MOScout Daily Update: Zellers Exits - Christensen to MATA - Hudson Eyes Senate Leadership Bid - Burlison on A5 Mistakes and more…
Hudson Eyes Leadership
Sen. Brad Hudson is running for Senate leadership. But he’s still in the process of discerning which position. I’m told he’s “in for either Floor Leader or Pro Tem.”
The Senate leadership races are fluid right now as senators digest the election results and imagine what the next session holds.
· “He’s having conversations over the next two weeks to determine which path he’s going to take, but 100% in for one of the leadership races.”
Right now, Sens. Jason Bean and Ben Brown are running for pro tem. And Sens. Nick Schroer and Jamie Burger are running for floor leader, with rumors that Sen. Mike Henderson is considering that race as well.
Christensen to MATA
Yesterday, the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (MATA) announced that Rep. Mazzie Christensen would become their new Deputy Director. Christensen announced last spring, after considering a congressional bid, that she wouldn’t be seeking another term as a state representative.
Why It Matters
The announcement appears to solidify the alliance of the trial attorneys with the conservative right faction in the Missouri legislature.
Christensen was a member of the House Freedom Caucus. And the Missouri Independent reported that insurgent Republican consultant Sophia Shore “served as maid of honor at Christensen’s wedding.”
Zellers Exits
Yesterday Governor Mike Kehoe announced the retirement of Ken Zellers, effective September 4. Zellers is the Commissioner of the Office of Administration.
Press release: Zellers has held the role of OA Commissioner since his Senate confirmation in March 2022, after being appointed as Acting Commissioner in October 2021 by Governor Parson. Prior to his service at OA, Zellers served as Chief Operating Officer, Acting Director, and Director of the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR), where he led transformative efforts to improve customer service and efficiency.
· And (see below) Caroline Coulter, OA’s general counsel, was appointed to the Administrative Hearing Commission.
What It Means
Coming after Budget Director Dan Haug’s announced retirement, this brings additional turnover just as the state begins to navigate very challenging budget straits.
· Hallway chatter: This is the time of year when agencies are usually asked to prepare their budgets for consideration by the Governor and OA. It seems far too coincidental that the OA Director, Deputy Director, and Budget Division Director all decided to retire or be appointed to other posts within a week of each other at this time when those budget requests are being submitted. I have no inside knowledge but this is too strange to be a simple coincidence. Republicans hate to cut budgets as much as Democrats - they just won't admit it!
Kehoe Creates Child Welfare Task Force
Governor Mike Kehoe created a new task force yesterday to “strengthen coordination across Missouri's child welfare system by developing recommendations for a set of unified standards for child welfare safety.”
The Missouri Child Welfare Task Force will submit its recommendations by November 15, so they can be acted on by the next legislature.
This comes on the heels of Missouri Independent’s news stories of failings within the Children’s Division.
· This morning the Joint Committee on Government Accountability will meet. On the agenda: “Review Children's Division policy and implementation of relative placements, fatalities, reunification rates, implementation of new legislation by DSS since 2020.”
Burlison on A5 Mistakes
Congressman Eric Burlison on Facebook says he’s not trying to “second-guess the folks in Jefferson City,” but second-guesses them…
I try not to second-guess the folks in Jefferson City since I'm not there anymore, but I'll say this much about Amendment 5, they got too cute by half. The goal was right. The vehicle was too complicated, and the voters told us so.
Here's the thing, though. The legislature never needed our permission in the first place. They already have the authority to wind the state income tax down to nothing, all by themselves. So do it.
Pass a bill saying the income tax ratchets down every single year until it's gone, and if that takes thirty years, then it takes thirty years. Put it in statute where it is the law and not a campaign promise. Texas, Tennessee, and Florida don't tax your income, and they are growing faster than we are. There's no great mystery here. We just need lawmakers willing to do it themselves.
Entrepreneurial Lawmakers
An NBER working paper entitled “Political Entrepreneurs” studied state legislators in 26 states from 2009 to 2023, comparing lawmakers who actively owned and managed businesses with other legislators. Its authors found that entrepreneur-legislators were not broadly more pro-business, but were more likely to sponsor bills that lowered barriers to new businesses, especially through deregulation and innovation.
· It’s an interesting distinction between pro-business and pro-entrepreneur.
Priddy Retires – ‘For Real’
Press release from MOCourts: Bob Priddy has retired, for real, after coming back out of retirement to serve as our media coordinator under COR 16 for a number of years. We at
the Court are so thankful to him for his many, many years of helping to navigate media pools for oral arguments, as well as for countless contributions to the development of COR 16 over the past 35 years…
Our new media coordinator is a familiar face -- Brian Hauswirth…
Gubby Appt
Governor Mike Kehoe announced the appointment of Caroline Coulter to the Administrative Hearing Commission.
· Ms. Coulter currently serves as the deputy commissioner and general counsel for the Office of Administration for the State of Missouri.
Lobbyist Registrations
Jean Evans deleted J & J Ventures.
Trent Watson deleted Zoll Services, LLC.
$5K+ Contributions
Missouri Leadership PAC (pro-Riley) - $5,001 from ACEC Missouri PAC.
DougPac (pro-Beck) - $9,500 from Plumbers Local Union No. 8 PAC.
Parents for Missouri Public Schools - $50,000 from No Everything Tax.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $25,000 from Ameren Missouri.
House Republican Campaign Committee, Inc - $9,500 from Committee to Elect Joel Mace.
Senate Democratic Campaign Committee - $10,000 from AGC of MO PAC.
Safer Families for Missouri - $6,600 from Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe, LC.
Safer Families for Missouri - $15,000 from Langdon & Emison, LLC.
Freeman for Kansas City - $10,000 from Wade Freeman.
Safety Net PAC - $17,343 from Lewis and Clark Leadership PAC.
Net PAC Missouri - $13,725 from Bipartisan Network PAC (Washington, DC).
Missourians for Fair Governance - $7,475 from Missourians for Fair Taxation.
Missouri Taxpayers Union - $17,500 from National Taxpayers Union (Washington, DC).
Citizens for Jason Johnson - $15,000 from Joseph Killian.
Paladin PAC - $25,000 from J&J Ventures Missouri Gaming, LLC (Effingham, IL).
Protect Freedom and Democracy - $16,114 from Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action.
Protect Freedom and Democracy - $6,146 from Missouri Workers Power.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Chris Limbaugh, Stephanie Bell, Robert Butler and Anne Zerr.