John Diehl Archives - Missourinet

House Republican leaders: Nixon using fear tactics to back vetoes, overturn attempts uncertain this soon

June 16, 2014 By Mike Lear

House Republican leaders accuse Governor Jay Nixon (D) of using fear tactics and overblown numbers in his assessment of the ten tax break bills he vetoed last week, but they don’t yet know if their party will seek to overturn his vetoes.

Nixon says those ten bills would cost state, county and city budgets $776-million dollars in revenue he says would be lost to “sweetheart deals” for special interests. He has been traveling the state to promote his arguments in defense of the vetoes, and telling local governments to leave room in their budgets to absorb the losses he says would be incurred if the legislature overturns those vetoes.

House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) tells local governments to use their own analysis.

“Because my impression of what these bills tried to do, what their intent was, was to reign in Governor Nixon’s out of control Department of Revenue, which has been out of control in many ways,” says Jones.

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says the local government leaders he’s talked to aren’t taking the Governor’s message about those ten bills seriously.

“His playbook of scare tactics is wearing pretty thin with people,” says Diehl of the governor. “He’s cried wolf on numerous different occasions over the past couple of years, none of which have proven to be true.”

Legislative analyst estimates on what the fiscal impact of most of those bills could be are still being updated, but Jones says he’s hearing that Nixon’s estimates are off.

“The consensus is that the governor’s numbers are completely inflated and generally seem to be pulled out of thin air without a lot of backup data,” says Jones. “I know that’s why the proponents of the bills and the sponsors are doing their best to make sure that their analysis is fully supported by the facts. They were comfortable about that the first time around, so we’re just going back and double checking.”

Several House Republicans have alluded to possible attempts to override Nixon’s vetoes of at least one of those bills when lawmakers return for the annual veto session in September, but Diehl says it is premature to predict whether such attempts will be made.

“We will take a look at the governor’s veto message to see if any valid points are raised in the veto message. Here, I don’t think there are any,” says Diehl. “We then take that veto message and the bill and we’ll discuss it as a caucus in August when we all meet again.”

Diehl says House and Senate Republican leaders must also meet before any decisions will be made about addressing the governor’s vetoes.

“I think it’s premature,” says Diehl of announcing overturn attempt now, “but I think there’s a strong possibility that we’ll make efforts to do that.”

See an earlier story on the ten bills vetoed by Governor Nixon

Maj. Floor leader: Dems unlikely to get the Medicaid expansion vote they want

May 12, 2014 By Mike Lear

The Majority Floor Leader in the House says the chamber’s Democrats have already had what they say they want, before they will vote for a transportation sales tax increase.

House Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (Photo courtesy; Tim Bommell, Missouri House Communications)

House Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (Photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

House Minority Leader Jake Hummel (D-St. Louis) told Missourinet that his caucus wants a vote on Medicaid expansion before any of its members would vote on the proposed three-quarters-of-one-cent sales tax increase to support transportation.

Democrat support is expected to be needed in order for the transportation tax proposal to pass.

See earlier story

Representative John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says they’ve already had one, during debate on the budget.

“We allowed the Democrats to offer a Medicaid expansion amendment,” says Diehl. That amendment was offered during debate of the Department of Social Services budget. It was defeated 50-98.

Diehl did not say whether that legislation would be brought to a vote in this final week of the session. The Senate changed the bill to the three-quarters-of-one-cent proposal from the one-cent proposal that the House previously passed. The House has not officially acknowledged the Senate vote.

Of the possibility of the House holding a vote on Medicaid expansion to meet Democrats’ demands, Diehl says he, “can’t see that happening.”

No action Monday on language that would block Tesla sales in Missouri

May 12, 2014 By Mike Lear

There will be no legislative action regarding the sale of Tesla automobiles in Missouri at least until Tuesday.

Tesla owners parked their cars in front of the Capitol Monday and spoke with lawmakers, urging them to oppose language that would stop Tesla’s current business model in Missouri.

The state House did not take up the legislation to which the Senate added language that would bar the sale of vehicles by manufacturers directly to consumers, which is the business model employed by Tesla. Opponents of the language say it unfairly targets Tesla and hurts consumers. Proponents say all auto sales need to happen under the same set of rules.

