MOScout Daily Update: First A5 Ad Up - Realtors Respond + New Teachers Committee - Frustrated Brooks to Lead SBOE? - Kehoe’s Sue-and-Spend Police Board and more…
Missouri Promise PAC First on the Air
The fight over the future of the state income tax has begun.
Proponents are first on the air with an animated car race showing ‘Missouri’ falling behind. It features the catchy slogan “Axe the Tax.” See it here.
But others are marshaling their forces…
· The Realtors deposited $1,900,001 into their campaign committee, Missourians for Fair Taxation. That’s pointedly $1 more than the $1.9 million that was dropped into the pro-A5 committee, Missouri Promise PAC, running the ads.
· Parents for Missouri Public Schools was formed as a committee to oppose A5. It sounds like it might be affiliated with teachers’ unions which are expected to be “all-in” against the proposal. See their website here.
Important to remember as more and more checks and ads fly (and we will): A “no” campaign doesn’t have to match a “yes” campaign dollar-for-dollar. The pro-side has to persuade a skeptical voter, while the opponents focus on raising questions and doubts.
Schrag Steps Down
Mary Schrag resigned from the State Board of Education yesterday. She was serving as board president. “Schrag was appointed to the State Board in 2019 by former Governor Mike Parson… State Board Vice President Brooks Miller will assume the role as State Board President until the State Board holds elections at its June 23 meeting.”
What It Means
The expectation is that Miller will become the next board president. He has been vocal about the board acting with more urgency, despite pushback from other members that Missouri is a “local control state,” and often needs legislative authority.
Miller, speaking at the April board meeting: It's a frustration for me that we look at this big book. I look at a big book every month. There's nothing about vision, there's nothing about improvements. And then we have to rely on legislators to come in here and push down our throat something because we are not proactive. I'm not being disrespectful, it's just my feeling. We are not being proactive in the work that we're supposed to be doing… If the reason that we cannot do our job is because we're a locally controlled state, we need to disband the State Board of Education because we're not doing a darn thing. And I don't want to hear the excuses anymore why we can't do stuff, because that's what we're here to do. We're here to take care of business as it relates to education.
· Also, a couple folks believe that Pam Westbrooks-Hodge may soon be stepping down as well. If that occurs, the board will soon be entirely made up of appointments from Governor Mike Kehoe.
RIP Dick Wiles
Veteran lobbyist Dick Wiles passed away over the weekend. See the notice here. I will post a full obituary and service information when available.
Kehoe’s Sue-and-Spend Police Board
St. Louis City is having to defend itself against a recklessly spending police board over which it has no control.
The Post-Dispatch reports on their latest unchecked spending plans. “The state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners announced a proposal Monday to increase pay for top brass… [it] would give lieutenants a 16% raise, captains 18%, majors 20% and lieutenant colonels 22% in the new fiscal year, starting July 1… city officials who had budgeted for 7%-8% increases for police brass and were caught off guard by the proposal Monday night — just weeks before the new fiscal year begins.”
· Mayor Cara Spencer noted the city’s charter requires that any pay increases police get must be offered to fire department employees of similar rank, which can magnify the cost of police raises by millions of dollars.
· “The state-controlled police board's way of doing business shows utter and complete disregard for the city's budget process and the many other departments that serve our residents,” she said.
Meanwhile
A court rejected the police board’s suit to take even more city money saying, “the Court finds that the evidence of the technical meaning of the term ‘general revenue’ is consistent with the Missouri Supreme Court's interpretation of the term.” The appointed board plans to appeal…
VLTs Not Worried About Constitutional Challenge
One supporter of VLT legalization is unconcerned about a constitutional challenge…
The casino’s assertion that “lotteries, gift enterprises and games of chance” can only be conducted on a licensed riverboat or floating facility next to the Missouri or Mississippi rivers is laughable and flies in the face of the 6 constitutional exemptions to Art. 3, Section 39, that generally prohibits the General Assembly from passing laws, you guessed it, to allow "lotteries, gift enterprises and games of chance"
If you read article III, section 39 of the constitution you will see here are 6 exceptions in the Missouri constitution that allow the Missouri General Assembly to authorize lotteries, gift enterprises and games of chance… The constitutional amendment authorizing the state lottery allows the lottery commission to determine what games of chance can be played and where.
If you look up the definition of the term “lottery” you will find that a lottery is defined as a gambling game where the outcomes are determined entirely by chance. It’s the broadest definition of a game of chance that exists and under the Missouri constitution and Missouri law it can be conducted anywhere in the state of Missouri. There are no constitutional or statutory prohibitions against what can be used to conduct the lottery… When we pass VLT and when it goes to court we are confident that the legislature will prevail.
Dolly’s Imagination Library Pulls Back After Cuts
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library emailed Missouri recipients of their free book program to explain the impact of this year’s budget cuts. The line item was cut from $6 million to $2 million.
Data Centers Throw Off Property Tax Revenue
In a Show-Me Institute interview with Judge Glock about data centers, he points out why they make sense from tax-base standpoint. “Data centers require very little in the way of services. When a city allows a new subdivision or apartment building, it gets more property taxes but also has to pay for schooling for the kids, roads, fire departments, and all the rest… For data centers, because there’s basically no one in them… Once it’s built, it just sits there and throws off property tax revenues.”
DESE Discrimination Lawsuit
Tracy Starks, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s former Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Learning Services, filed suit yesterday against DESE alleging “discrimination on the basis of race.” See the suit here.
Beginning in or around 2022, the Commissioner began harassing, belittling, and gaslighting Plaintiff at work. The Commissioner would berate and humiliate Plaintiff during regular staff meetings in front of other employees, including Plaintiff’s peers and subordinates. Although no one else had any complaints about her work, the Commissioner would scrutinize and nitpick Plaintiff’s work.
· Although the commissioner is not named, the dates appear to line up with Margie Vandeven’s second stint at the department.
Lobbyist Registrations
Dustin Backes added MyDigiRecords.
Connor Stangler added Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics; and deleted University Health Truman Medical Centers.
Richard McIntosh deleted Missouri Association of Christian Child Care Agencies, Inc.
Angie Schulte deleted Missourians for Fair Regulations.
$5K+ Contributions
Missourians for Fair Taxation - $1,900,001 from Missouri REALTORS.
Her Health, Her Future PAC - $5,001 from Adam Schnelting.
1776 PAC (pro-Schroer) - $10,000 from J&J Ventures Gaming of Missouri (Effingham, IL).
STLCO PAC (pro-Brian Williams) - $220,000 from B PAC (pro-Brian Williams).
MO Cable PAC - $12,500 from Charter Communications.
Start for Kids STL - $6,440 from WEPOWER.
Baird For Jackson County - $15,000 from Local Union #124, IBEW Voluntary Political Fund.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Ward Franz, Ray Weter, Abe Rakov, and Lynda Brotherton.