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Missouri voters could decide who sits on the state board of education – not the governor

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Missouri voters could be asked to change the way state board of education members are selected. Representative Dottie Bailey, R-Eureka, wants to let voters decide who sits on the board, instead of letting the governor appoint all members. In order to be a board member, the Missouri Senate is also currently required to sign off on the governor’s appointees if the Legislature is in session.

Rep. Dottie Bailey (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

During a House committee hearing, Bailey said her proposed Constitutional amendment would allow voters to choose board members during each general election of a presidential election year.

“We need this to be an accountable elected position because it’s so vital, especially right now. It was vital before COVID-19. Now it’s even more vital,” said Bailey. “It’s such a crucial job. Just like us, if we don’t do a good job, we get voted out. With the state of education in our state today, I just feel that this puts this into the mold of the rest of our state.”

Currently, no more than four of the eight board members can be from the same political party. That could change under the proposal. One member would be elected from each congressional district by the voters of the congressional district and one member would be elected by the voters of the state at large.

Rep. Ian Mackey, D-St. Louis, questioned Bailey about the intent of the proposal.

“Do you think partisanship in education overall is a good or bad thing,” asked Mackey.

“Well, lately I think it’s a bad thing,” said Bailey.

“But if it’s your partisanship, then it’s probably going to be a good thing because that’s what I’m hearing,” saud Mackey.

“No, I don’t necessarily think that at all. I think you need people that represent your constituents and their ideas and their wants,” said Bailey. “Not either Republican or Democrat. If it’s a fully Democratic Congressional district, fine. Send whoever you wish. I am all for that. No shade to the governor or past governors or future governors. It’s just a more complete representative type of government, which we have.”

“To me, that sounds like pretext for making the board more Republican leaning,” said Mackey.

“I get it. I guess in some instances that would be the case,” said Bailey.

Rep. Ben Baker, R-Neosho, said he thinks school board races should be held during partisan elections.

“I don’t think it’s right that people can run for office and never declare what they subscribe to – what ideology they subscribe to, what they believe, how they think. They can just simply make a statement like, ‘I’m for the kids,’” said Baker.

Dr. Mary Byrne provided testimony for informational purposes. She suggested that members review information about Alabama’s elected state Board of Education.

“I would tell you that they are worse off than the state of Missouri,” she said.

Byrne said the committee should consider how much money lobbyists pour into U.S. Congress to pass education legislation. She also said foundations are seeding departments with former employees.

“You may think that you are getting power to the people but what you may be doing is opening the campaign contribution influence into elections of your state board members,” she said. “I don’t know if you are not going from the frying pan into the fire.”

Bailey’s plan does not currently lay out any campaign donation restrictions.

The measure would limit board members to two, four-year terms. Vacancies could be filled by the governor – as long as the Missouri Senate approves of them after appointed by the governor.

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday morning on Bailey’s proposal.

To check out House Joint Resolution 47, click here.

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Proposed Missouri constitutional amendment is aimed at helping disabled veterans

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A proposed constitutional amendment aimed at preventing the approximately 13,000 Missouri veterans who are 100-percent disabled from paying real property taxes is backed by a St. Charles County veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 11, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

O’Fallon resident Charles Frederickson served six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He traveled to Jefferson City on Wednesday afternoon to testify for legislation sponsored by State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City. Mr. Frederickson has a total service-connected disability, and testifies he cannot find a job and made only $400 last year.

“If my (property) taxes can double in just four years, or I’m sorry ten years, you can imagine my income is not doubling in ten years,” Frederickson testifies.

Frederickson also has a daughter, who’s been battling a brain tumor. He testified for House Veterans Committee Chairman Griffith’s proposed constitutional amendment, which would exempt from taxation all real property used as a homestead for any veteran with a total service-connected disability.

Representative Griffith also testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, telling Chairman Rep. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, that there are 13,153 Missouri veterans who have a total service-connected disability. Griffith praises Frederickson and Missouri’s other disabled veterans.

