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Six Missouri House seats to be filled in special elections on Tuesday

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Voters across the state in six legislative districts will head to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in races for the Missouri House.

The Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City (file photo)

Republicans currently control the House 113-43, with seven vacancies.

Governor Mike Parson called Tuesday’s special election to fill six seats, due to the resignations this year of State Reps. Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob, Jean Evans, R-Manchester, Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, DaRon McGee, D-Kansas City, Cora Faith Walker, D-Ferguson and Bruce Franks Jr., D-St. Louis.

Of the six seats on Tuesday’s ballot, one is uncontested: Democrat Rasheen Aldridge will be the next State Representative to replace Representative Franks. The district is entirely in St. Louis City. Franks resigned this summer, after an emotional House floor speech in May about his struggle with anxiety and depression. Franks received a bipartisan standing ovation, after that speech.

Three of the other districts are Democratic strongholds, one is a GOP stronghold and another is getting attention from both parties.

Lawmakers in both parties have been canvassing in the 99th district in St. Louis County, a seat formerly held by Representative Evans. Republican Lee Ann Pitman of Ballwin is facing Democrat Trish Gunby of Manchester. This will be the most closely-watched race on Tuesday. Evans won re-election to the House last November but resigned in January to become the Missouri Republican Party’s executive director.

In southwest Missouri’s Barry County and small parts of Stone and Lawrence counties, voters will choose between Republican Scott Cupps of Shell Knob and Cassville Democrat Lisa Kalp, to replace now-Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick won re-election to a fourth House term last November. However, Governor Parson appointed Fitzpatrick as State Treasurer in December, and Fitzpatrick was sworn-in in January, after Eric Schmitt was appointed as Attorney General.

In Kansas City, voters Tuesday will decide between Democrat Yolanda Young, Republican Tammy Louise Herrera and Green Party nominee Jeff Francis in the race for Ellington’s former House seat. Ellington, the House Minority Whip, resigned from the House this summer, after being elected to the Kansas City Council. This district also includes parts of Jackson County.

In Kansas City’s 36th House district, voters will decide between Democrat Mark Sharp and Green Party candidate Roberta Voorhees for a seat formerly held by Representative McGee. He resigned in April, after allegations of sexual harassment against a former staffer.

In St. Louis County’s 74th District, voters will choose between Democrat Mike Person and Libertarian Nicholas (Nick) Kasoff for a seat formerly held by Representative Walker, who resigned this summer to become St. Louis County’s policy director.

The winners of the races are expected to be sworn-in in January, when the 2020 legislative session begins in Jefferson City.

The seventh House vacancy will be filled at a special election, at a later date. State Rep. Rebecca Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, died in July. She suffered serious injuries in a March head-on collision on Highway 50 in west-central Missouri’s Syracuse.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Haahr and Quade have different perspectives on Missouri Medicaid expansion

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The Missouri House Speaker and House Democrats view the issue of Medicaid expansion differently.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on September 11, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, says Medicaid expansion would hurt education, by taking dollars out of the classroom.

“To do Medicaid expansion in Missouri would require a ten percent match for the 90 percent draw down,” Haahr tells Capitol reporters. “That would blow a sizable hole in our general revenue budget.”

An initiative petition effort for Medicaid expansion is being criticized by Speaker Haahr, primarily because of that ten percent match.

“One of the things that we’ve done since I’ve been in the Legislature (since 2013) is we’ve fully funded the k-12 (education foundation) formula, we’ve made a big attempt to try to bring our higher education funding up,” says Haahr. “Those two areas would have an incredible hit if we were to have to cut several hundred million dollars out of the budget and fund that.”

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, tells Missourinet he shares the Speaker’s position, because of the impact on the state budget.

Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, briefs the Capitol Press Corps on September 11, 2019 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Meantime, the Democratic leader in the Missouri House supports Medicaid expansion. House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, tells Capitol reporters about 100,000 Missouri children have lost their Medicaid health care coverage.

“This is something that we (lawmakers) should be talking about. We have Missourians all over the state, not just rural Missouri, urban Missouri, who are losing access to health care,” Quade says. “And that is a true emergency and not tax breaks.”

Leader Quade has called for a formal House committee investigation of the Medicaid enrollment decline. The state Department of Social Services (DSS) has provided statistics to Missourinet, which show the number of Missourians on Medicaid has dropped from about 953,000 in August 2018 to about 850,000 now.

State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, predicts state revenue will increase, if Medicaid expansion happens. Lavender is the ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Health, Mental Health and Social Services.

During the recent veto session, Lavender spoke on the House floor in Jefferson City, noting that eight rural Missouri hospitals have closed.

“I believe our number is up to eight rural hospitals that we’ve lost in our state. So yes, this would be one of the ways that we would be able to at least provide some type of health care,” Lavender said that day. She was referring to a health care bill from State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport.

Missouri’s Medicaid budget is now about one-third of the state’s $29 billion operating budget.

Republicans currently control the Missouri House 113-43.