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says the House is not going to debate the bill the way it is written now.

“Right now the bill is just going to sit on the calendar,” says Diehl. “Hopefully the parties can get together and try to work out an appropriate business deal between themselves, but I don’t see us getting involved.”

Several Tesla owners were at the Capitol Monday urging lawmakers to oppose the language that was added to HB 1124.

See an earlier story on the Tesla language

Sponsor: House will try to pass three-fourths cent transportation sales tax

April 30, 2014 By Mike Lear

The House sponsor of a proposed sales tax increase to support transportation says he plans to take up the three-fourths-of-a-cent tax proposal passed by the Senate, and try to get it passed in the House.

Representative Dave Hinson (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

If the House approves that proposal without any changes, it would go to voters in November or in a special election.

The three-fourths cent proposal would generate about $534-million annually. The House had passed a one-cent tax increase over ten years that was projected to generate about $800-million annually for various forms of transportation projects.

The proposal is HJR 68

Representative Dave Hinson (R-St. Clair) says three-quarters of a cent should be plenty for the Transportation Department.

“Three-quarters will get a lot of major projects done that are needed to be done across the state,” says Hinson. “Of course it will leave us about a billion dollars short of what we were hoping for, but you know in ten years the voters will get a chance to review what MODOT’s done and see if they want to continue it on.”

Hinson doesn’t think the three-fourths cent tax proposal will have any trouble being passed in the House.

“I think actually we may pick up some votes,” says Hinson. “We had 96 ‘yes’ votes when we third read it in the House and we’ll probably be, I would think, around 100.”

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says the House likely won’t take up the transportation tax issue again until the situation with a tax cut proposal, SB 509, has been settled. Governor Jay Nixon (D) is anticipated to veto that bill and the Republican legislative majority is expected to attempt to then override his veto.

House Republicans say Fulton project support not tied to tax cut bill’s fate

April 24, 2014 By Mike Lear

House Republican leaders say they remain committed to seeing the state mental hospital at Fulton replaced this year, no matter what happens with the tax cut proposal they sent to Governor Jay Nixon (D) last week.

House Majority Floor Leader John Diehl, Jr.

A gathering of those with an interest in the future of the Fulton hospital heard from two House Republicans on Tuesday. That gathering included the Democratic candidate for the House seat that includes Fulton, former representative Gracia Backer.

Backer says she had been told, “that the legislature would threaten to veto the Fulton State Hospital moneys or legislation if the governor vetoed SB 509.”

House Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) has heard the same thing, and told the crowd it isn’t true.

“Representative [Jeanie] Riddle and I are here to reconfirm our commitment to this facility, to reconfirm out commitment to get the funding done for the facility this year,” said Diehl.

Diehl thinks Governor Nixon is trying to tie the two issues in an effort to garner support for a veto of the tax cut bill. He says there is evidence that opponents of the tax cut are looking for drum up fears in a phone conference last week.

“The notes of that call say that legislators are saying that K-12 [education funding] will be okay so we need to ratchet up mental health on the chopping block as a way to try to scare people,” Diehl says.

He also says when Nixon criticized the legislature for voting to borrow money for “unnecessary” building projects, he was referring to Fulton.

Nixon asks on the contrary, “How was any of my comments ever not clear that the primary thing that we need to do as far as capital this year is to rebuild the Fulton State Hospital?”

Nixon says he was referring to a larger bonding proposal that would pay for other improvement and maintenance projects, some of which he says are already underway. He says he continues to support advancing that project this year.

Representative Jeanie Riddle (R-Mokane) echoes the arguments of several who say the fate of the tax cut proposal and of the Fulton project should not be connected.

“It shouldn’t be because we can do both,” says Riddle. “There’s not an either/or in this process.”

Three proposals are moving in the legislature to pay for a new mental hospital at Fulton. The Senate Appropriations Committee this week adopted the plan proposed by Governor Nixon to pay for the hospital with bonds to be paid off over 25 years. A House plan would also use bonds but would pay them off over 5 years. Another bill that has passed the Senate would let the state raise the cap on the amount of bonds it can sell to $600-million. An accompanying resolution would use $200-million of that for Fulton State Hospital.