“These men and women that are 100 percent disabled, they got that way for a reason,” Griffith testifies. “We need to honor them, we need to show them the appreciation that we have for the sacrifice they made and the disability they live with everyday.”

Griffith has filed House Joint Resolution 32, which is three pages. If Missouri lawmakers approve Griffith’s measure, it would go to the statewide ballot in 2022.

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Conservation officials: proposal to expand Conservation Commission threatens future of conservation in Missouri

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The Missouri Department of Conservation director testified Monday night in Jefferson City against a proposal to increase the size of the Conservation Commission from four to nine, saying it could lead to regional favoritism.

State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, testifies before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City on January 28, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The hearing was delayed for about an hour, when a fire alarm began sounding at the Capitol. Lawmakers had to be evacuated, until firefighters checked the building.

Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley testified during the lengthy committee hearing.

“The Conservation Commission believes that House Joint Resolution 55, which proposes to amend the Missouri Constitution, is unnecessary and in fact, threatens the future of conservation in Missouri as we know it,” Pauley testifies.

State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, has filed the joint resolution to increase the commission’s membership to nine nonpartisan members: one appointed by the governor and eight elected from each Conservation region.

Pauley testifies that Missourians approved a constitutional amendment in 1936, creating a four-person Conservation Commission to manage, conserve and restore Missouri forest, fish and wildlife. She says the 1936 constitutional amendment was in direct response to a fish and game agency that had become ineffective due to undue influence of local and state politics.

“My greatest concern is that expanding the commission will dilute and politicize the department’s ability to take care our state’s fish, forest and wildlife resources and connect our citizens to those resources,” says Pauley.

Pauley says the mandate of each of the four Conservation Commissioners is to represent the entire state and to work together. She also worries that expanding the commission could lead to commissioners competing for activities in their region.

The Conservation Federation of Missouri also testified against the bill, at the hearing.

As for Representative Dinkins, she’s filed HJR 55 to elect Conservation commissioners and expand the commission to nine. She says the commission needs more rural representation.

Dinkins testifies that the current four-person commission is too small, saying the commission’s current size limits their ability to perform their duties.

“In June of 2019, there were only two (Conservation) commissioners because the other two’s terms had ended. So one had to nominate one for chair, and the other one had to nominate the other one for vice chair and secretary, and then they had to second each other’s motions,” Dinkins testifies.

Dinkins received pushback Monday evening from a fellow Republican when she testified that the commission needs more rural representation.

State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, noted that the Conservation Commission’s current chair is Don Bedell of Sikeston. But Dinkins says she and her constituents in small towns like Annapolis do not consider Sikeston rural.

Southeast Missouri’s Sikeston has about 16,000 residents.

Dinkins says her proposal would ensure that everyone has representation.

“It seems like (the Department of) Conservation has a lot to do with our rural communities, yet we don’t really have a voice,” she told Missourinet on Friday.

Missouri’s Conservation Commission currently has four members, appointed by the governor or previous governors. The Conservation Commission’s four current members are Mr. Bedell of Sikeston, Columbia’s Barry Orscheln, Mark McHenry of Kansas City and Steven Harrison of Rolla.

Bedell serves as the chair, and Orscheln is the vice chair. McHenry is the secretary, and Harrison is a member. Commissioners are responsible for appointing the Conservation director, and serve as policy makers and approve wildlife code regulations. They’re also involved with strategic planning.

If lawmakers approve Dinkins’ resolution this session, it would go to the statewide ballot in 2022. Based on comments from committee members in both parties on Monday, Dinkins’ bill is unlikely to pass in committee without some revisions.

The eight elected members would be elected in November 2024, under Representative Dinkins’ proposal.

State Rep. Paula Brown, D-Hazelwood, the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee’s ranking Democrat, tells Dinkins she’s worried the November 2024 ballot could be 25 pages long.

