Sen. Cindy O'Laughlin on Facebook writes… “Senator Roy Blunt visited the Missouri senate this week and promoted Missouri implementing PDMP (something pushed as the answer to drug use but literally nobody has evidence to substantiate this claim.) On the other hand we do know illicit drugs are coming across our southern border along with a wave of immigrants that is nearing crisis levels. HOW ABOUT I VISIT D.C. NEXT WEEK AND RECOMMEND WE BUILD A BORDER WALL?”

PDMP Debate Revived

Senator Roy Blunt was in the building this week.  And one of his pitches to legislators was to finally pass a prescription drug monitoring program.  It seems to give a boost to that piece of legislation.

The Senate’s Conservative Caucus has minced no words saying they would oppose a PDMP.  But Senate leadership outlined the pitch they’ll make why conservatives would be well-served to consider the legislation: so many Missouri counties have joined St. Louis County’s PDMP that it covers 80-85% of the MO population.  In other words, there’s already a de facto PDMP.  They can use this legislation to make improvements and add safeguards – or they can live with the status quo.  But either way they’re not “stopping” a PDMP.  It already exists.

Senate 29: Count Cole In

One well-placed source says definitely that David Cole is “all in” for Senate 29.  The current incumbent, Sen. David Sater, is termed. 

Cole is an attorney, and former chair of the Republican State Party.  Other names have been mentioned for the seat – like Rep. Mike Moon, for example.  But Cole becomes the immediate front-runner as he will be able to raise significant money, and quickly corral community endorsements.

Daily Revenue Watch

As of close of business April 15, state tax receipts were $236 million behind last year, or -3.36%.

And

Lobbyist/budget guru Jim Moody has started a subscription service, The Moody Report, which tracks state budget information.  See it here.  Moody is an Ashcroft administration alum, where he served as commissioner of OA, and budget director.

Senate Fireworks

Sen. Mike Cierpiot, whose SB 56 has been stymied all session by the Conservative Caucus, unleashed a critique of those senators yesterday on the Senate floor.

He expressed his frustrations, “I’ve made efforts to reach compromise – thought we had agreement – then watched that agreement evaporate. I am finished with that approach with that group unless they change.”

Daily Revenue Watch

·         Close of business Thursday April 11: still down $255 million, -3.68%. 

·         On Twitter Rep. Kip Kendrick says he’s “cautiously optimistic revenue rebounds.”  He thinks “if so, expect Senate to move forward with current FY20 spending plan. [But] if revenue does not recover adequately, then Senate will likely cut spending in FY20 budget. FY19 withholds are still possible as well. Withholds would be fairly unprecedented this late in fiscal year. Would be painful and would likely target higher ed.”

·         Count me among the “soberly pessimistic.”  I guess it could happen, but I’ve never seen a $250 million spike.

Getting Passed Around: Let Parson Be Parson

Phill Brooks writes in the Columbia Tribune (see it here):  Parson’s handling of [bonding and DOR] is a complete opposite of the man I covered when he was in the Missouri Senate.

Time for Digital “Paid For”?

This recent Missouri Ethic Commission decision to dismiss a complaint was based, in part, on the fact that “Missouri statues do not require ‘paid-for-by’ disclosures on digital media, such as Facebook…”

Maybe it’s time to revise our ethics law to add a “paid for” requirement to digital ads…

Senate Thaw

The freeze that has kept the Senate from passing several of the governor’s priorities appears to be thawing…

• Yesterday they perfected Sen. Wayne Wallingford’s SB 184 which makes changes to the Missouri Works program.  It’s scaled-back version of Sen. Mike Cierpiot’s SB 56 which has been repeatedly filibustered. 

• And there’s rumors of that additionally a version of bonding will pass today…

Bonding Filibustered

The Senate Journal tells the tale of the late night with a poetic sparseness…

Senator Schatz moved that SS for SCR 14 be adopted.

Senator Hough assumed the Chair.

President Kehoe assumed the Chair.

Senator Rowden assumed the Chair.

Senator Hegeman assumed the Chair.

President Kehoe assumed the Chair.

Senator Hough assumed the Chair.

