Missouri Times - September 10, 2018

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The Missouri Times

STEM, COURTS SPECIAL SESSION FOCUS

SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

HOSKINS AND ROWDEN VIE FOR

FLOOR LEADER SLOT KARSTEN NEW DPS HEAD

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Missouri Times

OPINION

The

129 E. High Street, Suite D, Jefferson City, MO | (573) 746-2912

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Scott Faughn, Publisher | scott@themissouritimes.com | @ScottFaughn Rachael Herndon Dunn, Editor | rachael@themissouritimes.com | @TheRachDunn Benjamin Peters | benjamin@themissouritimes.com | @BenjaminDPeters Alisha Shurr | alisha@themissouritimes.com | @AlishaShurr

Fueling Missouri’s next growth wave begins and ends with smart partnerships in infrastructure Travis H. Brown Missourians broke ground on the first continental stretch of the Eisenhower interstate highway system in 1956. Nearly two years before, Dwight D. Eisenhower understood the importance of courting public opinion along with private sector leadership to move his lifetime army experience into real action on infrastructure investments.

President Eisenhower reached out to many leaders of cities, counties, and states to implement his vision. The process to upgrade our roads and bridges began with a Governor and a White House Conference on Traffic Safety on February 17, 1954. Colorado Governor Dan Thornton chaired his steering committee. M. H. Curtice, President of General Motors, chaired his business committee. At this point in President Eisenhower’s life, he had nearly forty years of United State Army convoy moving experience from two World Wars that drove his convictions into reality.

Steady and sure, Eisenhower’s transportation plans got passed in Congress with H.R. 8127 on May 6, 1954. However, proper implementation would require real on the ground problem solving from Governors and their communities. Six months after his Traffic Safety Conference, he convened a Special Committee on Highway Problems among his Governors. The steadfast leadership from an Army General who understood how to explain how national security, a growing population, and a prosperous economy interact was essential to the bill’s legislative acceptance. It is doubtful that Interstates 40, 55, 70, 29, 35, and 44 would have existed by 1960 across the Show Me State without a former General willing to own this responsibility and cost.

Fast forward to another United State Army veteran now in our Governor’s Mansion in 2018. Governor Mike Parson likewise has nearly forty years of real-world experience to apply to this aging transportation system. In less than three months, Missouri voters will have their first chance to consider new upgrades to their roads and bridges by a tencent increase in motor fuels tax. Up or down, the Parson Administration will own the residual success or failure of this statewide vote on their watch.

Harry S. Truman once said, “A President either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt that I could let up for a moment.” The passing of this Labor Day should ring the starting bell for meaningful public private partnerships between transportation and economic development lobbies. If passed, Governor Parson is poised to demonstrate how a former sheriff and a cattle rancher can roll up his sleeves and get to work solving a public revenue challenge with no easy answers. If the November ballot measure fails, Missouri will continue to pound its baby boomer generation pavement across every Missouri Department of Transportation district with America’s seventh-largest road system.

Most Missourians spend more on their smartphone contracts today than they pay for common use of their roads and bridges. In fact, the last time that any Missouri voter upgraded their dedicated fuel tax, fewer than one in ten Missourians even had a cell phone. Today, there are more cell phones going down our highways than there are people to use them. Who among us would still want to be using their original three-pound bag phone once priced at $1.99 per minute purchased or leased in the 1990’s?

Today, millions of Americans pay user fees for modern transit without even stopping at a single booth or window. It is nearly impossible to not pay something to others for the use of their infrastructure on many major arteries – from Orlando to Washington, DC. If fuel taxes are not

what voters want this November, the Missouri Department of Transportation operations could get passed by like a bag phone in an iPhone universe.

Let’s be clear: no one likes to pay taxes. For sure, Missourians typically possess more than their fair share of skepticism when it comes to how their debts and taxes are spent. However, publicly-shared long-term infrastructure investments provide one of the most clear-cut benefits to our economy, to our consumer lives, and to our local communities. If the State is to collect any revenue from any source, then user fees with direct user benefits remains one of the most efficient ways to make good things happen.

Moreover, transportation equipment manufacturing is a leading direct employment driver with more than 46,000 Missouri local jobs. According to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, manufacturing represents about thirteen percent of our 2016 Gross State Product (GSP), over the national average of most states. Missouri’s place in the middle of the Heartland means that anything traveling by road, rail, air, or water can be competitively-priced with smart logistical decisions.

It seems clear that this ballot measure, if passed, will not solve our entire funding needs in one vote either. That is why it is imperative that Governor Parson call the State together for a serious task force, conference, or convention of public and private sector thought leaders. Like Eisenhower, let’s join industry CEOs with public planners to apply private sector solutions to vexing design-build challenges when we can. Like the original 1954 White House Conference on Traffic Safety, this Administration has a short window to demonstrate that now is the perfect time to lead.

Like a military policeman on careful patrol, Governor Parson has applied his listening and outreach efforts wisely with big city mayors, suburban counties, and agricultural leaders alike over his very short summer. This Administration is poised to support our largest cities with creative options on how to improve our largest airports without new tax increases. What has seemed like a historical obstacle for a Governor rooted in rural America has now blossomed into a unique urban and suburban season to inspire public private partnerships to our roads, ports, and new modes of shipping.

Thanks in part to the airport modernization processes advancing in both Kansas City and Saint Louis City, international leaders in public infrastructure are making regular visits to some of our largest public assets. Governor Parson should harness this global expertise as it may mature to leverage how other projects can be secured, approved, or financed.

The events that should be on top of our transportation plans are applying our best technologies to each job, contracting with design-build strategies, and applying smart automation metrics. How can our leading industries help inspire a leading infrastructure plan worthy of our strategic location? Like a football coach at the beginning of season, there is no substitute for strong executive decisions in the locker room and on the sidelines.

With the State Legislature returning briefly to Jefferson City this month, now is the time for the Governor to call for a dedicated statewide task force to make sure that these long-range transit plans happen in some way while the right soldiers are still here to finish the track.

Travis H. Brown is the President of Grow Missouri, Inc., and the CEO of First Rule, LLC. A donation has been made in Brown’s name to The Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri for the writing of this editorial.

The Missouri Times

HOT LIST GOVERNOR AND MAYORS TOURING

Gov. Mike Parson, Kansas City Mayor Sly James and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson just wrapped their tour of St. Louis after touring Kansas City together. Both tours included stops at the area’s largest newspapers’ editorial boards and a full exhibition of a genuine front to move #MissouriForward.

PORT JEFFERSON CITY?