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Proposal to elect Missouri Conservation Commissioners goes before House committee on Monday (AUDIO)

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A southeast Missouri lawmaker says Missouri’s Conservation Commission needs more rural representation, and that commissioners should be elected.

State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, has filed a House joint resolution that would increase the commission’s membership to nine nonpartisan members: one appointed by the governor and eight elected from each Conservation region. Her legislation will be heard Monday evening by the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.

State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, speaks on the Missouri House floor on February 10, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“This has been brought to my attention numerous times and I think it’s important that the rural people also have representation on this commission,” Dinkins says.

Missouri’s Conservation Commission currently has four members, appointed by the governor or previous governors. The Conservation Commission’s four current members are Don Bedell of Sikeston, Columbia’s Barry Orscheln, Mark McHenry of Kansas City and Steven Harrison of Rolla.

Bedell serves as the chair, and Orscheln is the vice chair. McHenry is the secretary, and Harrison is a member. Commissioners are responsible for appointing the Conservation director, and serve as policy makers and approve wildlife code regulations. They’re also involved with strategic planning.

If lawmakers approve Dinkins’ resolution this session, it would go to the statewide ballot in 2022.

“And this would ensure that everyone has representation. It seems like (the Department of) Conservation has a lot to do with our rural communities, yet we don’t really have a voice,” says Dinkins.

The eight elected members would be elected in November 2024, under Representative Dinkin’s House Joint Resolution 55.

Dinkins says there has already been a lot of written testimony submitted about her bill, and predicts rural communities will support it.

She also acknowledges that there will be opposition to it as well, and notes her bill last year didn’t get much traction.

Monday’s hearing begins at 5 p.m. at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, which was recorded on February 19, 2021:

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Missouri U.S. Senators vote to clear Trump

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Senator Roy Blunt addresses the Missouri House in Jefferson City on April 17, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The U.S. Senate has wrapped up today the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump by voting 57-43 to acquit him. The trial required 67 guilty votes to convict Trump. Missouri U.S. Senators Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, both Republicans, voted to clear Trump.

An article of impeachment accused Trump of provoking a violent mob of supporters that struck the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Five people died in the attack.

Blunt released the following statement after today’s vote:

“I said before this trial started that I believe the constitutional purpose for presidential impeachment is to remove a president from office, not to punish a person after they have left office. None of the arguments presented changed my view that this was an unconstitutional proceeding. Impeachment is not a tool that should be used to settle political scores against a private citizen,” says Blunt.

His vote comes after his comments on the CBS news show “Face the Nation” last month:

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R) speaks to Missourinet during an interview on March 25, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Senator Hawley’s office)

“I think the president’s decisions and his actions that day and leading up to that day on this topic were clearly reckless. I said that very early in the evening on Wednesday, that this was a tragic day for the country and the president had some, had involvement in that,” he said. “My view would be what the president should do is now finish the last 10 days of his presidency. Now, my personal view is that the president touched the hot stove on Wednesday and is unlikely to touch it again.”

This week, Hawley said Democrats are trying to silence half of America.

“This kangaroo court is about trying to delegitimize half the American electorate while Americans are suffering,” said. “In the depths of a pandemic, Democrats are pursuing an unconstitutional, political vendetta.”

Hawley has been heavily criticized for leading an attempt to challenge President Joe Biden’s election victory, citing voter fraud allegations that several courts have struck down. Some people blamed him for fueling the Trump mob that took over the Capitol.

Seven Republicans voted today to convict Trump – Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

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Missouri bills would move some local races and issues to a later election

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Local races and issues, like fire district and school board as well as tax increase and bond proposals, could be moved from April to later in the year. Some members of the Missouri Legislature have filed bills this session that aim to make the switch.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (file photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office)

During a Missouri House Budget Committee hearing this week, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican, says he has not taken a position on the idea. However, he says there would be savings if the election was moved from April to November.

