MOScout Daily Update: Kalshi Puts $150K into PAC - Nexus Reps ChatGPT - Soybean Concerns - A-F Concerns - Choinka Pens Political Romance and more…
MO Lobbyists and the New Economy
Every generation gets their technological changes, but we really do seem to have an extraordinary amount of change occurring.
Last session there was debate about zoning for renewable energy projects like solar farms and setting up guardrails for using artificial intelligence. This session, it appears there could be debate on zoning for data centers, and the guardrails for using license-plate surveillance cameras.
Two data points from yesterday show new economy companies prepping for potential legislative action in Jefferson City…
· Kalshi, a leader in the prediction markets, sent over $150,000 to Hahn DeBoef PAC. That’s the PAC of their lobbyist, Hahn DeBoef.
· The Nexus Group (Rodney Boyd, Kate Casas, Brian Grace, and Kelvin Simmons) registered for ChatGPT’s parent, OpenAI.
Meta Settlement
Post-Dispatch reports that “Missouri will receive up to $152 million in a settlement between social media giant Meta and 47 other U.S. states to resolve claims the company designed its platforms to addict youth and misled the public about their safety.”
But
That’s over ten years. So, like $10-15 million a year. Not nothing, but not meaningful as the state legislature wrestles with an estimated $500 million shortfall.
SBOE: A-F Report Card Concerns
The State Board of Education last week spent some time discussing the rollout of the A-F scorecards and grappling with some complicating factors. One of those is the influence of socio-economic factors in student achievement.
An example of this impact is evident in this chart from a presentation regarding MAP scores. It shows that Black, English Learners, Free and Reduced Lunch, Hispanic, and Individualized Education Plan student groups score “below basic” at much higher rate.
At the SBOE meeting there was discussion about whether the A-F formula should account for student demographics. Board members generally rejected adjusting scores, arguing that the state should maintain identical expectations for every student.
The problem, though, is that if you adjust for poverty, it will appear that the state is lowering expectations for some students. But if you don’t adjust, the grade may mostly tell parents which schools enroll affluent children.
Hints of a Return to Prior Authorization Debate
The Missouri Hospital Association posted on their website that “state legislators toured two Columbia, Mo., hospitals on Aug. 25 to see firsthand the care these organizations provide to their community.”
· Reps. Gregg Bush, D-Columbia, John Martin, R-Columbia, and Tim Taylor, R-Bunceton, visited Boone Hospital Center, where hospital leaders discussed workforce demands — including the time and difficulty involved in recruiting and hiring physicians.
· Lawmakers also learned about the administrative burden of prior authorization and how physicians often spend hours on the phone appealing insurer denials, which takes time away from patient care. Additionally, hospital leaders shared how many staff each department needs to manage prior authorization, denials and appeals.
What It Means
MHA appears to be preparing to revisit the issue of prior authorization. This comes as the Missouri State Medical Association – also a supporter of the issue – has loaded new PACs with $1.5 million.
· HB 3010, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Stinnett, was a major prior-authorization overhaul. It would have created a “gold card” system: providers whose requests were approved at least 90% of the time generally wouldn’t have to seek prior authorization. It died in the Senate, though some narrower provisions were enacted in HB 2372.
Soybean Concerns
In a press release, the Missouri Soybean Association “is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure rumored reports of expanded small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) do not become reality.”
What’s going on: Earlier this year, the EPA gave the biofuel industry a major win when it set very high Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2026 and 2027. Those are essentially the federal mandates saying: this much renewable fuel has to make its way into the transportation-fuel supply. This is a big deal because soybean oil is a major input for biodiesel.
But now – perhaps driven by the Trump administration’s concern over elevated consumer prices – there’s apparently rumors of expanded exemptions from that mandate that would undercut that win.
Corn Prices Rebound
ChatGPT’s explanation: It's a crop-size repricing. Traders spent much of the summer believing the U.S. was headed for an enormous crop. The last 10 days have raised a serious possibility that it is merely a big crop — and perhaps half a billion to 700 million bushels smaller than USDA currently says.
Political Romance: Open Seat
Erica Choinka announced that she’s written a book!
Over the past couple of years I've secretly been working on this idea for a romance novel that takes place in a political setting… I'm so excited to announce the upcoming release of my debut political romance novel, Open Seat.
Open Seat follows two political staffers from the same side of the aisle that end up on opposite sides of the negotiating table. It takes place in Jefferson City at the Missouri State Capitol…
NYTimes Profiles Scharf
In a piece entitled “New White House Counsel Isn’t a Yes Man, but He Won’t Say No, Either,” the New York Times tries to explain Will Scharf. Read it here.
Donald J. Trump, still reeling from the mob attack on the Capitol and the prosecutions that followed, remained toxic in many legal circles… But then the phone was ringing, and on the other line was Mr. Trump. Will Scharf, D. John Sauer and Michael Talent — all graduates of elite law schools who were practicing together in St. Louis…
· John T. Lamping, a friend of Mr. Scharf’s from Missouri… “He considers whoever he’s working for, in any capacity, that that guy’s the boss, and his job is to serve that person to his greatest capacity,” Mr. Lamping said, adding that Mr. Scharf would refer to the Missouri governor as “the boss.”
· “‘He’s calling. The boss is calling. Got to go,’” Mr. Lamping said, imitating Mr. Scharf. “That’s kind of his approach to things. It doesn’t surprise me he’s done so very well in his role.”
Help Wanted
Google seeks Regional Manager, Google Cloud, Government Affairs and Public Policy.In this role, you will be involved in collaborating with Google Cloud and other internal teams to advance Google’s Cloud business and technical infrastructure needs, leading government affairs and public policy matters within key state and local markets. You will serve as Google Cloud's representative to state policymakers, government executives, IT decision-makers, and key third-party groups in your markets.
Lobbyist Registrations
Nexus Group added OpenAI OpCo, LLC.
Jay Reichard added St. Louis Arts Coalition.
Mike Gibbons and Tricia Workman added Mary Margaret Daycare.
Heath Clarkston and Mike Henderson added Covista Inc.
Jake Silverman added Safer + Simpler Missouri.
Noel Torpey deleted J & J Ventures.
$5K+ Contributions
American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) - $10,000 from Schnuck Market, Inc.
AshPac (pro-Aune) - $15,000 from HALO PAC.
PROUD PAC (pro-Proudie) - $8,200 from Missouri Growth PAC.
Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri (pro-Bean) - $25,000 from Sports Betting Alliance (Lubbock, TX).
Hahn DeBoef PAC - $153,350 from Kalshi Inc. (Fairfax, VA)
Stop the Ban - $10,000 from Peter Werner.
Will of the People - $25,000 from Progress MO.
ATGS PAC - $40,000 from Armstrong Teasdale LLP.
Nexus PAC - $47,500 from Paric Holdings, Inc.
Missouri Voter Project - State PAC - $35,000 from ABC General Fund Missouri Federal Committee (Washington, DC).
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Scott Swain, Austin Walker, Kit Crancer, Jefferson Thomas, and Tom Flanigan.