Now approved by local and state powers at be, it looks like Cole County may play host to the newest port to come to Missouri, which will likely be a boon to the state’s capital city and make good use of the Mighty Mo.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Rocky Miller @RockneMiller Sep 1 Good morning hunting in the Bootheel #DeltaDays #moleg #midmomeathunter

Tweets of the Week Highlights in 280 characters or less.

Jennifer Bukowsky @esqonfire Can’t. Stop. Watching. Season 2 of Ozark features #MOLeg. It’s a very shady place, apparently!

Arnold @Schwarzenegger Third, @CleanMissouri, which is a big-thinking initiative to make politics more transparent and responsive to the people, including fighting gerrymandering.

Nick Sloan @NickSloanKCK #BREAKING: President Trump will be back in Missouri next week. He will be speaking in Cape Girardeau, MO. #MOSen #MoLeg

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The Missouri Times

HOSKINS VS. ROWDEN Junior senators eyeing bid for majority floor leader's spot in Senate Benjamin Peters

It’s been just a few months since Mike Kehoe was named the state’s lieutenant governor, vacating his seat in the Senate, as well as his role as the majority floor leader.

It was an inevitable outcome that the former senator would no longer hold down that last role, due to term limits, and the race to fill that void has begun.

Two junior Republican senators, still relatively new to the upper chambers, having just finished their second year as state senators, are vying for the role: Sen. Caleb Rowden of Columbia and Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg.

Both men were elected to the Senate in 2016, and since then, have worked on a number of party initiatives in the upper chamber. Their hope now is to help lead that same party in its daily duties in the Senate.

For Rowden, he said the reason he decided to run was that he felt it was the best way to utilize his skill set to aid the caucus.

“For me, my goal has always been to do whatever I can do to help get our priorities done, to try and find ways to find meaningful compromises,” Rowden said. “And I think the floor leader is well-positioned to do that, to control things that come to the floor, to use things as opportunities to get things done.”

“It’s a very important position,” Hoskins agreed. “That person decides which bills make it to the floor, as well as how much time is spent debating those bills. After serving in leadership in the House,

I understand the unique demands of being in leadership, and can work with the incoming freshman to learn the ways of the Senate and help make them as successful as possible.”

The duties of being the majority floor leader are pretty clear: guiding legislation on the floor, pushing the caucus priorities, and helping aid the caucus in fundraising. But the qualities of a good floor leader can be a vast array.

Hoskins and Rowden both agreed that it all simply comes down to one thing: trust.

Both agree that the key to building strong working relationships lies in keeping their word and being honest. But they also identified a couple other qualities as important, too, such as being knowledgeable of the issues, being organized, and being able to keep a level head.

Rowden said that ability to move the issues forward is key because there is always issues and disagreements, but to move policies forward, it’s important to build the relationships in order to pass the priorities of all.

Both men agree that the toughest challenge the chamber faces in the next legislative session will be the turnover in the Senate, losing the institutional presence of several senators.

“There’s huge turnover in leadership, and we’re losing a lot of great seniors,” Hoskins said. “A lot of it comes down to working with colleagues and having those relationships. We do have a lot of new faces, Republican and Democrat, coming in, however, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with quite

“There’s huge turnover in leadership, and we’re losing a lot of great seniors,” Hoskins said. “A lot of it comes down to working with colleagues and having those relationships.

We do have a lot of new faces, Republican and Democrat, coming in, however, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with quite a few of those in the House.”

a few of those in the House.”

Rowden said that he didn’t think that someone from their class (Hoskins and Rowden’s 2016 freshman class) would be in a position to do that so early on in their Senate careers, but with the outgoing class being as big as it is, he thinks it pushed everyone up a little quicker.

“It gives us a sort of opportunity to re-imagine what the Senate can look like,” Rowden said. “Yeah, there’s a lot of turnover, and there’s a lot of fresh faces and folks who are figuring out how to get their feet wet, but it also kind of forces us to work together, and provides a challenge, but it can also be an opportunity.”

Both Rowden and Hoskins seem to agree that tort reform, education, and workforce development will continue to be some of the top issues in the coming sessions. They also both noted that there could be legislation that rises from the results of the November general election, whether it be from the Clean Missouri initiative or one of the three medical marijuana proposals.

Members of the GOP Senate caucus have already started to pick sides, though it has been decided that the vote on who will succeed Kehoe in that capacity will not occur until after the November general election.

The interesting thing to note here is that with that decision, the incoming senators will have a say in the floor leader race, whereas they would not if the vote came during the special session or prior to the November election.

Both men’s terms have taken place under the guidance of Kehoe and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, and both senators say that watching the work of the majority floor leader and the pro tem was key to learning how to handle such a position, and taught them valuable lessons along the way.

“You can’t view issues in a silo,” Rowden said. “All of these things work together, especially when you get to the end of the session, and you always have to keep the big picture.”

“As majority floor leader, you have to know when to hold them, when to fold them,” he added, saying that the role has to think of the long-term plan.

“One of the things I’ve learned from [Kehoe] is that when things go well, they’re not too high, but when they’re low, it’s not too low,” Hoskins said.

“He did a great job of not only working with his fellow Republican senators, but also members of the minority caucus, and he let things play out instead of taking a hard position, and let the senators debate things out on the Senate floor.”

The thing to watch with the younger members moving forward in coming years will be how they take the lessons learned from those departing from the chamber, and how they apply them to continue the traditions of the esteemed Senate. For Hoskins and Rowden, their hope is to preserve the chamber held in such regard by those who went before them and to leave a mark like that of those who walked the halls in days past.

“It gives us a sort of opportunity to re-imagine what the Senate can look like,” Rowden said. “Yeah, there’s a lot of turnover, and there’s a lot of fresh faces and folks who are figuring out how to get their feet wet, but it also kind of forces us to work together, and provides a challenge, but it can also be an opportunity.”

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Parson names Highway Patrol superintendent as next DPS director

Benjamin Peters

The next director of Missouri’s Department of Public Safety will be Col. Sandra K. Karsten.

Gov. Mike Parson announced his appointment, naming the superintendent of the Missouri Highway Patrol as the new director just days after it was announced that she would retire from the Patrol effective Sept. 1.

Col. Sandra Karsten has been named as the next director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

Karsten had been named the interim director to take over following the announcement of Director Drew Juden’s departure on Aug. 31.

"Colonel Karsten is an exemplary public servant, and throughout her 33-year law enforcement career, she's demonstrated the professionalism and integrity for which the Missouri State Highway Patrol is known. She's a strong, focused leader who has never shied away from tough decisions and understands the importance of teamwork. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is better, thanks to her service," said Parson. "We are excited and have great confidence in her to lead the Department

of Public Safety."