“You are not having the cost of all the absentee ballots and ballots that you would have had in April,” says Ashcroft. “You would have roughly the same amount in November, but they might be a little bit longer. So, their costs would increase a little bit. But that’s probably a cost decrease. I think there will be a cost decrease if that were to be done. I cannot tell you that it would be substantial. I find it difficult to believe that there would be a cost increase.”

Representative Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, was the longtime Carroll County Clerk in northwest Missouri. She disagrees that there would be a savings.

She goes on to say she is not a fan of making those election changes.

“I think there is going to be a lot of talk about how difficult it would be to put all those layers and all the different races on one ballot,” says McGaugh.

She says voter fatigue is real.

“That occurs when the ballots are so long,” says McGaugh. “And so, the danger is that the lower-level fire districts and the townships, by the time the people have voted for everybody else up above, they’re done. They’re going walk out without voting. So, I think it’s a real danger to the local entities to put them on partisan ballots.”

State Rep. Peggy McGaugh, R-Carrollton, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 13, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Bill 920, sponsored by Neosho Republican Representative Ben Baker, would change the election day for the election of political subdivision and special district officers to the first Tuesday after the first Monday from April to November each year.

During a hearing about the bill, supporters said local election turnout is historically low and the measure would boost participation.

Opponents of the bill included Matt Morrow, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce; The City of Springfield; Missouri Municipal League; and Missouri Association of School Administrators. One argument made was election workers would be overwhelmed by the change. Another one was county clerks will have difficulty applying all the configuration of ballots that will be necessary to make sure citizens received the correct ballots for their district.

Senate Bill 414, sponsored by Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, has some similar components.

Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, is proposing SJR 5, a Constitutional amendment that would ask voters to move all elections for local tax increases to a general election.

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Missouri Secretary of State says presidential preference primary is a waste of money

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Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says the state’s presidential preference primary does not really matter. During a House Budget Committee hearing on Monday, Ashcroft, a Republican, says the delegates for president are determined at party caucuses – not the presidential primary.

“I just hate the idea of presiding over an election when we’re telling people to vote in the primary when I’m saying ‘No you should really vote in the caucus. That’s where your vote matters.’ Legally, the presidential primary is not required in any way to determine where the delegates are apportioned,” says Ashcroft.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (file photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office)

He says that election is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

“We’re spending about $8 million this year of Missouri taxpayer dollars and I just don’t think there’s a good return for the people of the state,” he says. “Now, if we weren’t going to do the caucuses and the presidential preference was what determined it, that’d be a different story.”

In 1986, the Missouri Legislature adopted a bill to hold a presidential preference primary in 1988. Some at the time said it was aimed at helping then-U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-St. Louis County, in his 1988 bid for president.

Then in 1998, the Legislature approved a bill with no expiration date that holds a presidential preference primary every four years. Senate Bill 709 was signed by then-Governor Mel Carnahan, a Democrat.

The state has held presidential preference primaries six straight times: in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.

Missouri used presidential caucuses, like Iowa, in 1992 and 1996.

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Former Missouri state Senator announces run for Blunt’s seat in 2022

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Former Missouri state Senator Scott Sifton has announced today his bid for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Senator Roy Blunt.

Former State Senator Scott Sifton, D-Affton

Sifton unveiled his decision today in a launch video critical of both Missouri U.S. Senators.

“Our country is at a critical point in its history,” Sifton says in a press release. “We just saw what happens when our leaders don’t stand up for truth and when they don’t put the good of our country over their own political ambitions. Josh Hawley’s dangerous conspiracy theories and attempts to overturn the election helped lead to a deadly insurrection, and Roy Blunt—the ultimate insider—was once again too weak to speak out. I’m running for senate because Missouri deserves better. I’ve always been willing to take on the toughest fights to do right by Missouri families. We need a lot more of that in Washington.”

Sifton, a Democrat and attorney from St. Louis County, served in the state Senate for eight years and in the House for two years. Term limits prevented him from running again for the state Senate.