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Christofanelli: online map highlights Missouri’s high number of taxing districts (AUDIO)

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The state Department of Revenue (DOR) has posted a map of Missouri’s special taxing districts and political subdivisions on its website.

State Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, speaks on the Missouri House floor on March 12, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Legislature approved a bill in 2018 requiring the map, and gave DOR about a year to comply.

State Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, who sponsored the bill, says it’s about transparency.

“Missouri has more taxing districts than virtually anywhere else in the country. We have over 2,200,” Christofanelli says. “Over 1,400 of those are what are known as special taxing districts.”

The map includes ambulance districts, fire protection districts, levee and port authority districts, transportation development districts and school districts.

Representative Christofanelli tells Missourinet there are sales tax rates of 11.5 percent in the Kansas City area, and 10 to 11 percent in the St. Louis region.

“Sales tax disproportionately impacts people of lower incomes, because they spend a greater proportion of their wealth on consumption,” says Christofanelli.

He’s encouraging you to check the map, saying it will help you learn where the districts are.

“Go to (the map) where you live and see what’s in your county and make sure that you feel like you are getting the level of government service that you’re paying for,” Christofanelli says.

He says only 86 percent of taxing districts have turned in their information to the state, adding that he’s working with DOR officials and the taxing districts to get that to 100 percent.

Christofanelli’s 2018 bill requiring the map had strong, bipartisan support. It passed the Senate 28-0 and the House 120-1, and was signed into law by former Governor Eric Greitens (R).

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full five-minute interview with State Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, which was recorded on July 3, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Rep. Bruce Franks to resign, receives bipartisan standing ovation from Missouri House (AUDIO)

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A prominent state lawmaker who is the only Democrat to chair a Missouri House committee announced Thursday evening in Jefferson City that he will be resigning, for the sake of his health and mental health.

State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., D-St. Louis, speaks on the Missouri House floor on May 16, 2019 (photo by Tim Bommel, House Communications)

State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr., D-St. Louis, who chairs the House Special Committee on Urban Issues, made the announcement on the House floor before a packed chamber.

Franks says he’s lost his best friend and godson to gun violence in the past year. And Franks’ brother, Christopher Harris, was killed in 1991.

“I’ve fought many battles, but none greater than my ongoing struggle with anxiety and depression. This year, for the first time in my life, I decided to get help,” Franks tells House colleagues.

During an interview with Missourinet in his Capitol office Thursday, Franks says he’s decided to prioritize his health and his family above his political ambition.

“Battling anxiety, depression, mental health issues, especially in the black community, that’s something that’s been a stigma and it’s been frowned upon in our communities to seek help,” says Franks.

Franks tells Missourinet many people in his community suffer from undiagnosed mental health issues.

“I feel like it’s time to take care of myself, and that way I can better take care of my community,” Franks says.

Representative Franks says he’s been dealing with mental health issues his entire life, and that it deteriorated.

After his emotional floor speech, Representative Franks received a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle. Lawmakers from both parties hugged Franks on the floor and were lined up at one point about 20 deep.

Many were Republicans.

During the Missourinet interview, Franks also briefly discussed a January KMOV news report, which quoted current and former employees at the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) as saying SLATE is mismanaged.

Franks tells Missourinet mentoring sometimes requires being available 24 hours a day, including in the middle of the night. He notes young people sometimes need mentoring at 2 a.m.

He emphasizes the importance of helping and providing resources for mental health, especially in the black community.

While it’s unclear what specific date Rep. Franks will resign, he tells House colleagues he will continue to advocate for social justice.

“I’m a soldier, and soldiers belong on the battlefield. My battlefields are communities that are still fighting for black lives, racial equity, voting rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, public education, LGBTQ rights and livable wages,” Franks says.

Representative Franks tells the House he’s proud of several accomplishments, including passing a resolution which declared youth violence a public health epidemic.

He’s also proud of securing millions of dollars in the state budget for youth jobs and creating a Veterans’ Bill of Rights.

Franks, who was first elected in 2016, is in his second House term. His priorities have included encouraging minorities to become police officers, getting guns off the streets and rural economic development.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Bruce Franks, which was recorded at the Missouri Capitol on May 16, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Family, colleagues of fallen St. Louis County policeman lobby for highway memorial

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The St. Louis County Police Department, Representative Doug Beck and the family of Officer Blake Snyder are working toward honoring the fallen police officer with a highway memorial. Nearly 20 people from the police department and several members of the Snyder family attended the House Committee on Transportation the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 21 to speak in favor of House bill 2330.

The bill would designate the section of Highway 30 in front of the Affton Precinct where Snyder served between Tesson Ferry Road and Mackenzie Road the “Officer Blake Snyder Memorial Highway.”

“To have this road renamed after Blake would be a further testament to the sacrifice that he made for his St. Louis community,” wife Elizabeth Snyder said. “He loved St. Louis, he loved his job and he did it proudly and he gave his life proudly and he’d do it again.