Karsten was named the first female superintendent of the Highway Patrol by then-Gov. Eric Greitens in Feb. of 2017, becoming the 23rd superintendent in Patrol history. She first joined the Patrol in 1985, working her way up the ranks after starting her career in Troop F. Her resignation arrives after 33 years in service.

Karsten will assume the duties when her retirement takes effect, taking the reins of DPS’ 15,000 employees, and marking the first agency head appointment by Parson since taking office this spring.

Parson said that one of the top priorities for Karsten in her new role will be working on the issue of gun violence and that she will be reaching out to officials in St. Louis and Kansas City to start those discussions.

“Each of us know the public safety issues that we face today are more complex than ever before,” Karsten said. “Our commitment must be to work together as a team.”

Associate Circuit Judge Borbonus appointed to 21st Judicial Circuit

Governor Mike Parson has named Associate Circuit Judge John N. Borbonus III, as the next circuit judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit in St. Louis County, effective September 21, 2018.

Borbonus' appointment fills the vacancy upon the September 20, 2018, retirement of Judge Douglas R. Beach.

Borbonus has served as an associate cir-

cuit judge in St. Louis County since 2011, when he was appointed by former Governor Jay Nixon. He graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and politics in 1988 and his law degree from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1994.

After graduating from law school, Judge Borbonus served as an assistant attorney

general in the Missouri Attorney General's Office from 1994-1997. Prior to being appointed as associate circuit judge, he was in private legal practice in St. Louis for 14 years.

Judge Borbonus is a member of the Missouri Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and the

St. Louis County Bar Association. He has previously served on the Senate Apportionment Commission, the Missouri Humanities Council, and the Planning & Zoning Commission for the City of Des Peres, Missouri.

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The Missouri Times

Decline in revenue numbers called 'concerning’

Budget director says time still needed for a more accurate forecast Benjamin Peters

The latest revenue numbers for the state have been released, and some are calling them “concerning.”

State Budget Director Dan Haug announced this week that fiscal year-to-date net general revenue collections decreased 6.8 percent compared to 2018, from $1.37 billion last year to $1.27 billion this year.

That decrease is of some concern to budget hawks, as the net general revenue collections for August 2018 decreased 7.8 percent compared to those for August 2017, from $792.3 million last year to $730.5 million this year.

Here’s the breakdown of gross collections by tax type: Individual income tax collections Decreased 5.0 percent for the year, from $980.2 million last year to $931.7 million this year.

Decreased 1.7 percent for the month.

Sales and use tax collections Increased 3.8 percent for the year, from $374.4 million last year to $388.7 million this year.

Decreased 0.2 percent for the month.

Corporate income and corporate franchise tax collections Decreased 5.4 percent for the year, from $28.3 million last year to $26.8 million this year.

Increased 4.5 percent for the month.

All other collections Decreased 20.8 percent for the year, from $73.5 million last year to $58.2 million this year.

Decreased 28.7 percent for the month.

Refunds Increased 46.0 percent for the year, from $89.9 million last year to $131.3 million this year.

Increased 108.1 percent for the month.

“We certainly are concerned that revenues are down, but until you see what happens with September revenues (because September includes the quarterly payments from both the corporate income tax and the individual income tax) it’s really hard to get a trend, there’s no real significant due dates in July or August to sort of set a trend,” Haug said.

He said they’ve been monitoring the revenues closely and working with the Department of Revenue to evaluate what is happening in the tax data, but noted that with the new tax changes, thanks to the federal tax cuts and the results of SB 509, have resulted in changes, making it difficult to figure out what exactly is moving the numbers.

“We’re not going most likely make any budget actions until we see what the September data is and we get a quarter of the year in,” he

added. “It’s certainly not a time to panic, but it is something we need to monitor and see if it’s going to be a trend going forward. If it is, then we may have to take some actions in the future.”

Haug also noted that one thing that helps the state is a strong finish in the last fiscal year.

He said that because of that, the state can decline 0.5 percent from the total collections in FY 2018 to meet what is needed to fund the budget.

"We can decline half a percent and still hit our estimate," he said. "Even though we're down 6.8 percent right now, the hole is not as big as it would appear, because what we are actually trying to hit is not as big as it has been in previous years as far as the growth rate. That gives us a cushion and a little more time to try and figure out what's going on."

MoDOT earns regional awards for two projects Alisha Shurr

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Two projects spear headed by the Missouri Department of Transportation earned awards at a regional competition for community development and operations excellence.

In total eight outstanding transportation projects from five mid-America states were honored in the fourth, and final, of regional America's Transportation Awards competition. The projects were recognized for major achievements, including: engaging small businesses through a “first of its kind” training program; replacing bridges to reconnect communities after major flooding; increasing mobility through a $2 billion overhaul of the most popular Amtrak route in the Midwest; and modernizing an aging freeway to improve safety and economic development.

The two projects from Missouri that earned recognition was “Route 65: The Rebuild” and “Ozark County North Fork River Bridge Replacements.” Both projects fell under the small category, meaning they cost less than $25 million — medium-sized projects cost between $25 million and $200 million while large-sized

projects cost more than $200 million.

The rebuilding of Route 65 won recognition in the Quality of Life/Community Development category. To get the $7.9 million job done as quickly as possible, MoDOT closed Route 65 in each direction in short segments between interchanges. After just 42 days, drivers were able to get back to their normal commute on Route 65 and enjoy a modernized highway that better accommodates the growing number of people in Springfield.

The Ozark County North Fork River Bridge Replacements project won recognition for Operations Excellence. Heavy flooding in April 2017 followed by more rain in May caused two bridges to be washed away. MoDOT worked alert the community and plans to redesign the bridges quickly came together. Construction contracts were awarded in June 2017 and construction on both bridges (which totaled $5.86 million) completed by early October, allowing citizens to get back to their daily lives with greater safety and ease.

"State DOTs are committed to making America safer, better and stronger by improv-

ing connections between communities both large and small, urban and rural," said John Schroer, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. "The transportation projects in this competition are part of a national multimodal network that is moving millions of people and tons of goods where they need to go every day."

