Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Case Count Climbs - MO's Response Too Timid? - UAW Hearts House Dems - Legalize IP Hurt by C-Virus and more...

Case Count Climbs

When I wrote my update last Monday, there were 106 confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri. This morning there are 903.

· So far, former Sen. Rob Schaaf has been accurate in his gloomy assessment. Missouri’s cases are doubling every 3 or so days.

· And as many have pointed out, the number of positives is constrained by the number of testing. Anecdotal evidence abounds of a scarcity of tests.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Campaigns Pause - MO Gets Disaster Declaration - Cap Gets Deep-Clean - Thank God for the Grid and more...

Corona Killed the Campaign

I’ve spoken to a few political consultants in the past week who describe the state of campaign as being in hibernation at this point.

The fundraising quarter ends next week. There would normally be a flurry of activity. Instead everything is on pause. “You can’t be asking people for money at a time like this.”

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Budget Mess - Onder Hits on Kehoe? - What Lobbyists Are Doing - Arthur PAC Gets $50K and more...

The budget is beset by uncertainty. As I wrote about on Monday, the conornavirus’ impact on state revenues is unknown – but won’t be good.

Furthermore, pushing back Tax Day from April to July will create a whole new budget snafu.

· That date change moves the wave of final tax payments from the current fiscal year into the next fiscal year.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Capitol Closed - The Coming Health vs Wealth Debate - MO Unemployment Reserves - Lembke Contra Schaaf and more...

Latest Coronavirus

· Rudi Keller keeps track of the numbers. See them here. SPOILER: they’re going higher. #COVID19Missouri cases up 72% +77 total to 183

· Missouri State Medical Association urged Governor Mike Parson to issue a “stay-at-home” order. “If things progress as is, COVID-19 patients will deplete the state's available hospital beds, ventilators and precious personal protection equipment.”

· Parson declined to do that, but did close the capitol for two weeks, “meaning there will be no legislative action under the dome until sometime after April 6.”

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Incumbents No-Win Situation - The Impossible Budget Puzzle - Ridgeway to Retire and more...

How fast is this crisis moving? Since I hit send Thursday morning and took off for a long weekend…

· Missouri had 24 confirmed cases on Thursday morning… that’s quadrupled. This morning that number is 106. (And as Rudi Keller points out, the 106 number is already out-of-date because it lists Louis County at 23 cases and they are reporting 55 cases.)

· St. Louis and Kansas City leaders instituted a “stay-at-home” order for their residents, with “non-essential” businesses ordered shuttered.

· Governor Mike Parson waived work requirements for SNAP, and issued an order forbidding social gatherings of more than ten people.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Back in May??? - Parson Postpones Muni Elections - The D-Word - Moon Against FRA - Wagner Self-Quarantines and more...

Unknown: # Of Legislative Days Left in Session

Speaker Elijah Haahr in his press availability yesterday said repeatedly that “there’s no way to know how many legislative days there are left in session.”

This big question mark is echoed on the Senate side where I was told yesterday “The very earliest we are back in session realistically is first of May. And that might be a stretch.”

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: House Delays Budget Vote - Can Parson Be a Crisis Gov? - MMJ Grand Jury - Biden Sweeps and more....

Can Parson Be a Crisis Gov?

Governor Mike Parson held his first “daily press briefing” on the coronavirus yesterday. But there’s a growing concern that the governor temperamentally mismatched for this crisis.

Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger describes his “bed side manner” as inadequate when there’s a clamoring for action.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Parson Lagging or Leading? - Top Priorities for Shorten Session - MEC Bits and more...

The Missouri Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint against Ward Franz because it was “moot” after he resigned his position. See it here. The complaint that was filed with the Commission alleged that Mr. Franz violated the employee code of conduct established by Governor’s Executive Order 18-10... The remedy for violations of Executive Order 18-10 is “disciplinary action including, but not limited to, termination of employment.” The complaint seeks to apply the Executive Order to these facts despite the fact that Mr. Franz has resigned.From the facts presented, the Commission dismissed the complaint because the matter is moot.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Onder for LG? - CoronaSession Coming? - MEC's Sunshine Fast-Tracked and more...

Those ads that Governor Mike Parson’s PAC was running about jobs and the economy won’t work for at least the next month. And depending on how long this crisis lasts, how many businesses fold during it, and how quickly or slowly the economy rebounds, they may be gone for the cycle. This deprives the GOP of one of their top selling point this cycle: a low unemployment rate.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Coronovirus Reorders Session - Gov Announces 2nd MO Case - Dems Offer Aggressive Agenda and more...

We’re in a wait-and-see mode right now. But there are clearly some imagining that this legislative session will be truncated in some fashion.

· If things go full Italy here, one would expect legislative leaders with the second floor to decide what handful of priority bills need to get passed, and let everything else wait until 2021.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Leading Age Cancels Lobby Day - PDMP Perfected in Senate - Lenihan Files in Senate 1 - MO Unemployment Rate Edges Up and more....

Leading Age Cancels Lobby Day

Caution in dealing with the coronavirus is behind Leading Age’s decision to cancel their “lobby day” in the capitol.

Leading Age is an association of non-profits that provide the entire continuum of senior care including nursing facilities, assisted and residential care communities, senior housing communities, adult day providers, and home health providers. See their website here.

Their concern is to reduce the possibility that one of their workers picks up the virus and brings it back to one of their communities with older residents who are more vulnerable to the virus.

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: C-Virus Takes Center Stage - Firefighters Endorse Page - Lenihan's Med School - PDMP Week? and more...

Firefighters Back Page

In the St. Louis County Executive Democratic Primary, the Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri – IAFF Local 2665 are proud to support incumbent Dr. Sam Page for County Executive.

As we face down the public health threat that comes with a looming pandemic, St. Louis County’s Fire Fighters and Paramedics need a County Executive that intimately understands the nuances of such a dynamic and challenging environment. Dr. Sam Page chose to place his medical practice on hold to serve the citizens of St. Louis County. His sacrifices, knowledge, and leadership could not be more appreciated and more welcomed as we collective prepare our community for the challenges that lie ahead…

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Dave Drebes Dave Drebes

MOScout Daily Update: Burlison Vents - More MMJ Licenses? - Cookson Files in Senate 25 - "Nearly 17" Tested for C-Virus and more...

State Tax Receipts Surge

State revenues surged in February. “Net general revenue collections for February 2020 increased 22.2 percent compared to those for February 2019, from $561.0 million last year to $685.4 million this year.” Individual income tax collection drove the results with a 23.4% increase for the month. Obviously, the leap year gave us an extra day, but still it’s an impressive number.

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