Category Archives: Missouri Senate

Campaign Finance: Who needs millionaires or PACs when you can do it yourself?

22 Saturday Jul 2017

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This morning at the Missouri Ethics Commission for a republican candidate in the 18th Senate District:

C171187 07/22/2017 Missourians For O’Laughlin Cindy OLaughlin 499 N 4th Shelbina MO 63468 Leo O’Laughlin Inc 7/22/2017 $100,000.00

[emphasis added]

Instant campaign. Isn’t that nice?

The committee:

C171187: Missourians For O’laughlin
Committee Type: Candidate
Party Affiliation: Republican
1103 East Briggs Drive
Macon Mo 63552
Established Date: 07/17/2017
[….]
Candidate
Cindy O’laughlin
Election History

Election Outcome Political Office
8/7/2018 Primary Election State Senator District 18 Missouri State Senate

They’re not wasting any time. The 18th Senate District seat is open in 2018.

Gov. Eric Greitens (r) thinks you’re a moron

23 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in campaign finance, Missouri Governor, Missouri Senate

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“…The people who believe in voter intimidation believe that the minute you make a political donation that you immediately need to turn all your information over to the government…”

Uh, that would be called “transparency”.

From two senators:

For immediate release
May 23, 2017
Senators to Gov. Greitens: Do You Really Want to Abolish the Missouri Ethics Commission?

Jefferson City, Mo. – State Senators Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, and Scott Sifton, D-St. Louis, are calling on Gov. Eric Greitens to clarify or recant his recent comments disparaging Missouri voters’ support of campaign finance transparency.
“Recently, Gov. Greitens went on the radio and seemingly called for an abolition of Missouri’s voter-approved campaign disclosure laws. Even for a Governor who prefers to operate from the shadows, this new call for complete and total darkness for his big dollar donors is troubling,” Sen. Holsman said. “I cannot truly believe that a Governor who recently admitted to breaking campaign finance laws would have the audacity to call for dismantling the very system that exposed his wrongdoing. The Governor needs to clarify or recant his statements so that the people of Missouri know where Eric Greitens stands on laws that protect against corruption and pay-to-play.”
During his interview with St. Louis radio station KMOX on Monday, the Governor criticized Missouri’s donor disclosure laws, which were recently reaffirmed by Missouri voters, saying:
“The people who believe in voter intimidation believe that the minute you make a political donation that you immediately need to turn all your information over to the government. You need to turn over your home address and your contact information, so that the government can turn around and publish that,” Greitens said.
The ‘people’ to which the Governor was referring, are the nearly 70 percent of the electorate that voted for strengthening Missouri’s current campaign finance laws, which include the disclosure requirements criticized by the Governor.
“Missouri’s ethics disclosure laws have provided a bedrock of transparency for decades. The Governor is wrong to malign transparency and disclosure,” Sen. Scott Sifton said. “The people have a right to know who is paying for campaigns.”
On November 8, 2016, Missouri voters overwhelming approved Constitutional Amendment 2 with 69.95 percent of the vote, far surpassing Gov. Greitens’ 51.14 percent vote total in that same election. Among its provisions, Constitutional Amendment 2 states that: ‘The people of the state of Missouri hereby find and declare that excessive campaign contributions to political candidates create the potential for corruption and the appearance of corruption … (and) … the interests of the public are best served by limiting campaign contributions, providing for full and timely disclosure of campaign contributions, and strong enforcement of campaign finance requirements.’
During his 2016 campaign for Governor Eric Greitens in a radio interview on the Politically Speaking Podcast with Jason Rosenbaum made the following statement:
“What I have found is the most important thing is there is transparency around the money, we have already seen these secretive super PACs where they don’t take any responsibility for what they are funding. We saw secretive super PACs who were attacking Tom Schweich where people hide behind these organizations. There will probably be more (super PACs) because that is how the game has always been played. I am very proud to tell people that I am stepping forward and you can see every single one of our donors because we are proud of our donors and we are proud of our campaign.”
The existence of Governor Greitens’ secret 501(C)(4) PAC, A New Missouri, ensures that he will continue to play the game like a ‘career politician’.
“Perhaps the Governor is no longer proud of his donors and wishes them to remain in the dark,” added Sen. Holsman. “Either way, his reversal of position on transparency is disappointing.”
###

Uh, the government is the people.