President Kehoe assumed the Chair.

At the request of Senator Schatz, SCR 14, with SS (pending), was placed on the Informal Calendar.

Plocher Plots Defense Against City-County Merger

Rep. Dean Plocher advanced his HJR 54 yesterday, passing it out of the committee he chairs.  The constitutional change takes aim at the proposed merger between St. Louis City and St. Louis County.  It would require a vote of residents of those jurisdictions before taking effect.

Plocher’s resolution faces a problem common to other plans to stop the merger: they’d be on the same ballot as the 2020 vote on the merger. 

To get around this, HJR 54 contains this provision: “this Section shall also apply to any amendment to this Constitution that is adopted concurrently with the enacting amendment of this Section.”

Timing Cleaner MO

From what I can gather Republicans are moving forward to advance their redistricting change this session.  Dubbed “Cleaner Missouri” by some observers, it will take the $5 lobbyist gift cap and make it an outright ban, while changing back the criteria for redistricting.

There has been some debate among Republicans whether it’s better to do this now or wait until next session. 

The MOScout Weekly Poll looks at St. Louis County. Survey conducted April 3 through April 4, 2019. 1,106 likely 2020 General Election voters participated in the survey. Margin of Error is +/-3%. Totals do not always equal 100% due to rounding. 

Q1: Do you think St. Louis County is heading in the right direction or is it going off on the wrong track?

Right direction: 33%

Wrong track: 40%

Not sure: 27%

Yesterday I wrote about the talk around where several issues – and personalities stood – in this legislative session.  Here’s some feedback:

·         Sen. Bill Eigel himself texted to debunk any talk of using the prescription drug monitoring program as leverage for other priorities.  It sounds like he’s completely opposed  to it in its current form. “I just spit out my coffee! I would not ever trade PDMP for Wayfair!”

Senate 25 candidate Eddy Justice filed his April quarter well ahead of the deadline.  Here’s the press release: “Justice, a Conservative outsider who has never run for public office, has seen a groundswell of support, receiving donations from hundreds of individual donors since announcing his campaign… Justice raised $109,000 during the first reporting period between January and March from 180 donations, averaging over $600.00 per donation

Education Stalls Again in Senate

The Senate spent hours and hours yesterday, going past midnight, debating Sen. Bill Eigel’s charter expansion bill, SB 292.  However it couldn’t overcome a bipartisan filibuster to get to a perfection vote.

More Post-Stenger Talk

The talk imagining a post-Stenger County continues even as Steve Stenger himself declared he wasn’t going to resign.

The St. Louis Business Journal referenced my initial rumors of possible successors with a list of six possibilities.  See it here. New names on their list:

·         Councilman Sam Page – “the most likely successor because he's the current County Council chair and has led that body in its fights with Stenger.”

·         Councilwoman Hazel Erby – “an attractive choice for county executive because she also was council chair in 2009 and 2014.”

·         Councilwoman Lisa Clancy – “she's seen as an outsider who's open to new ideas.”

·         Businessman Mark Mantovani – “After losing the August Democratic primary to Stenger by just 1,157 votes, Mantovani could claim that he has the most county-wide support of any of the options.”

Watching Tuesday

A few other races to watch in tomorrow’s municipal elections – in addition to the Columbia and Kansas City mayoral races…

·         School Board in St. Louis.  STLPublic Radio reports: After 12 years of oversight, the Missouri State Board of Education is getting ready to return power of St. Louis Public Schools to a local, elected school board…

·         Former Rep. John Bowman is running for Mayor of Northwoods, a small St. Louis County municipality (population 4,127).

Colona Gets Appt

Former Rep. Mike Colona writes on Facebook… My most sincerest thanks to Mayor Lyda Krewson for appointing me a Provisional Judge for the Municipal Court of the City of St. Louis. No to worry friends and clients! It is a part time job that allows me to still practice law full time. I am truly blessed to be living my dreams... Thanks to all of you at the Municipal Court who called or texted in my support and kept me in the hunt (you know who you are) and a special thanks to the Mayor's Chief of Staff Steve Conway for ... still... always taking my call.