On October 6, 2016, Officer Snyder was killed when he responded to a disturbance call. The shooter, Trenton Forster, 18, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He was 33 years old and left behind a two-year-old son Malachi Snyder.

About 2,000 people attended his funeral, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“I’ve unfortunately attended several police funerals in my career but I’ve never seen anything to compare to what I saw that day,” Deputy Chief of Police Kenneth Cox said. “Blue ribbons as far as you can see, school children lined up in Missouri and Illinois, every overpass packed. All of this was to honor a police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

During the Missouri House hearing, Elizabeth Snyder’s brother and fellow officer, and his mother Peggy Snyder spoke in favor of the bill, urging the committee to not only rename the highway but also to take more action for the safety of drivers.

“When I see that sign or when I see signs of Blake, I don’t want it only to be about a change in a name,” Peggy Snyder said. “As Blake often put on his badge, he wanted to make a difference. So I will ask of you today please don’t let this stop here with only the name change but as you consider things that you do throughout your careers make the laws and the rules of our highways, our railroads, our passing ways, our traffic restrictions fair and right.”

Reported by Waverly Colville

Pro-choice group experiences boost during special session about pro-life agenda

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The Missouri Legislature’s special session underway that aims to strengthen abortion clinic regulations has been a tough fight for pro-choice advocates. NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri is against the proposed changes to the state’s abortion laws. Despite the organization’s strong opposition to such policies being considered, it has benefited through additional public support, according to executive director Alison Dreith.

Alison Dreith

“It’s been great for us. People have been outraged,” says Dreith.

She did not have specifics but she says the figures are a positive trend for many progressive organizations.

Since President Donald Trump was elected and millions of people worldwide participated in marches for women earlier this year, Dreith says more people have stepped forward and offered support.

“We’ve just had an outpouring of support from people donating their money, their time, being involved more than ever,” says Dreith. “Sometimes it’s sad that it took the position that we’re in today for people to finally get so engaged, but we’re glad they are here now.”

Sam Lee with Pro-life group Campaign Life Missouri says his organization has not done fundraising that involves the current special session. He also says donations at his non-profit have remain unchanged since Trump took office.

The Missouri House has passed restrictions that require abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards, annual inspections at such facilities and a ban on fetal tissue donations.

Another measure receiving House approval would block a St. Louis city ordinance that bars employers from penalizing or firing women who have had an abortion, use birth control or are pregnant out of marriage.

The legislation heads back to the Senate with changes. It’s unclear when the full Senate will return to consider the proposed regulations.

Assistant House Democrat leader looks ahead to veto session

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Republicans hold a supermajority in the House, but still need Democrat support to overturn the vetoes of some legislation in the veto session that begins today.

Representative Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City)

Representative Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City)

The key issue to be debated is HB 253, that would cut Missouri income taxes. Governor Jay Nixon says it would blow a hole of 800-million dollars or more in the state’s budget. Some Republicans have said they will vote to sustain the veto, meaning Democrat votes are needed if it will be overturned.

House Assistant Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) says she doesn’t think Republicans will get them.

“To my knowledge there aren’t any.”

Nixon says that legislation is the reason for much of the 400-million dollars he withheld from the budget depending on whether the veto would stand. Beatty says if that veto is not overturned, her caucus will call on the Governor to release some of that money, particularly in education. She says House Democrats have had no conversations with the Governor’s office about whether or not he will release that money.

Beatty thinks her caucus is more divided on whether to support HB 301, legislation that would change the state’s sex offender registry.

“There is some merit to the bill but it also has some challenges to it. There is some concern that possibly there may be a loophole that may let some violent offenders out, so there are definitely some concerns, but I think there are a few that are actually supporting it.”

Beatty says she expects some House Democrats will vote to overturn the veto of legislation that seeks to nullify federal gun laws in Missouri and make it a criminal offense for law enforcement to enforce them, but she doesn’t know how many.

See the list of House bills vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon.

The Doe Run lead mining company based in Herculaneum has been lobbying for the overturn of a veto on HB 650, that would cap punitive damages in lawsuits filed against it for contamination. Proponents say the overturn would protect thousands of jobs at the company and related businesses.

Beatty says she has concerns with that bill, and with the company.

“They need to be punished for the bad acts that they’ve done. I think that bill is probably unconstitutional, as well as others that we’re dealing with over veto session. It’s just not proper for us to come in and try to legislate when there are already legal cases in progress.”

Beatty thinks in spite of the company’s lobbying there has been little movement in the number of lawmakers that support the bill. It received 94 votes in passing the House. 109 would be needed to overturn the veto.

Rumors are flying about how many of the 29 bills vetoed by Governor Nixon the Republican supermajorities will bring up for override attempts. Beatty says she knows all of them be brought up and it’s hard to know the difference between word that will happen, and the proverbial “blowing of smoke.”

“We also have to remember that we are spending taxpayers’ dollars and I think we need to be realistic about that and deal with those bills that are top priority.”

The veto session begins at noon today.