The Mid America region winners are: • Missouri Department of Transportation's Route 65: The Rebuild (Quality of Life/Community Development, Small category) • Michigan Department of Transportation's I-94 Modernization Project—Advanced Bridges Phase I Small Business Enterprise (Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium category) • Illinois Department of Transportation's Chicago-St. Louis Passenger Rail Improvements (Quality of Life/ Community Development, Large category) • Missouri Department of Transportation's Ozark County North Fork River Bridge Replacements (Operations Excellence, Small category) • Ohio Department of Transportation's Diverging Diamond Interchange (Operations Excellence, Small category) • Michigan Department of Transportation's US-23 Flex Route (Operations Excellence, Medium category) • Indiana Department of Transportation's I-70 Twin

Bridges over State Road 121 (Best Use of Technology and Innovation, Small category) • Illinois Department of Transportation's Interstate 55 and Lake Shore Drive Interchange (Best Use of Technology and Innovation, Medium category)

These award winners are the last to be announced in the regional competition. The three highest-scoring projects from each region will earn a place on the list of "Top 12" projects. Those 12 projects will compete for the Grand Prize, selected by an independent panel of industry judges and the Socrata People's Choice Award, which is chosen by the general public through online voting. The top two winners also receive $10,000 cash awards, to be donated to a charity or scholarship of the state DOT's choosing. The Top 12 projects will be announced on Aug. 30, when online voting for the Socrata People's Choice Award will begin. The winners of the top two awards will be announced Sept. 23 at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

Learn more about the nominees and the competition at www.AmericasTransportationAwards.org.

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The Missouri Times

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V E T O S E S S I O N EVENT GUIDE

BY LOCATION 1. Home of Rich Aubuchon Sept. 10 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Tony Luetkemeyer Reception with Lt. Gov. Kehoe and Chamber 2. Missouri Independent Bankers Association 106 E High St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Sen. Riddle Coffee 5:00-6:00 p.m.: Eric Burlison Reception 3. Missouri Realtors 102 E. High St. Sept. 11 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.: Reception for Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Rep. Black, Vic Allred and Rep. Kolkmeyer 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.: Fundraiser for Reps.

Smith, Evans, Hannegan, Porter, Kelley, Ruth and Grier 4. 318 Washington St., Sept. 11 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.: Grand Slam Fundraiser for Sen. Schupp, Reps. Lavender, Arthur, and McCreery 5. Grand Cafe, 107 E High St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.: Sen. Onder Reception 6. Heartland Credit Union Association, 223 Madison St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.: Reception with the members of the St. Charles Delegation 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.: Patriot Day Reception for Reps. Gannon, Hansen, Neely, Pfautsch, and Pike 7:30 - 8:30 p.m..: Reception for Reps.

Roeber, Anderson, Taylor, and Kelly Sept. 12 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.: Sen. Wieland Reception 7. Madison's Café, 216 Madison St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 4:30 p.m.: Reception for Justin Brown 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: Reception with Sen. Sifton 8. Cork, 124 E High St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 - 5:00 - 7:00 p.m: Reception for Reps. Haahr, Houx, and Miller 9. Capitol City Cinema, 126 E High St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 5:30 – 7:00

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p.m.: Reception for Rep. May recept 10. Palm Strategic Group Office Sept. 11 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Dogan and Solon Sept. 12 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Aaron Griesheimer, Sarah Mills, Jon Patterson, and Mary Elizabeth Coleman 11. Flotron McIntosh 612 E Capitol Ave. Sept. 11 5:00 - 7:00 p.m: Dottie Bailey, Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Bill Heisse, Jim Murphy Reception 12. Paddy Malone’s 700 W Main St, Jefferson City Sept. 11 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Rep. Razer and Kendrick Reception 13. Nicklas Lobby Sept. 11 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: Fundraiser for Reps. Beck, Unsicker, Quade, Ellebracht, Stevens, and Revis 14. Lt. Gov and Mrs. Kehoe's Home Sept. 11 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: Desserts by the Pool 15. 325 Jefferson Street, Jefferson City Sept. 12 7:00 - 9:00 a.m.: Reps. DeGroot and Trent Breakfast 16. Sweet Smoke BBQ, 127 E High St, Jefferson City Sept. 12 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. Reception for Sen. Eigel and Sen. Koenig 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. Sen. Cierpiot Coffee and Cakes 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Rep. Stacy Coffee 17. 900 West Main Street, Jefferson City Sept. 12 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.: Senate Democrats Breakfast 18. Yanis Coffee Zone, 130 E High St, Jefferson City Sept. 12 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.: Reception for Rep. Smith and Anne Kelly, Dirk Deaton, Ben Baker, Lane Roberts, and Bob Bromley 19. Jefferson City Country Club 516 S Country Club Dr Sept. 12 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Rep. Corlew Breakfast 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Sen. Hoskins Breakfast 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Sen. Romine Breakfast 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Sen. Hegeman Breakfast 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Sen. Emery Breakfast 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Rep. Bernskoetter Breakfast 20. Victory Enterprises Sept. 12 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.: Rep. White Breakfast

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September 10-14 Special Session 10 Tony Luetkemeyer Reception with Lt. Gov. Kehoe and Chamber - Home of Rich Aubuchon - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

11 Sen. Riddle Coffee - Missouri Independent Bankers Association, Jefferson City - 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

11 Reception for Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Rep. Black, Vic Allred and Rep. Kolkmeyer - Missouri Realtors, Jefferson City - 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

11 Grand Slam Fundraiser for Sen. Schupp, Reps. Lavender, Arthur, and McCreery - 318 Washington, Jefferson City - 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

11 Sen. Onder Reception - Grand Cafe, Jefferson City - 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

11 Reception with the members of the St. Charles Delegation - Heartland Credit Union Association, Jefferson City - 4:30 5:30 p.m.

11 Reception for Justin Brown - Madison's Café, Jefferson City - 4:30 p.m.

11 Reception for Reps. Haahr, Houx, and Miller - Cork, Jefferson City - 5:00 - 7:00 p.m 11 Reception for Rep. Dogan and Solon - Palm Strategic Group Office, Jefferson City - 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

11 Eric Burlison Reception - Missouri Independent Bankers Association Office Bankers Building - 5:00-6:00 p.m.

11 Dottie Bailey, Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Bill Heisse, Jim Murphy Reception - Flotron McIntosh, Jefferson City - 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

11 Fundraiser for Reps. Smith, Evans, Hannegan, Porter, Kelly, Ruth and Grier - Missouri Realtors Office, Jefferson City - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

11 Campaign Fundraiser for Rep. Karla May - Capitol City Cinema, Jefferson City - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

11 Rep. Razer and Kendrick Reception - Paddy Malone’s, Jefferson City - 6:00 8:00 p.m.

11 Patriot Day Reception for Reps. Elaine Gannon, Jim Hansen, Jim Neely, Donna Pfautsch, and Patricia Pike - Heartland Credit Union, 223 Madison Street, Jefferson City - 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