SB 376: the 99th General Assembly, First Regular Session, defined

12 Friday May 2017

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The roadmap for one of the greatest legislative achievements in the modern era of the Missouri General Assembly:

SB 376
Designates “Old Drum” as the historical dog of the state of Missouri

1/31/2017 S First Read–SB 376-Hoskins S199
2/9/2017 Second Read and Referred S General Laws Committee S244
2/15/2017 Hearing Conducted S General Laws Committee
2/15/2017 Voted Do Pass S General Laws Committee
2/15/2017 Motion to pass bill as consent taken by S General Laws Committee – Consent vote adopted
2/16/2017 Reported from S General Laws Committee – Consent S291
2/21/2017 Removed S Consent Calendar S323
3/2/2017 Reported from S General Laws Committee S400
3/30/2017 Bill Placed on Informal Calendar S605
4/11/2017 SA 1 S offered & adopted (Hoskins)–(1709S01.01S) S822
4/11/2017 Perfected, as amended S822
4/10/2017 Reported Truly Perfected S Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee S847
4/13/2017 S Third Read and Passed S878-879
4/18/2017 H First Read H1592
4/19/2017 H Second Read H1602
4/26/2017 Referred H General Laws H1839
5/1/2017 Hearing Conducted H General Laws
5/2/2017 Voted Do Pass H General Laws
5/3/2017 Reported Do Pass H General Laws H2148
5/3/2017 Referred H Rules – Legislative Oversight H2148
5/8/2017 Voted Do Pass H Rules – Legislative Oversight
5/8/2017
Reported Do Pass H Rules – Legislative Oversight H2234
5/12/2017 H Third Read and Passed
5/12/2017 Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed

The bill text:

FIRST REGULAR SESSION
[P E R F E C T E D]
SENATE BILL NO. 376 [pdf]
99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR HOSKINS.

Read 1st time January 31, 2017, and ordered printed.
Read 2nd time February 9, 2017, and referred to the Committee on General Laws.
Reported from the Committee February 16, 2017, with recommendation that the bill do pass and be placed on the Consent Calendar.
Removed from the Consent Calendar February 21, 2017.
Re-reported from the Committee March 2, 2017, with recommendation that the bill do pass.
Taken up for Perfection April 11, 2017.
Bill declared Perfected and Ordered Printed, as amended.
ADRIANE D. CROUSE, Secretary. 1709S.01P

AN ACT

To amend chapter 10, RSMo, by adding thereto two new sections relating to the designation of state dogs.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 10, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto two new sections, to be known as sections 10.112 and 10.113, to read as follows:

10.112. The dog known as “Old Drum”, whose death became the subject of an 1870 Missouri Supreme Court case and the delivery of a famous speech as the closing argument to the case known as the “Eulogy to Old Drum”, is designated as the historical dog of the state of Missouri.
10.113. The dog known as “Jim the Wonder Dog” is designated as Missouri’s Wonder Dog.

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder, there will always only be one true Underdog…

Previously:

HB 723: there is only one true Underdog (January 29, 2015)

SCR 15: Wrong date, it already happened on May 6, 2014.

25 Saturday Feb 2017

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Comes the darkness.

Comes the darkness.

A Senate Concurrent Resolution:

SCR 15 Designates August 21, 2017, as “Total Eclipse Day” in the state of Missouri
Sponsor: Hoskins
LR Number: 1818S.01I
Committee: Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics
Last Action: 2/14/2017 – Referred S Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee
Journal Page: S261
[….]

A celebration of darkness. How apropos.

Previously:

SB 509: the moment when all hope for the future of Missouri died (May 6, 2014)

SB 466: maybe if we just ignore him he’ll stop filing lunatic fringe right wingnut alternate universe successionist fantasy bills

24 Friday Feb 2017

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No, that doesn’t work now. Everyone else already ignores him.

