverse reactions.
Here’s one: “Anyone who wants to know what’s wrong in public education should re-read the statistic yesterday showing administrative staffing goes up while student population declines. Public education has zero accountability for billions of dollars and generations of kids that can’t read at grade level.”
But another says that the “growth in administrators was primarily due to growth in charter schools and districts opening preschool programs. Some of the increase can also be attributed to the increase in specialized programming (CAPs, career academies, etc.) at the high school level.”
There’s also the question of whether “legislative overload” could be the culprit…
Roberts on Active Duty
Kristina Martin – Secretary of the Senate
Dear Secretary Martin,
I will be on active military duty during the 2026 Second Regular Session beginning February 23, 2026, and ask that my absence from each legislative day due to such service be excused leave.
Yours in service,
Steven Roberts
Missouri Senate - Fifth District
Please, Not Another Commission
Rep. Don Mayhew’s HB 2902 attempts to tackle the state’s car theft problem.
In its hearing yesterday, Lieutenant Alex Vivas, Missouri State Highway Patrol Chief of Staff, testified that the problem is real: Missouri currently ranks among the top 10 states for vehicle theft. As of 2025, it’s #6 in total thefts… Specific models that we're seeing targeted are Hyundai and Kia due to social media trends highlighting security weaknesses. Full size pickups like Ford F-150s, Chevy Silverados also remain frequently targeted vehicles.
But the committee members were skeptical that the bill’s solution – the creation of a new commission – was the best course of action.
· Rep. Jim Murphy: Starting a new commission? I’m kind of a small government guy… now here you are, so you want to expand government one more time. Why shouldn't we just let the state police have a little more funding and let them do their job?
· Rep. Mark Matthiessen: I’m going to echo the sentiments of my colleagues. I’m a yes on [the key spoofing language]. I'm a no on the rest of the bill. I just don't think we need to create any new commissions.
Basketball Coaches Back MSHHAA
Missourinet reports that the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association is “lining up in opposition to the state takeover of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).”
· “Politicizing our activities association with our schools is not the direction we want to go,” said executive director Denny Hunt. “They’ve been doing a great job for 100 years now, and we just feel like they need to continue to do so.”
Eigel Says Campaign Bill Was Political Attack
Former Sen. Bill Eigel tells the mighty Jason Rosenbaum that Rep. Jim Murphy’s HB 1788 banning recurring donations was “more about targeting an individual, me in this case, than it is about what actually makes up good policy…It is absolutely about trying to weaken me versus an honest discussion about what fundraising is good, how we should manage fundraising, and what's appropriate in our current culture. It is absolutely an attack on me.”
Dampf Honored
News Tribune reports that “Drew Dampf received the Henry S. Geyer Award from the Mizzou Alumni Association. Gov. Mike Kehoe bestowed the honor on him Tuesday at the Governor's Mansion… the award ‘recognizes public officials and citizens who positively impact higher education.’”
eMailbag
The Riggs quote is priceless from a Legislator in the supermajority. These guys have been jamming stuff down Missourians throats for 20 years because extreme groups that make up less than 10% of Missourians have been dictating their every move. Perhaps if our elected leaders addressed issues that are important to people they would have less ballot initiatives.
$5K+ Contributions
MBA Pony Express Region PAC - $8,250 from Nodaway Valley Bank.
Together KC - $25,000 from John Sherman.
Missouri Alliance PAC - $7,895 from Paul Vogel.
Lobbyist Registrations
Heath Clarkston, Doug Nelson, and Michael Henderson added eDynamic Learning; and deleted AC Disaster Consulting.
Rachel Lesinski added Alzheimer's Association.
Catalyst added Intralot, Inc.
Jay Reichard and Noel Torpey added Impruvon Health.
Alina Robinson added Alina Robinson.
Michelle “ML” Smith added Missouri Justice Coalition.
Cameron Onumah added EchoStar Corporation and its Affiliates.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to Tracy King, Peter Merideth, Rich Chrismer, Jolie Justus, Sonya Anderson, and Stephen Conway.