11 Reception for Reps. Roeber, Anderson, Taylor, and Kelly - 223 Madison Street, Jefferson City - 7:30 p.m.

11 Fundraiser for Reps. Beck, Unsicker, Quade, Ellebracht, Stevens, and Revis -

Nicklas Lobby, Jefferson City - 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

11 Reception with Sen. Sifton - Madison's Cafe, Jefferson City - 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

11 Reception for Reps. Anderson, Roeber, Kelley, and Taylor - Heartland Credit Union, Jefferson City - 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

11 Desserts by the Pool - Lt. Gov and Mrs. Kehoe's Home, Jefferson City - 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

12 Reps. DeGroot and Trent Breakfast 325 Jefferson Street, Jefferson City - 7:00 - 9:00 a.m.

12 Cindy O'Laughlin Coffee - Sweet Smoke BBQ, Jefferson City - 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

12 Reception for Sen. Eigel and Sen. Koenig - Sweet Smoke BBQ, Jefferson City - 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

12 Sen. Cierpiot Coffee and Cakes Sweet Smoke BBQ, Jefferson City - 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

12 Rep. Dan Stacy Coffee & Cakes Sweet Smoke BBQ, Jefferson City, - 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.

12 Senate Democratic Breakfast – 900 West Main Street, Jefferson City – 7:30 9:00 a.m.

12 Aaron Griesheimer, Sarah Mills, Jon Patterson, and Mary Elizabeth Coleman - Palm Strategic Headquarters, Jefferson City - 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

12 Sen. Wieland Reception - Heartland Credit Union Association, Jefferson City - 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

12 Reception for Rep. Smith and Ann Kelley, Dirk Deaton, Ben Baker, Lane Roberts, and Bob Bromley - Yanis Coffee Zone, Jefferson City - 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

12 Rep. Corlew Breakfast - JC Country Club - 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

12 Sen. Hoskins Breakfast - JC Country Club - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

12 Sen. Romine Breakfast - JC Country Club - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

12 Sen. Hegeman Breakfast - JC Country Club - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

12 Sen. Emery Breakfast - JC Country Club - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

12 Rep. Bernskoetter Breakfast - JC Country Club - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

12 Rep. White Breakfast - Victory Enterprises, Jefferson City - 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

12 Veto Session - Noon 12 Constitutional Revision in Missouri: A Historical Perspective - Revel Catering, Jefferson City - 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

www.themissouritimes.com

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Special Judge temporary halts part of session also meat law from going into effect

Alisha Shurr

A new state law dealing with meat inspection will only partially go into effect on Tuesday following a temporary restraining order.

Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem approved the injunction in the lawsuit brought by the Missouri Conservation Commission against the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Attorney General Josh Hawley.

The temporary restraining order is in effect until September 11. The next hearing in the lawsuit is set for 11 a.m. September 10.

The order only blocks the enforcement of some of the provisions in Senate Bill 627 — the law at issue — while allowing the rest of the sweeping agricultural bill to go into law.

Beetem noted the temporary restraining order makes “no determination as to the validity and/or constitutionality” of the new law.

The Conservation Commission takes issue with the language in SB 627 that adds “captive cervids” to the list of meats requiring inspection by the Department of Agriculture. They argue that this conflicts with their constitutional authority over wildlife.

SB 627 isn’t the only law set to go into effect Tuesday that is being challenged in court. Seven labor organizations have banded together to halt an overhaul of the state’s public union laws.

But there is also more than 140 bills set to take effect without any lawsuits — so far. Here are a few highlights of the measures passed by the legislature and signed by the governor that are going into effect: Raising the state’s minimum marriage age Under the changes to Missouri marriage statute, the minimum age to enter into a marriage is set at 16-years-old and anyone 21-years-old and older is prohibited from marrying anyone younger than 18-years-old.

Prevailing wage changes In a partial repeal of the state’ prevail wage, the Republican-held legislature made sweeping changes to the law. Public works projects valued under $75,000 are no longer subject to the Prevailing Wage Law and projects valued at less than $10,000 are not subject to a competitive bidding process.

Other changes include: hours worked on holidays will be paid at twice the normal rate, including fringe benefits; overtime hours will be paid at time and a half of the normal rate, including fringe benefits; contractors may employ one “apprentice” or “entry-level” worker for each journeyman hired and pay them 50 percent of the pay, including fringe benefits, of a journeyman in their same occupational title; and the Missouri Department of Labor and In-

dustrial Relations may investigate violations of the law on its own or review complaints submitted.

Utility bill After years of debate and discussion, the Missouri legislature passed a sweeping utility bill. Among the provisions is a rate hike cap of 2.85 percent or 3 percent per year, depending on the service area, and changes to the way regulated utilities negotiate rates. The measure also calls on companies to reduce rates by roughly 5 percent following the large federal corporate tax cut passed in December 2017.

Tax changes The individual income tax rate in Missouri will be reduced from 5.9 percent to 5.5 percent.

The corporate income tax rate will also drop from 6.25 percent to 4 percent. The way outof-state corporations pay taxes are calculated will no longer be on the three-factor apportionment method.

Industrial hemp The bill creates a pilot program for growing industrial hemp in the state. Farmers will be required to obtain a permit from the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The bill puts a limit on the amount of acres that can be plant in hemp each year.

PETA responds to new meat regulation with gruesome billboard Benjamin Peters

Missouri’s new labeling law concerning what constitutes meat is turning some heads, and the latest reaction may be one of the most extreme.

PETA on Wednesday announced it would be placing a new billboard in Jefferson City and Columbia, depicting a cow’s bloody head with the words "Meet Your Meat.

The Truth Hurts. Go Vegan" as depicted below.

The new regulation seeks to limit items classified as meat in order to combat “fake meat”, with the activist organization saying the law was a response to “a panic attack in the meat industry over the astounding rise of vegan foods, including "tastealikes" that, because they're made of plants and nuts, contain zero cholesterol, don't pollute the earth and waterways with animal waste, aren't linked to environmentally devastating gas emissions, and are 100 percent humane.”

“Missouri’s new law is a desperate and fruitless attempt to fight the skyrocketing popularity of humane vegan foods,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s message is that if the meat industry truly wanted informed consumers, it would put video cameras in every slaughterhouse and crowded, filthy cattle pen.”

The new law faces two court challenges at this time.

