Tags
David Pearce, Dean Dohrman, Denny Hoskins, Gary Cross, HB 253, Kabuki, missouri, SB 281, Will Kraus
Missouri politics, where everyone is your friend and everything is all sweetness and light.
Governor Jay Nixon (D), in Warrensburg on the campus of the University of Central Missouri – July 11, 2013.
Yesterday morning in Warrensburg, on the campus of the University of Central Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon (D) signed SB 381 into law. The bill “officially defines in state statute an Innovation Campus as an educational partnership comprised of one or more Missouri public community colleges…one or more Missouri public or private four-year institution of higher education, one or more Missouri high schools or K-12 school districts, and at least one Missouri-based business.” In the scheme of things everyone involved in supporting the bill is patting themselves on the back that this is a good thing for education in the state. The amount of good varies with who you ask.
Governor Nixon (D) signing SB 381 into law – July 11, 2013.
These kinds of public self-congratulatory exercises are a magnet for state legislators in or near the districts where the bill signing takes place. The bill handlers from the Senate and the House tend to show up, too. Senator Will Kraus (r) and Representative Gary Cross (r) were in attendance and took the opportunity to heap praise. Senator David Pearce (r) and Representatives Denny Hoskins (r) and Dean Dohrman (r), who represent the districts most closely connected to the University of Central Missouri, were also in attendance. They, too, praised the bill and the institution.
An excerpt from Representative Dean Dohrman’s (r) brief remarks:
Ah, political science. That’s really interesting, considering that whole nullification thing was settled one hundred fifty years ago.
Representative Gary Cross (r) – July 11, 2013.
Representatives Dean Dohrman (r) (left) and Denny Hoskins (r) (right) – July 11, 2013.
Here’s the all too familiar Kabuki element in Missouri politics: on one hand they’ll show up for the photo op and glory in the credit for one bill which supports an institution in their district, all the while, voting for a more far reaching bill which seriously screws that same institution. They can get away with it because most of their constituents usually aren’t paying attention when the screwing actually happens. And that occurred with HB 253.
What would HB 253 do to the University of Central Missouri, along with a whole bunch of other institutions and essential programs across the state?:
New Missouri Rule: if the governor governs right of center you can’t call him a “liberal” (July 1, 2013)
[….]
Governor Jay Nixon (D): With a price tag of at least eight hundred million dollars annually House Bill 253 would undermine our fiscal foundation now and for years to come. It’s the equivalent of cutting all support for higher education, all of it, closing all of our prisons, or shutting down the entire Department of mental Health. House Bill 253 is a dangerous experiment we simply cannot afford. These costs are real and immediate if my veto is not sustained.
[….]
“…These costs are real and immediate if my veto is not sustained…”
And how did those Representatives vote? The vote on HB 253, from the Journal of the House (2339) [pdf]:
[….]
On motion of Representative Berry, SS HB 253, as amended, was truly agreed to and finally
passed by the following vote:AYES: 103
Allen Anderson Austin Bahr Barnes
Bernskoetter Berry Brattin Brown Burlison
Cierpiot Conway 104 Cookson Cornejo Cox
Crawford Cross Curtman Davis Diehl
Dohrman Dugger Elmer Engler Fitzpatrick
Fitzwater Flanigan Fraker Franklin Frederick
Gatschenberger Guernsey Haahr Haefner Hansen
Hicks Higdon Hinson Hodges Hoskins
Hough Houghton Hurst Johnson Jones 50
Justus Keeney Kelley 127 Koenig Kolkmeyer
Korman Lair Lant Lauer Leara
Love Lynch Marshall McCaherty McGaugh
Messenger Miller Molendorp Moon Morris
Muntzel Neely Neth Parkinson Pfautsch
Pike Pogue Redmon Rehder Reiboldt
Remole Rhoads Richardson Riddle Roorda
Ross Rowden Rowland Scharnhorst Schatz
Schieber Schieffer Shull Shumake Solon
Sommer Spencer Stream Swan Thomson
Torpey Walker White Wieland Wilson
Wood Zerr Mr SpeakerNOES: 051
Anders Black Burns Butler Carpenter
Colona Conway 10 Curtis Dunn Ellinger
Ellington English Englund Fowler Frame
Gannon Gardner Hampton Harris Hubbard
Hummel Kirkton Kratky LaFaver May
Mayfield McCann Beatty McDonald McKenna McManus
McNeil Meredith Mims Montecillo Morgan
Newman Nichols Norr Otto Pace
Peters Pierson Rizzo Runions Schupp
Smith 85 Swearingen Walton Gray Webb Webber
WrightPRESENT: 000
ABSENT WITH LEAVE: 009
Entlicher Funderburk Gosen Grisamore Kelly 45
Lichtenegger Mitten Phillips Smith 120Representative Frederick declared the bill passed.[….]
[emphasis added]
Senator Will Kraus (r) – July 11, 2013.
And the vote [pdf], from the Journal of the Senate (1512):
[….]
Senator Schmitt moved that SS for HB 253, as amended, be called from the Informal Calendar and taken up for 3rd reading and final passage, which motion prevailed.SS for HB 253, as amended, was read the 3rd time and passed by the following vote:
YEAS-Senators
Brown Cunningham Dempsey Dixon Emery Kehoe Kraus Lager
Lamping Libla McKenna Munzlinger Nieves Parson Richard Romine
Rupp Sater Schaaf Schaefer Schmitt Silvey Wallingford Wasson-24NAYS-Senators
Chappelle-Nadal Curls Justus Keaveny LeVota Nasheed Pearce Sifton Walsh-9Absent-Senators-None
Absent with leave-Senator Holsman-1
Vacancies-None
The President declared the bill passed.
[emphasis added]
Do you think they won’t vote to overturn the governor’s veto? Somebody’s spending big bucks to make sure they do overturn it.
They’re republicans, the outlook isn’t good for the rest of us.
Pingback: Keri Ingle (D) – elected in the 35th Legislative District | Show Me Progress