After Spring Break
Testimony in Senate about SJR35 Nicola making the assessors all elected notappointed. Great bill. ONLY one county in Missouri has an appointed assessor, which is Jackson County. This is the county where they have used Artificial Intelligence to assess property values. In many cases values in that county have quadrupled. There are currently 55,000 appeals in the county.
HB1086 heard in senate about how you classify rental property as either residential or
commercial. The Lake of the Ozarks and Branson have Airbnbs, rental homes that are
not taxed and not with sales taxes either. They have been trying to charge sales taxes
in some areas of Branson and people have been paying it. The next level would be
18% residential tax classification to 32% for commercial.
In the house they heard HB545 dealing with how you cannot sunshine the names of big water users. This is a bad deal for the people.
They also heard HB1461 dealing with “Erosion Loans” for HOA’s.
Sb61 Ben Brown was heard on the senate floor about temporary licensure for certain occupations and jurisdictions that allowed said permits. Senator McCreery added an amendment to say that speech pathologists could be included to the bill.The bill also allowed Senator Webber to add a provision carving out entities from money modernization Act of 2024.
They allowed Crawford to add a bad amendment removing current language saying that with the license you needed to have “good moral character” among other things and replacing with a background check being the proof of the moral character. 0441S06.11S. Whatever that means.
The next day, in committee Ben Brown had a bill about widening the road for utilities which are already reimbursed when roads are widened. The customers are paying 4% to pay this back as it is with right of way fee and cable fees but that can be used for a lot of things a city deems necessary. It goes to the city so it is at their discretion how to use it. About half rural electric does this for moves but they are absorbing the cost. AT&T supports this legislation. Without it they might not build out rural broadband. It’s a positive for building out broadband. Senator May asked how the rural areas going to afford it. Ben Brown said since it will be 1-2% increase.
This is shifting the burden to tax payers instead of companies paying as cost to do business. SB79 Kurtis Gregory Farm Bureau Insurance that is not really insurance and doesn’t have to hold funds in escrow or reinsurance like other insurance companies are required to do.
SB336 Moon had Healthcare Transparency that should have been execed out of the committee. I said should because it instead it went into the trash bag of tricks that the senate is known to play. The chair of the committee was Jill Carter. She began bytaking only an exec vote on that bill, not others. It went down in flames because only the two democrats were there that voted no and the chair Carter and Republican Senator Nicola. Who wasn’t there? Here we go again-Senator Brattin and Senator
Hudson. Now Senator Brattin came in at about 5 minutes later with Brad Hudson they
passed out a slew of others bills they went back into executive session.Those bills
included democrat Lewis bill SB178. Take that in a good republican bill by a good
republican dies in committee because they aren’t there. 5 minutes later both Senator
Hudson and Senator Brattin come in and vote out a democrat bill.
Then we had Moon’s phasing out of income tax bill heard in committee SB371 where is was raising the deduction for kids. Then HJR4 with Rep. Coleman heard a bill that would go on the ballot before the people. That caps the real property assessments. There was a witness that came to testify against the bill warning that many of the assessors have entered into MOU’s with the state tax commission to value the property at 100% of the value or more. This has been all the buzz in the building that the Governor has brought them in to tell use the tax commission as the stick to raise all of our property assessments.
DIRTY TRICKS: CONSENT CALENDAR BEING MISUSED:
Moved to the consent calendar-consent is handled in committee when it is asked to go on the calendar without changes because its non controversial and then the committee has to voted unanimously to agree.
On the floor SB111 May passed Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day
SB110 Passed May Kappa Alpha Day
SB348 Fitzwater naming highways.
SB125 Roberts Waterways & Ports; no one spoke against the bill and it passed, everyone voted yes-I testified against this bill in committee
Sb189 J. Brown having park rangers to definition of emergency vehicles; no one said anything; All voted yes on the bill. I testified against this bill in committee. J. Brown has been gone to Germany with the Governor supposedly.
Sb396 Ben Brown technical change for library boards for fiscal year; everyone voted in favor of the bill.