But following the release from PETA, the Missouri Department of Agriculture issued a statement of its own, saying that the Show-Me State was the first state to take steps to prevent

the misrepresentation of products as meat, and sought to clarify how the changes will be implemented.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture is providing the following guidance to our Meat and Poultry Inspection Program to implement the law: • Products must include a prominent statement on the front of the package, immediately before or immediately after the product name, that the product is “plantbased,” “veggie,” “lab-grown,” “lab-created” or a comparable qualifier; and • Products must include a prominent statement on the package that the product is “made from plants,” “grown in a lab,” or a comparable disclosure.

• No enforcement referrals will be made until Jan. 1, 2019.

The Department said that the new guidelines will be phased in over the next four months to give companies time to comply.

spotlights treatment courts Alisha Shurr

Missouri lawmakers are set to get another chance at legislation that could expand drug treatment courts and offer new options to counties. This time the bill is expected to be far more narrowly tailored than what was sent to the governor's desk.

“I want to express my great appreciation for the governor and his staff for looking at [treatment courts], for considering it, and recognizing the importance,” said Rep. Kevin Austin, the sponsor of House Bill 2562. “Running the special session with the veto session, it’s not gonna be costly because we have to be there anyways according to the Constitution.”

“I’m sure [the bill] will be very narrowly tailored...scale it back to my original House Bill,” said Austin.

The goal of focusing on the issue during the special session is to work “together to come up with a more narrowly defined focus” and to not slow down the expansion of treatment courts.

"Treatment courts are the most successful intervention in our nation's history for holding accountable people living with substance use and mental health disorders, and leading them out of the justice system into lives of recovery and stability," said Judge Alan Blankenship, 39th Circuit Court and President of Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals, after the special session was announced.

Austin noted that treatment courts have proven to be effective. He cited recent statistics from Greene County that identified treatment courts lowering recidivism rates by 76 percent for misdemeanor offenders and by 49 percent for felony offenders.

“Treatment courts just don’t sentence a prisoner, they treat the whole person. That’s how they become so successful,” stated Austin. “They have been shown to be effective and we don’t want to slow this down. Slowing this down could cost a life, actually, and it certainly would cause a lot of heartaches and a lot of problems in our state.”

The original bill Austin filed was narrowly focused on establishing treatment courts, previously called drug courts. That bill created different divisions of treatment courts including Adult Treatment Court, Driving While Intoxicated Court, Family Treatment Court, Juvenile Treatment Court, and Veterans Treatment Court.

11

The Missouri Times

STEM education, workforce development lead special

Missouri Governor Mike Parson is pushing forward with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, calling state legislators back to tackle the issue in a special legislative session.

It’s an issue that has been discussed for years now, with many trying to raise the awareness and availability of math and science courses, particularly computer sciences, in order to create a more prepared workforce to meet the growing demands of

Benjamin Peters

islation, stating his concern that the bidding criteria outlined by a House amendment seemed to be tailored for one company.

The amendment would have set up an online program for students starting in 2019-2020, with the provider of the program meeting a majority of 12 criteria, focusing on more than 80 different STEM careers.

Fitzwater had worked with Learning Blade, the

Tuesday, Parson traveled to St. Louis to speak at the nonprofit “Launch Code,” (pictured) a program working to provide free training and helped match nearly 1,300 prospective employees with potential employers.

“We have all been given tremendous opportunities to succeed, and it’s important that we do our part to ensure the next generation has even better opportunities,” Parson told those in attendance at the Launch Code event.

"One aspect of our call for special session is to provide high school students with expanded course access to computer science skills and career awareness for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – the workforce demands of tomorrow require our students be equipped and ready with the skills to succeed.

"Our schools play an important role in preparing our students to enter the workforce – and getting this bill done now speeds up our ability to compete on a national level – creating the workforce that is ready for the jobs of tomorrow," he continued. "We can’t afford to delay this process, putting Missouri students further behind the curve – our students deserve the best we can offer."

“I applaud Governor Parson for working to increase awareness of STEM career opportunities and ensure students have access to computer science courses. As chair of the Missouri Education Savings Board, I often speak with parents who want their children to have the necessary skills to compete and succeed in the 21st century workforce," Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt said. "Jobs in STEM are some of the most in-demand jobs in Missouri, and

"We can’t afford to delay this process, putting Missouri students further behind the curve – our students deserve the best we can offer."

GOV. MIKE PARSON businesses.

In the last legislative session, Sen. Doug Libla and Rep. Travis Fitzwater worked tirelessly to pass SB 894 through the House and Senate. It passed unanimously through the Senate with a 31-0 vote, a feat that can be quite rare in that particular chamber Libla and Fitzwater’s hope with the bill was to address a growing need to increase students’ interest and access to STEM fields, noting that a number of jobs are unfilled because of a lack of applicants with those skills.

The bill would have allowed high school computer science classes to count toward math, science or elective credits required for graduation, as well as creating a statewide “STEM Career Awareness Program” to increase the awareness among junior high age students of the available career paths.

But after taking office, Gov. Parson vetoed the leg-

ALL EVENT PHOTOS/ALEX EATON

company working with Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee public school on STEM curriculum, to come up with the standards.

On September 10, the legislature will return to session, concurrent with veto session, to fix that issue. Both legislators say there is no hard feelings over the Governor’s veto, and look forward to passing the bill next week.

“I know Governor Parson is a huge supporter of job skill training and his veto of SB894 was a hard decision for him to make,” Libla said in a letter published in the Missouri Times prior to the announcement of the special session, stating his intent then to refile the bill in 2019.

That won’t be necessary, now that Parson has called a special session, and many expect the legislation to pass relatively easily, especially since the Governor himself is actively campaigning for it. On

developing STEM skills benefits all sectors of Missouri’s economy. I encourage the Missouri General Assembly to pass legislation quickly to address this issue.”

For Libla and Fitzwater, the opportunity to finally pass the bill signifies not just a major move for workforce development, but a significant investment in the future generations.

"Computer science being offered in our K-12 schools is so important to the future of our Missouri students and to the many companies that desire and depend on these skills. Thousands of high-paying jobs are available right now all across Missouri," Libla said.

“It’s an important piece to workforce development, and I don’t know that we have time to waste on that front,” Fitzwater said. “If you keep waiting on creating those opportunities, you miss out on so many people falling through the cracks that we could provide training to.”

Both men hope that the bill will pass through with relative ease. As the House handler, Fitzwater will get the first crack at pushing it through his respective chamber, and he says that he doesn’t expect major changes to the bill language after meeting with the Governor on it.

“There’s not a whole lot changing,” he said.