Oh, and tenther drivel, too.

SB 466 Adopts the Prosperity States Compact
[….]
SB 466 – This act adopts the Prosperity States Compact, an interstate agreement for the creation of political subdivisions (“districts”) which are exempt from state and federal laws not otherwise made continually applicable by the Prosperity States Compact or by federal supremacy. The Compact also places certain limits to districts’ authority to govern and raise public funds, in addition to those limitations that are ordinarily placed on political subdivisions, including a ban on the taxation of district residents.

Districts are municipal corporations with the power to form contracts and be party to lawsuits. Districts are led by a board of seven administrators who serve four year terms. A process is created for the board to create and administer district bylaws, ordinances, policies, and procedures. All of the board’s meetings and records are open.

The authority of the district government is limited to certain law enforcement activities, the furnishing of transportation, utility, and transmission infrastructure, the operation of a municipal court, the borrowing of money in accordance with other limitations placed upon borrowing by this act, the power to accept certain gifts of real and personal property, and other incidental activities that are necessary for government as determined by the board. The district government is prohibited from exercising any government function of taxation, eminent domain, civil property forfeiture unless the forfeiture is based in a criminal violation and the forfeiting party has been convicted of that violation, establishing or enforcing any monopoly or cartel, accepting certain gifts, delegating all or any portion of its authority in any manner other than which it is permitted to do so by the act, or permitting any other unit of government to exercise authority within the district, except as permitted to do so by the act.
[….]

You’ve just got to love some of the particulars:

[….]
(c) Governing Authority. The governing authority of every Prosperity District is strictly limited to the following powers, which shall be exclusive of the exercise of the same or like powers by any other governmental unit within the district’s boundaries, as they exist from time to time, and no other governmental unit shall within such boundaries exercise the same or like powers as are granted to the district under this subsection, except as expressly contemplated in this Compact:
(1) police power consisting solely of: (i) enforcing the Malum in Se Criminal Law, Common Law and Regulation adopted in its formation petition as contemplated…
[….]

By my reading of the bill spitting on sidewalks would be out.

[….]
Section 7. Preservation of Person Status for Artificial Persons. A corporation, trust, company, association, organization or other non-natural person entity (“artificial person”) that enjoys or is capable of enjoying certain duties, rights and powers of a natural person under law existing outside of the boundaries of a Prosperity District, such as the right to sue or be sued, contract or own property in its own name, shall be recognized as enjoying the corresponding duties, rights and powers, if any, of a natural person within the boundaries of a Prosperity District upon giving notice in such form and with such content as may be specified in the district’s bylaws to the managing board of the district of its intent to conduct operations, do business or establish a place of business or domicile within the Prosperity District.
[….]

Can you abort an artificial person? Just asking.

Read the whole thing. It’ll be worth the waste of your time, if only for the mocking laughter.

Ed Emery (r) sponsored this bill. As if it could be anyone else.

A stylized dance

17 Friday Feb 2017

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Yesterday evening the Warrensburg MSTA-CTA (teachers) held an informational meeting with Johnson County area legislators. The program listed Denny Hoskins (r-21st Senate District), Dean Dohrman (r-51st Legislative District), Glen Kolkmeyer (r-53rd Legislative District), and Dan Houx (r-54th Legislative District). Dean Dohrman did not attend.

Denny Hoskins (r-21st Senate District).

Denny Hoskins (r-21st Senate District).

To their credit three legislators did show up to take questions from their teacher constituents. MSTA-CTA provided refreshments and a box dinner for everyone who attended the event.

A MSTA representative served as moderator, explaining that he took solicited pre-submitted questions (from those who had sent in an RSVP to the event). After brief introductions the moderator read questions and asked each legislator in turn for their comments.

Understandably, from teachers, the first questions were on the state budget and K-12 funding from Jefferson City. The responses included the usual soothing sounds about the importance of education, shortfalls in state revenues, and the requirement that the state have a balanced budget. What was missing in those early comments was any explanation of how the past actions of two of those three legislators (Dan Houx is in his first term in Jefferson City) in the General Assembly contributed significantly to the structural shortfalls in state revenue.