Advocates rally opposition to exclusion of bicycling from transportation tax proposal

April 7, 2014 By Mike Lear

The Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation says a move to keep proceeds from a proposed transportation sales tax from going to bicycle paths was a “total blindside.”

During House debate of the proposed constitutional amendment, an amendment was offered that in part would pull the word “bicycle” from the forms of transportation the tax money could support.

Executive Director Brent Hugh says in meetings throughout the state Missourians have supported a comprehensive approach to transportation infrastructure improvements, including for bicycles.

He says the need for more transportation money in Missouri is clear and his group has been a part of a multi-year process to develop the transportation tax proposal.

“It’s like a punch to the gut,” says Hugh of the amendment, offered by Representative Paul Curtman (R-Pacific). He says it sends a message to his group of, “‘Well thanks for helping us all through here but now, you know, see ya.'”

Curtman says he doesn’t want language in the state Constitution that would allow Missouri tax dollars to support bicycle infrastructure.

The amendment earned rebuke from lawmakers who said pulling the word “bicycle” from the tax proposal would seal its defeat. Many legislators say roughly 40 percent of voters are expected to be opposed to any tax increase proposal, and losing the support of alternative transportation backers would cost enough votes to spell certain failure.

Representative Chris Kelly (D-Columbia) says the mounting of opposition by bicycle supporters started almost immediately.

“Monday is bike day at the Capitol,” notes Kelly, referring to the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation’s lobbying day. Support for bicycling in the transportation funding plan is one of the issues participants are urged to ask lawmakers to support during the day. A statement from the Federation is also urging citizens to contact representatives and voice opinions on social media about the issue.

See the other issue bicycle lobbiers are being asked to speak against to lawmakers

Kelly says he is only “barely supportive” of the transportation tax proposal, but he doesn’t like what he calls a “sneak attack” on bicycles.

“I don’t like that as the method,” says Kelly of Curtman’s amendment, “and I also don’t like the public policy of taking alternative transportation out of the package.”

Kelly offered a motion to divide Curtman’s amendment into two pieces so that lawmakers could vote on them separately. Debate of the transportation tax was then suspended, leaving the issue to be settled when it is taken back up. Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says that will happen Tuesday.

House Floor Leader: expect ‘Right to Work’ on Wednesday

April 4, 2014 By Mike Lear

National organizations are raising the stakes and the pressure on GOP lawmakers in Missouri to vote on a so-called “right to work” law, which would bar making union membership a requisite of a job.

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Unions and Democrats say “right to work” allows non-union employees to share the benefits of union membership without having to pay dues. Backers say “right to work” favors businesses and keeps workers from being forced to join a union.

House Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) says the bill was going to be brought up Wednesday but he was asked to hold off by Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and others.

“The Speaker and the bill sponsor believed that there are some improvements that can be made in the ballot language, so they asked me to hold off on it,” says Diehl. “Assuming that the ballot language issue gets corrected, my plan would be to go to it on Wednesday of next week.”

Jones says he is confident that there is support for “right to work” in his caucus.

“If you look at our caucus of currently 108 people, I can definitely say there is a strong majority of that 108 that wants us to have a vote on that issue this year and move that bill forward.”

Diehl thinks the vote will be close, and Thursday’s House vote to pass what supporters call “paycheck protection” legislation could be seen as supporting that prediction. The bill passed 83-69 but 17 Republicans voted against it.

Called “paycheck deception” by Democrats and unions, the bill would require that workers annually sign off on whether unions can take dues out of employee’s checks. Opponents argue such deductions are already voluntary.

Jones has called “paycheck protection” a way to get to the goal or right-to-work.

SPECIAL SESSION: Boeing incentive bill goes to Governor Nixon

December 6, 2013 By Mike Lear

The state legislature has sent Governor Jay Nixon everything he wants in an incentive package to try to get Boeing to build its 777X airliner.

Legislators discuss how to deal with a clerical error regarding the Boeing incentive bill. (Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

At least, that’s what House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) believes.

“It’s my understanding that Governor Nixon agrees that everything that he requested was placed into the Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1 that we have now truly agreed and finally passed to his desk.”

Jones has signed that bill and says Senate Leader Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles) will be doing the same today. A staffer with Governor Nixon’s Office says it will review the bill as it would any other before offering comment or taking action.

“The ball is put back in his court to put Missouri’s best foot forward,” Jones says of Nixon.