“There’s some clarifying language with the computer science piece, with some recommendations from DESE, and the amount of standards for the STEM curriculum will be reduced, so they’re somewhat similar standards to what we already had. Not a whole lot of changes but really a reduction in some of the language.”

The legislature returns on Monday, Sept. 10, to take up the bills for special session, with a proposed deadline set for the end of the week.

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www.themissouritimes.com

BRIAN WILLIAMS The Next Big Thing for Missouri Dems?

Benjamin Peters

The August 8 primary proved to be a big night for many in Missouri, but while others celebrated victories, Brian Williams and his campaign sat waiting for the final results in the race for Senate District 14.

Williams’ day began at 5:30 a.m., a dreary and rainy start to the morning, but despite that weather, he says he spent his day outside of polling locations greeting voters.

“My shoes were soaked, they felt like they weighed 10 pounds,” he said with a laugh.

They waited as every other race seemed to come to a final decision, watching the clock continue to tick away while the precincts in St. Louis sought to tally and put out the final results. The race between Williams, Rep. Sharon Pace, and Rep. Joe Adams seemed to be close, but after midnight, with the results in, Williams emerged the victor with 40.205 percent of the vote, roughly 1,000 votes more than his closest opponent. And with no Republican challengers, Williams became the presumptive senator for the seat formerly held

by Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal.

The former staffer for Democratic Congressman William Lacy Clay had his eyes set on Jefferson City’s upper legislative chamber, and his first foray into state politics came with a victory, signaling the success of his message with voters in SD 14.

For Williams, his decision to run for state senate was one founded on his belief in doing what he can to better the lives of those around him.

“I felt like voters in St. Louis and the state of Missouri needed to have someone that thinks outside the box and brings some fresh ideas to Jefferson City.”

He says one of his top priorities is focus-

ing on how to make the state and region better, which he says has a positive effect on all citizens in the state, not just his future constituents.

“We’ve become confined to silos in our districts and it’s time to break through the political divisiveness in Washington, D.C. and Jefferson City," said Williams.

For Williams, he sees this as an opportunity to try to bridge gaps and re-open lines of communication in a political environment at the state and national level where party ideology has led to divisiveness.

“On the campaign trail, I liked to joke that ‘politics is the only occupation where you can make a conscious decision to disagree with your colleagues and still have a job,’” he said.

“But we have to get away from that.

“It’s not about Democrats or Republicans anymore,” he continued. “We have folks who are suffering, and we have to figure out how to move the state and region forward and make sure that we’re serving them and making their quality of life better. Our constituents always come first, and we need to always have their values at heart.”

He says that his experiences are the right kind to enter the Senate, but more importantly, he knows how to work within government without making it about personalities.

“The first thing I did working with the federal government was I went to every federal agency, to state government in Jefferson City as well as St. Louis County and municipal government. I said ‘hey, what do you guys do?’” Williams said. “What that allowed me to do was have an understanding of what they do and the intersection between each level and really have a clear understanding of what their

roles are.”

And he’s not afraid to reach across party lines to get things done. He points to his collaborations efforts with Sen. Roy Blunt to help community health centers focus on the opioid crisis and mental health as a perfect example of putting ideologies aside to find the common ground solutions.

“We worked together to bring $4 million to the state of Missouri that went to community health centers that focus on issues like mental health and the opioid crisis,” he said. “It seems that some folks may not always understand it, but government requires partnerships, and there needs to be collaboration.”

Williams says that some of the top issues he hopes to work on mental health disparity, education, and economic development. One of the other top issues he sees will be working to bridge the divide between rural and urban communities. He says that the key is focusing on the similarities: both want a good quality education, a good living wage to support their families, and they all want to feel safe. The difference, he says, lies in how to get those in place, and that is where he hopes that conversations across the aisle will find the outcome to suit everyone.

“It’s a nexus between all of it, and I think that if St. Louis does well, the entire state should do well, but it should never be St. Louis vs. the State of Missouri,” he said.

Williams notes that his own home district is also home to some of the most well-off citizens as well as some of the most in need. He says that working to improve the lives of all his constituents is a good step to showing how it can be done. He says that it all begins with small practical steps, such as ensuring good

jobs are available and that resources are being used correctly, as well as creating some incentives to allow for expansion and opportunities and training.

“This district has some of the more wealthy citizens as well as some of the most poverty-stricken ones,” he said. “The issues are different, but that’s why it’s important to have some representing them that can deal with a myriad of issues and look through a wider scope. With so many different issues, what they need is a representative who understands those issues and will work toward solutions, not using buzz words but sitting down and working to make their quality of life better.”

With no challenger in November, Williams says his focus now is shifting toward helping other candidates in their elections, like fellow Democrats Claire McCaskill, Nicole Galloway, and Martin Rucker, but he also says that he hopes to spend time learning the Senate procedures as quickly as possible to hit the ground running upon entering the hallowed halls.

But it’s clear that once the Democrat from University City gets rolling, he will be a force to be reckoned with, a young face that the Blue Party can build behind. Williams represents hard work, matched with intelligence and charm, with a calm and measured strength.

The one thing people need to know about Williams?

He wants to be a thoughtful leader. His hope is that, as a fresh voice in the legislature, he can continue to push forward to better the state as so many others have in the past, with new ideas and a passion to do the people’s work.

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The Missouri Times

A CANDIDATE WITHOUT A PARTY O'Dear says his loyalty lies with the people Alisha Shurr

Craig O’Dear looks at the United States Senate and sees a broken system — a system where party leaders care more about staying in power than governing and partisanship has become a thing of the past.

And that is why he is running for a position he never thought he would: a U.S. Senator from the Show-Me State.

The Kansas City attorney has been certified for the November ballot as an independent candidate after having turned in roughly 15,000 signatures — 1.5 times the necessary amount. He will go up against Democratic-incumbent U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, Republican Josh Hawley, Libertarian Japheth Campbell, and Green Party candidate Jo Crain in the general election.

While many see the race as a head-to-head showdown between McCaskill and Hawley, O’Dear is hoping his background, skill set, and unique perspective will resonate with voters earning a victory that will enable him to go to Washington, D.C. and shake up the status quo.

“I bring a skill set that is extraordinary in it's applicability to the problems we have in the Senate," said O'Dear.

He grew up in northeast Missouri. His father raised purebred Duroc hogs and Shorthorn cattle, his mother taught English at the local middle school.

Attending Missouri University of Science & Technology on a football scholarship, O’Dear earned a degree in engineering. What his scholarship didn't cover, he paid for himself.

He worked during the summer for extra money umpiring softball games, working as many as 15 in one day during tournaments.

