Democrat Maite Salazar, who is challenging Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, apologized (on Twitter) after accusing Cleaver (on Twitter) of keeping a picture of Bill Cosby under his desk.  See it here.  The picture was actually of Al Jarreau. See it here.

New Committees

Tax Fairly was formed.  Its treasurer is Martin Bennet.  It was formed to oppose a Kirkwood School District bond issue on the April ballot.  See the paperwork here.

Follow-up on MO’s Slow Growth

A few folks asked for the link to the (depressing) GDP stats I wrote about yesterday.  Find it here.  “Between 2009 and 2018, Missouri’s compound annual GDP growth rate was 0.8 percent—almost a third of the US annual growth rate (2.3 percent) during the same period.”

Dems Hotspots

Missouri Democrats have put up an interactive map showing their legislative recruiting efforts.  See it here.

Giddens Group Lands KC

The Giddens Group registered over the weekend for the City of Kansas City, signaling they prevailed in that hotly contested contract bid. 

Nancy Giddens and Shannon Cooper are the twin towers of that firm. They also represent the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

4 in Senate 25

Word is that Jason Bean is entering the Senate 25 Republican primary (Libla termed). Bean is the son of former Rep. Otto Bean.  He joins three others: Reps. Steve Cookson and Jeff Shawan, and Eddy Justice.

December Revenues Slip

December state tax receipts fell about 1.5% compared to December 2018, driven by lower sales tax receipts and higher refunds.

This brings the fiscal year to date number to +5.15% compared to last year.

Skelton Out in Senate 19

News Tribune reports that “Michela Skelton, a Democratic candidate, has announced she has withdrawn from her campaign for Missouri's 19th state Senate district.”

What It Means

• Good news for Dems who are eyeing Senate 19 as a possible pick-up.  Former Democratic Rep. Judy Baker now becomes presumptive nominee to face Sen. Caleb Rowden.

• MOScout/Remington polling from September showed the race in a statistical tie: Rowden at 49% and Baker at 45% with a margin of error +/- 4.7%.

MMJ Growers Licenses

The Department of Health and Senior Services issued the “list of 60.”  These are the lucky folks who won licenses for medical marijuana cultivation facilities.

MEC: Curators Needn’t Register as Lobbyists

The Missouri Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion that “the members of the University of Missouri Board of Curators are not required to register as legislative lobbyists by virtue of their appointment in and of itself, and they are not required to register in order to respond to inquiries from the General Assembly…”

See it here.

Former Rep. Mark Parkinson has left Sen. Bill Eigel’s staff and is going to work for former Rep. Kurt Bahr at the St. Charles Election Board.

The State Board of Education met via conference call yesterday afternoon.  Topics tackled were more money (preschoolers), more money (teachers), more money (transportation), more career education and less violence.

Springfield New Leader reports on Rep. Tony Lovasco wanting to rein in the MODoT clever signs. 

Franks Documentary Shortlisted

Waiting for Superman, a documentary about former Rep. Bruce Franks advanced to the Oscar Shortlist in the nomination process.

GM’s Big $$$

Last week General Motors announced its “decision to invest $1.5 billion and retain nearly 4,000 jobs at its Wentzville facility.”  See the Post-Dispatch article here.

What It Means

·         This plays into Governor Mike Parson’s strength.

·         A re-election campaign with the economy as its centerpiece.

Survey conducted December 10 through December 11, 2019. 1,266 likely 2020 General Election voters participated in the survey. Survey weighted to match expected turnout demographics for the 2020 General Election. Margin of Error is +/-2.75%.

Q1: Senate Bill 635 repeals the death penalty for first degree murder. Any person previously sentenced to death will instead be sentenced to life in jail without parole.

Favor: 30% 

Oppose: 53%  

Not sure: 17%  

Driving the Day: GM Announcement
Governor Mike Parson will join General Motors (GM) President Mark Reuss, government officials, and community leaders for a major announcement at the Wentzville Assembly and Stamping Plant.

Next Session Preview
We’re weeks away from the new legislative session. With few exceptions, it looks like the coming session will be dominated by many of the same issues as previous session. On most of these topics the battle lines remain the same and calculus has not changed significantly.

Eslinger Adds $150K to Campaign
Rep. Karla Eslinger added $150,000 to her Senate campaign committee. She’s running in Senate 33 in a three-way Republican primary to replace termed Sen. Mike Cunningham.
This infusion levels the early money race between the candidates.

Driving the Day
Oral arguments at the Missouri Supreme Court this morning have Department of Social Services appealing a circuit court ruling that an appropriations bill which targeted abortion facilities was unconstitutional.