Blunt, who has not yet made a formal announcement about whether he will seek-re-election in 2022, has been serving in U.S. Congress since 1997. He is fourth on the U.S. Senate Republican leadership ladder and has chaired several U.S. Senate committees, including Rules and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

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UPDATE: Haug to present 124-page supplemental budget request to Missouri lawmakers on Monday

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Missouri’s state budget director will testify Monday morning in Jefferson City about a proposed supplemental budget. Budget director Dan Haug will summarize a 124-page report, and we’ll learn the final details about the total amount of the supplemental at that time.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, speaks on the Missouri House floor on November 9, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The House Budget Committee meets Monday morning at 11 at the Statehouse, and they’ll hear Director Haug’s budget presentation and testimony. No public testimony will be taken, at the hearing.

Missouri’s current state operating budget is about $38 billion, which includes about $7.4 billion in supplemental budgets with federal money. The proposed supplemental budget that will be outlined on Monday is in addition to that.

Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet that the supplemental “will be a cross section of the overall budget,” adding that there will be a little bit of everything in it.

For instance, the Parson administration is requesting $6.4 million in supplemental funding for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Office of Special Education.

The 124-page report says the supplemental funding is needed due to a shortfall in funding for early childhood special education (ECSE) reimbursement from fiscal year 2020 and an anticipated shortfall in funding for FY 2021 ECSE reimbursement. The ECSE program provides individual instruction and therapy services to preschool aged children with disabilities.

Governor Mike Parson’s (R) administration is also recommending $1.6 million to cover COVID-19-related revenue losses impacting the Missouri State Fair fee fund. The report says the State Fair in Sedalia has lost significant revenue due to cancellations of off-season and fair events. That includes event rental fees, gate admissions, camping fees, entry fees and sponsorship fees.

The report also notes the Missouri State Fair has had to buy substantial amounts of janitorial and sanitizing supplies, along with a large quantity of additional signage to help ensure the safety of staff and event participants. The report notes that the State Fair has a long history of meeting its operational costs with its own fee revenues, which is the State Fair fee fund.

But because of COVID losses, the Parson administration says additional funding is needed to sustain State Fair operations through FY 2021 and to ensure that a full fair week can be done this year, including grandstand events and a carnival.

The supplemental budget request also includes about $223,000 for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, for the April municipal election.

The report notes that state law requires mailing envelopes used for returning ballots to local election authorities to incorporate a business reply permit so that no ballot that’s returned by mail requires postage. Missouri law requires that all fees and costs for establishing and maintaining the business reply permit be covered by the Secretary of State’s office. The report says that because of the pandemic, more voters than ever will vote using the absentee option.

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Several Missouri connections in today’s presidential inauguration

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Democrat Joe Biden has been sworn into office today as America’s 46th president. Kamala Harris has taken the oath office as America’s first female vice president and first vice president of color.

There are several Missouri connections to the event. For the second consecutive time, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, served as the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. During today’s event, Blunt says the inauguration’s theme is “Our Determined Democracy: Forging a More Perfect Union”.

“That theme for this inauguration was announced by the joint committee before the election with the belief that the United States can only fulfill its promise and set an example for others if we are always working to be better than we have been,” says Blunt.

He says the ceremony is not a moment of division, but instead a moment of unity.

“A new administration begins and brings with it a new beginning. And with that, our great national debate goes forward and a determined democracy will continue to be essential in pursuit of a more perfect union and a better future for all Americans,” says Blunt.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas attended the ceremony. So did U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. Hawley led an effort to challenge Biden’s election victory.

The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” – named after Missouri’s own General John J. Pershing – played at the inauguration. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Marine Staff Sgt. Lucia Disano, a St. Louis native, is a clarinetist performing in The Marine Band during today’s festivities.

As for security efforts, Missouri has an undisclosed number of National Guard soldiers helping with security, medical evacuation, and logistics during inauguration events. KMBC-TV reports the Kansas City Police Department has 48 officers working along the inaugural parade route. Some Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers are reportedly also helping in Washington, D.C.

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