If you were looking for the year of unity you have got it.
Formal calendar SB190 J. Brown tax credits for engineering degrees. Again he wasn’t
there to represent the people. He was in Germany so Kurtis Gregory brought it to the
floor for him.
An amendment was added by Brattin for a tax credit for all of school choice including
transportation. So then the democrats went to filibuster it, were on the floor for a few
minutes and then Gregory laid the bill over.
Sb107 Justin Brown Failure for the emergency medical services training means they
would be automatically disqualified for office. Also placing physicians assistant under
the law would also be subject to the peer review committees. The bill was laid over.
Sb152 Ben Brown foreign money in ballot measures Hansjorg Wyss, Pierre Omidyar
and George Soros are the donors to the fund through the 1630 fund. Apparently he has
been quoted as calling himself a spiritual dual citizen. He spent over $6 million in MO
on ballot issues through the 1630 Fund to raise the states minimum wage. The bill was
perfected.
RUDY THE RAT:
In the house we had HB176 by Rep. Parker. When it came to the floor Rudy Veit put an 80 pages amendment on the bill. There were 89 that voted yes and only 42 that refused to vote on a bill they had not read. READ THAT AGAIN…there were 89 Republicans that voted YES on Veit’s dirty trick that they had no idea what it said! Veit’s amendment was an omnibus amendment that went into so manysubjects that its too many to cover. Bryant Wolfin and Mazzie Chrristensen spoke against the amendment.
NOTES ON WEEK OF 4/7/2025:
Monday 4-7-25
Legislative session scheduled to start at 4pm, the session was over 20 minute late getting started, which is very unusual of Patterson. There were virtually no republicans in the chamber, indicating they were still in “conference” or at caucus. HJR54 had been a huge discussion and I speculated that HJR54 discussion was what was holding things up. It could have also been HB970, the regulation of VLT’s or electronic gaming machines that are currently in VFW’s, gas stations and other businesses.
During intro of special guests there were women legislators scholarship recipients present. Jeff Farnan introduced his LA’s niece was a recipient and has many family members that are previous LA’s. LA’, institutional knowledge and influence a concern.
HB’s 1363, 1204, and 1062 St Louis County deed restriction on school transfers from public to charter schools. School buildings already being leased to charter schools. Democrats have a concern with taking away their Local control. 107-40. Bill was also filed by Hruza, Terry and Ben Baker
HB1049 Rep Owen, Trusted contact. The language was already attached to another bill. 155-0
HB507 Peggy McGaugh 4:48:18 dem says he is in favor as it includes vulnerable voters, poll workers protections has been attached to this bill by amendment. 4:48:44 6 week absentee no excuse early voting. Murphy’s didn’t care for this bill with the early voting added as it will increase the cost of running for office as the length of voting to run tv ads, early mailing of print materials, etc. 4:50:38
HB493 & 635 VanSchoik, no sales tax on used items 104-41
HB183 Cameron Parker higher education core curriculum bill to allow transfers of 60 hours of core curriculum instead of just 40 hours .
HB478 Oehlerking licensure reform 105-46
HB262 Brown requiring hyperbaric therapy to be paid for for brain injuries and PTSD
5:07 a rep states “tell your constituents that you “got something done”. Several other states have passed this same legislation and has passed by around 99% of the vote. Passed perfection vote. The bill was amended by Mazzie for vets to get to opt out of the data collection portion and they can’t be denied the treatment.
****HB937 Dr Hruza IHRA definition of antisemitism used by both President Biden and President Trump. This bill is to protect jewish people from being bullied or worse.
Proudie added her Missouri Crown act to this bill…..equating it to the yamika’s and side curls jewish people frequently use. There were reps that had concern that anyone who criticizes Israel and their actions will be guilty with the language in this bill and Dr Hruza said that is not what this bill will do. Representative Darren Chappell voiced concerns that this would create a separate class of protected people and also inquired Representative CHappell teaches she difference between Christianity and jewish beliefs, would it be violating this law if passed, again told no. Seitz in favor of the bill. THe bill was PQ’d immediately after Seitz positive comments and passed by a voice vote.