I left the event after listening to the stylized dance around the subject for a half hour.

It’s possible they could have addressed increasing state revenue after I left the event. Nah, they’re republicans in the Missouri General Assembly.

(left to right) Denny Hoskins (r), Glen Kolkmeyer (r-53rd Legislative District), Dan Houx (r-54th Legislative District).

(left to right) Denny Hoskins (r), Glen Kolkmeyer (r-53rd Legislative District), Dan Houx (r-54th Legislative District).

SB 396: Damn, the lease on that apartment runs for a year?

11 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by in media criticism, Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Senate

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Does the Jefferson City paper have a classified section for subletting apartments? Just asking.

Missouri Attorney General Hawley addresses Democrats’ residency concerns, rents apartment
By Jo Mannies • Feb 10, 2017

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley says he has rented an apartment in Jefferson City, to end accusations from Democrats that he has been violating state law by commuting from his home in Columbia…

[….]

Assistant House Minority Leader Gina Mitten, D-St. Louis, replied in a statement: “… Hawley said he ‘decided to call Democrats’ bluff on this.’ Hawley has it backwards. He claimed for weeks that the law didn’t apply to him but now he’s complying with it. Somebody blinked here, and it wasn’t us.”

[….]

Interesting headline. Doesn’t anyone peruse legislative bill filings anymore?

Josh Hawley (r) [2016 file photo].

Josh Hawley (r) [2016 file photo].

A bill filed in the Senate on Monday:

SB 396
Repeals the requirement that the Attorney General reside at the seat of government
Sponsor: Wallingford
LR Number: 1775S.01I
Fiscal Notes
Committee:
Last Action: 2/6/2017 – S First Read–SB 396-Wallingford
Journal Page: S227
Title:
Calendar Position: 5
Effective Date: August 28, 2017

Current Bill Summary

SB 396 – This act repeals the requirement that the attorney general reside at the seat of government.

This act is identical to HB 797 (2017).

Uh, when republicans file bills like this it’s not just Democrats who don’t have confidence in Josh Hawley’s (r) legal opinion.

Previously:

HB 797: no confidence in the legal opinion of Attorney General Josh Hawley (r) (January 31, 2017)

SB 41, HB 174, HB 236: abortion facts

24 Saturday Dec 2016

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Bills on “abortion alternative” entities. SB 41, pre-filed in the Senate on December 1st:

SB 41 – Under this act, the constitutions and laws of the United States and Missouri shall be interpreted, construed, applied, and enforced to fully protect the rights of an alternatives-to-abortion agency and its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers to freely assemble and freely engage in religious practices and speech without government interference.

Nothing in this act shall preclude or preempt a political subdivision from exercising its lawful authority to regulate zoning or land use or to enforce a building or fire code regulation, provided that the political subdivision treats an alternatives-to-abortion agency in the same manner as a similarly situated agency.

A court may order injunctive relief with specified damages for violations of this act. Additionally, the Attorney General may bring a cause of action to defend the rights guaranteed under this act.

This act is similar to provisions in HB 99 (2015), HB 919 (2015), HB 1103 (2014), SCS/HCS/HB 1192 (2014), SB 658 (2014), HB 31 (2013), HB 717 (2013), SB 50 (2013), HB 1357 (2012), and SB 745 (2012).
[….]

HB 174, pre-filed in the House on December 8th:

HB 174 [pdf] — ALTERNATIVES-TO-ABORTION AGENCIES
SPONSOR: Hubrecht
This bill requires the constitutions and laws of the United States and Missouri to be interpreted, construed, applied, and enforced to fully protect the rights of an alternatives-to-abortion agency and its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers to freely assemble and freely engage in religious practices and speech without government interference. Nothing in the bill must preclude or preempt a political subdivision from exercising its lawful authority to regulate zoning or land use or to enforce a building or fire code regulation, provided that the political subdivision treats an alternatives-to abortion agency in the same manner as a similarly situated agency. The bill permits a court to order injunctive relief with specified damages for violations of the provisions of the bill and permits the Attorney General to bring a cause of action to defend the rights guaranteed under the provisions of bill. This bill is the same as SB 41 (2017).