The legislation extends for Boeing limits on four economic development programs, translating to an offer of up to 1.7-billion in tax incentives. Nixon hopes that, combined with local incentives and agreements by Union leaders and community colleges in the state, will get Boeing to create as many as 8,000 jobs in Missouri.

Missouri and at least 12 other states must submit offers to Boeing by Tuesday. Jones thinks Boeing will not make selections until some time in January.

While the House discussed that bill today, it was learned that part of an amendment offered by Senator Brad Lager (R-Savannah) was omitted in the copy it received from the Senate due to an error by Senate staff.

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) explained to legislators how leadership intended to fix the problem in a way that it thought was transparent, starting with distributing to the representatives a copy that matched what was in the chamber’s journal.

“The journals are all correct … we’re going to ask the members to vote on a resolution acknowledging that everybody here understands that this is what we’re going to be voting on and third read in a few minutes.”

The fix was endorsed by Representative Jeff Roorda (D-Barnhart), who on the House floor told Diehl, “I think the record is clear that there is probably nobody in the room that is more likely to call you if you’ve got it wrong on procedural stuff (than me). I’m not here to do that today.”

Diehl says such problems are not uncommon, but leadership felt the resolution was necessary since lawmakers were dealing with only one bill in the special session, creating greater scrutiny on that one measure.

He says the Governor’s staff was involved in the discussion of that error and was comfortable with the fix.

A legislative staffer says there is also legal precedent establishing that an error by legislative staff can not impact the passage of legislation.

Present, future House Speakers call veto session a GOP success

September 12, 2013 By Mike Lear

Vetoes on two key pieces of legislation were not overturned, but House Republican leaders say the veto session was still a victory for their party over Governor Jay Nixon.

Those GOP lawmakers say the victory comes in the form of 10 veto overrides. That’s the most ever in one session and it brings to 12 the number of times Governor Nixon has had a veto overridden, making him the most overturned Governor in state history if one excludes vetoes of divorces in the 1830s. Governors’ vetoes have now been overturned 22 times in Missouri history.

House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) Photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications.

House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) calls the day “historic.”

“The Missouri General Assembly governed during veto session like never before.”

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) thinks the Governor won’t be able to claim momentum from the sustained vetoes of bills to cut Missouri income taxes and to nullify federal gun laws.

“If he wants to call momentum getting overridden than all prior governors … I think that’s wrong.”

Jones says the bills and line item the legislature overturned the Governor on are substantive.

Majority Floor Leader John Diehl (R-Town and Country) Photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications.

“You have good government, you have good policy, so they may not be the ones that were of the most interest to the media and the pundits throughout the summer but they’re bills that are going to affect the lives of all Missourians in a positive way not that they’ve passed.”

Diehl says the day sends a message to the Governor.

“Come work with us on our legislation. Don’t sit back, wait ’till it’s done and then try to pick it apart and find mistakes or errors on it, so I think what we’re doing today is sending a message that if you want to have a say in the legislative process you better get involved while we’re writing the bills.”

During the evening House Republican caucus, Diehl was elected the next Speaker of the House. He will take over the role in the 2015 legislative session.

Historic Missouri House Republican majority selects leadership

November 7, 2012 By Mike Lear

The leadership that will be in place for the 2013 session of the Missouri legislature is starting to take shape, first with the House Republicans. After securing the largest ever Republican majority in the state House in yesterday’s election, the party spent most of today selecting leadership.

House Speaker Tim Jones (at the podium) is flanked by his now 110 member caucus. (photo courtesy: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Tim Jones (Eureka) remains the House Speaker, a position he has held since before the veto session. The Speaker Pro Tem is Jason Smith (Salem) and replacing Jones as Majority Floor Leader is John Diehl (Town and Country).

Mike Cierpiot (Lee’s Summit) is the Assistant Majority Floor Leader, Whip is Sandy Crawford (Buffalo), Shelley Keeney (Marble Hill) is the Caucus Chair and Secretary is Mike Bernskoetter (Jefferson City).

Republicans now have 110 seats in the House, meaning the Republican majorities of both chambers now have enough members to override a governor’s veto.

House Democrats and Senate Republicans meet to select leadership on Thursday.