HB835 Jeff Farnan’s bill on In Home licensed day cares can keep two family members and the family members don’t count towards the licensed day care’s numbers. Rep Ingle pushed back talking about Nathan’s law, where a child died in childcare because there were too many children present. *****during the 3rd read a representative brought up that Nathan died in an unlicensed day care.
HB1218. Hinman perfected and printed by voice vote, only 1 dem spoke in favor of the bill. The bill changes the penalties for commercial theft.
HB344 Keathley tobacco age, lining the age in Missouri up with the federal age of 21.
Bishop Davidson inquired, ran out of time and then had another rep bail him out so he could ask all his questions. Made him look like an idiot.
HB970 Hardwick video lottery gaming terms. VLT VFW’s and American Legions have requested that VLT’s are legalized and regulated because a portion of their income is from the machines. Hardwick allowed dozens of amendments to his bill, changing it from opt out to opt in with Brenda Shields amendment. Amendment 04H licensee fee was reduced, games put in a “separate room” with video surveillance that must be deleted every 300 days. 7:34 Bryant Wolfin on local control @ times and other times it’s not good. 9:22 Hardwick closed.
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Emerging Issues
HB77 by Loy passed out of Emerging Issues committee with a 10-5 vote Hinman, Hovis and Thomas were no’s.
*******AG committee.
*******SB466 Tax credit omnibus. Is the “fix” to the water bill actually the entire water bill in this ag omnibus???
Shannon Cooper testified on behalf of the railways. Kurtis Gregory came from the corn growers assocation and testified that he had testified in hearings over the years. Raul cars with x in number is a leased car, if no x in the car number they are owned by the RR. 8:59am no redemption in last 2 years. All of Shannon Coopers testimony & questions interesting and informative.
Cole County resident testified against getting rid of all the tax credit sunsets. Now the tax credits are in perpetuity and what are the checks and balances for the programs. 9:08 tail end of testmimony testified that he has sat through hours of either budget hearings. The committee pushed back, I’m assuming he testifies frequently. It was mentioned that the Warrenton packing plant is to open in the next couple of weeks.
9:14 Questions on Rolling stock tax credit recommended to be discontinued. 9:15 witness break down the work “assume”.
9:16 Zach Wyatt, Legislative Director for the DOR, sunset reviews are at 5 years. OA admins the portal for the tax credit oversight.
9:18 Farm bureau offered to buy ALL the ag tax credits, they have purchased millions of $$’s of tax credits at face value.
HB910. Mayhew amendment Brown’s Law malicious false report of animal abuse and modifies the offense of animal abuse. 9:27 bill/vote be reconsidered. Elliott, Durnell & Whaley voted no. Sub for 642 was reconsidered.
THEN the sub for HB642 was withdrawn by chair Doyle Justice and a new amendment presented.
-Hayden’s fence bill was added
-cotton trailer bill now looks like SB of Brown
-livestock & equine liability of Boggs was removed
-Polilitt’s eminent domain bill was removed
-a “fix” on the water bill added (Parker’s water bill)
Pollitt’s eminent domain language was added to the solar bill
Diehl stated that “relatively” good agreement across the committee, pretty sure Durnell, Elliott and Whaley were the disagreements.
-Diehl’s fire suppression bill
Diehl “tax credit package bill that everyone likes except Nolte”. Nolte said the title is Ag. Not tax credits.
Doyle Justice tried to defend the “omnibus”—-“historically this happens because ag does not get enough attention to get on the floor.
*****Pollitt asked, when did we change the title? The response was we don’t have to change the title in the sub. Pollitt only like 2 kinds of tax credits, farm and childcare
Pollitt continued defending against tax credits based on how many dollars of ag for MO in total.
CHECK OUT WHAT CINDY O. HAS BEEN UP TO. WE ARE ALL WATCHING THIS ONE:
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