[emphasis added]

Facts? Who needs facts?

Deb Lavender (D) [2016 file photo].

Deb Lavender (D) [2016 file photo].

Facts. HB 236, pre-filed in the House on December 15th:

FIRST REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 236 [pdf]
99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE LAVENDER.
0877H.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To amend chapter 188, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to reproductive health care services.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 188, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 188.345, to read as follows: 188.345.
1. For purposes of this section, the term “medically accurate and unbiased information” shall mean information that is:
(1) Verified or supported by the weight of medical research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods;
(2) Recognized as correct and objective by leading medical organizations with relevant expertise or government agencies, such as the:
(a) American Medical Association;
(b) American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists;
(c) American Public Health Association;
(d) American Academy of Pediatrics;
(e) American College of Physicians;
(f) American Academy of Family Physicians;
(g) Center for Disease Control and Prevention;
(h) Food and Drug Administration;
(i) National Cancer Institute;
(j) American Psychological Association; or
(k) National Institute for Health; or
(3) Recommended by or affirmed in the medical practice guidelines of a nationally recognized accrediting organization, such as the:
(a) Joint Commission;
(b) National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA);
(c) American Accreditation HealthCare Commission or Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (AAHC/URAC); or
(d) Accreditation Association for Ambulatory HealthCare (AAAHC).
2. For purposes of this section, the term “pregnancy-related services” shall mean services including, but not limited to, family planning, abortion care, prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.
3. To be eligible to receive state funding, all organizations that provide pregnancy related services or counseling shall provide medically accurate and unbiased information on all relevant reproductive health options including, but not limited to, information about birth control, pregnancy, adoption, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.

[emphasis in original]

Gee, we should expect that pregnancy related organizations that provide pregnancy related services should provide medically accurate and unbiased information all the time, right?

SB 41 [pdf] and HB 174 serve another agenda:

[….]
188.125. 1. It is the intent of the general assembly to acknowledge the rights of an alternatives-to-abortion agency and its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers to freely assemble and to freely engage in religious practices and speech without governmental interference, and that the constitutions and laws of the United States and the state of Missouri shall be interpreted, construed, applied, and enforced to fully protect such rights.
2. A political subdivision of this state is preempted from enacting, adopting, maintaining, or enforcing any order, ordinance, rule, regulation, policy, or other similar measure that prohibits, restricts, limits, controls, directs, inteferes with, or otherwise adversely affects an alternatives-to-abortion agency or its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers’ assembly, religious practices, or speech, including but not limited to counseling, referrals, or education of, advertising or information to, other communications with, clients, patients, other persons, or the public.
[….]

Gee, nothing in SB 41 and HB 174 about providing medically accurate and unbiased information. Go figure.

SB 48: democracy with a large “$”

21 Wednesday Dec 2016

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The current annual salary for a United States Senator or a United States Representative is $174,000.00. Missouri state senators receive an annual salary of $35,915. Members of the Missouri House of Representatives receive an annual salary of $35,915.

You get the picture.

A bill pre-filed in the Missouri Senate on December 1st:

SB 48
Modifies provisions relating to filing fees for candidate for certain offices
Sponsor: Libla
LR Number: 0297S.01I
[….]
Last Action: 12/1/2016 – Prefiled
[….]
Effective Date:
August 28, 2017

The bill summary:

SB 48 – Under current law, in order to file a declaration for office a candidate is required to submit the following fees to the treasurer of the state central political party committee:
• For a statewide office or for United States Senator, a fee of $200;
• For Congressman, circuit judge, or state senator, a fee of $100; and
• For state representative, a fee of $50.

Under this act, candidates for such offices shall submit a fee equal to 10% of the salary for the office for which the candidate is seeking nomination.

[emphasis added]

Right. Wouldn’t want anyone’s grassroots campaign to get in the way now, would we?