Umpiring paid $5 a game back then. Before that, he cleaned out hog houses for his father at a rate of the $1 a house.

“I'm gonna tell you, umpiring softball was a lot better deal,” said O’Dear.

He earned a full ride scholarship to Vanderbilt University where he obtained his law degree. And as a lawyer, he helped people and companies resolve business disputes. These disputes typically involve multiple parties, complex issues, and large sums of money. On occasion, the only way to resolve the dispute is through trial, and O’Dear has a strong track record of success in court.

“I see our country in a difficult place historically," said O'Dear. "We need leaders whose primary loyalty is to the country, to the people, trying to move us towards unity and common ground...and you can't do that in ones of these

parties."

O'Dear wants the Senate to get back to "regular order," as former-Sen. John McCain called it. Regular order means taking the issues one by one, focusing on them, coming together on a bipartisan basis to craft a solution that everyone can be mostly happy with.

"That's my skill set," said O'Dear. "As a lawyer, I worked to solve big, complicated problems with solutions that appeased everyone."

While O’Dear was a member of the Young Republicans when he was younger — back when there were no Republicans in Kansas City, he notes — he has since become disillusioned by partisan politics.

"As time moved on, I started becoming more and more...agnostic when it came to political parties," said O'Dear. "I was less and less comfortable with the extremism that I saw. So, I became less and less enamored with partisan politics."

In fact, in an era of hyper-partisan politics, O’Dear seems to tout some unusual bipartisan credentials. In the 2016 election cycle, he contributed money to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, attending an event and meeting Tim Kaine, and he hosted a fundraiser for then-candidate Eric Greitens.

And he wants to take that bipartisanship to where he believes America sourly needs it: Washington D.C and the U.S. Senate.

"At a time when we are locked in a cultural warfare that is heavily ideological and very extreme, hyper-partisanship is not good," said O'Dear. "George Washington actually wrote about this. George Washington taught us that the antidote for the hyper-partisan poison is independence. That is why he refused to join a political party."

Successful independent campaigns are rare but not unheard of for U.S. Senate. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, both of whom caucus with the Democrats, made successful nonpartisan bids. O’Dear said that, if elected, he wouldn’t regularly caucus with either party.

“I respect both sides. I am willing to work with both sides,” said O’Dear. "I want to conduct the business of the American people. I don't care where the idea comes from, I want to work with ideas from both sides of the aisle and see if we can t-up some of these problems."

"That's what we do in American when we have problems we fix them."

Pro-Choice and Pro-Life O’Dear stands firm that women have the

right to make decisions about their body and reproductive issues. That the decision is ultimately up to the woman and her loved ones and advisors but not without any limitations.

He believes in reasonable restrictions are appropriate on late-term abortions.

“I am for doing everything we can do to reduce the number of abortions,” said O’Dear.

He noted that outlawing abortions does not reduce the number of terminated pregnancies.

“The primary cause of abortion is an unwanted pregnancy. So let us come together to reduce the numbers of unwanted pregnancies.

We know how to do it. It is education, it is access to contraceptives, it is a more user-friendly and less expensive adoption system.”

Improved border security Building a wall is not plausible or effective, according to O’Dear. He noted that a wall along the entire southern border would cost billions of dollars, be ineffective, and involved building on privately-owned land.

“Do we have to have secure borders? Of course. Of course,” said O’Dear. “The best way to secure the border is a combination of things.

There are some places we need a barrier, there are probably places we need more of a barrier or a barrier where we don't have one. But what we really need is all these technological tools for monitoring the border."

Immigrants enrich our culture, bolster our economy, and diversify our population, said O'Dear. They start businesses, create jobs, fill our high-tech jobs, harvest our crops, care for our elderly, and perform many other needed functions. He noted, America is a country founded by immigrants and built on the backs of immigrants.

But he points out that the country cannot accept every immigrant who wants to come to America. The country needs to look at who is being let in and how many immigrants are being accepted.

Healthcare The healthcare system is broken, according to O'Dear.

"In America, we spend twice as much per capita on health care, with outcomes no better, and in some cases, worse, that many countries," he said. "We must work toward a more effective and efficient business model in healthcare, and toward a lower uninsured rate."

He notes that fixing the health care problem in America isn't a one and done solution. It'll take a 1-year, a 3-year, a 5-year, and a 10-year fix. There is no easy answer.

No new election in House District 102, recount looms Alisha Shurr

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Despite a polling location opening 90 minutes late for the August primary, a judge will not order a new election to select Democratic and Republican candidates for State Representative in the 102nd District.

St. Charles County Circuit Judge Rick Zerr stated in his 12-page order that the court was not “firmly convinced that there were irregularities of sufficient magnitude to cast doubt on the validity of the initial election.”

In HD 102 the primary elections for both parties were decided by less than 15 votes.

Republican Bryan Cooper lost to former state Rep. Ron Hicks by four votes and Democratic Gary Wester lost to John Foster by 13 votes.

Since both races were within one-half of one percentage point, they are entitled to a recount by local election authorities. Maura Browning, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State’s Office, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Cooper and Wester have requested a recount.

But the two candidates had also sought to have the courts invalidate the primary results due to the key-snafu that prevented the Monticello Clubhouse polling place in O’Fallon from opening at the proper time. The St. Charles County election authorities did not pick up the keys to the clubhouse prior to the election which resulted in the polling place opening 90-minutes late.

Cooper and Wester argued that because of this voters were disenfranchised and prevented from casting a ballot.

But Zerr ruled against ordering a new election, citing that the move “is appropriate [only] where the validity of the entire election is under suspicion” because a “new election tosses aside the aggregate of the citizens’ votes, both those properly and improperly cast.”

“Based upon the greater weight of the credible evidence present to the Court, the Court is not firmly convinced that there were irregularities of sufficient magnitude to cast doubt on the validity of the initial election to choose the party candidates in the Primary Elections held for both the Democratic and Republican candidates for State Representative in the 102nd District,” Zerr wrote in his judgement.

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Erin Schrimpf joins Tightline Public Affairs

The spokeswoman for the campaign that successfully defeated Missouri’s right-to-work legislation has joined Tightline Public Affairs.

On the heels of that historic win, Erin Schrimpf joins the firm as a Principal.

Her first duties in this new role will include serving as Communications Director for New Approach Missouri, the campaign committee that has placed Amendment 2 on the November ballot and is advocating for its passage.

Amendment 2 is one of three questions on the general election ballot seeking to allows state-licensed physicians to recommend medical marijuana to patients with debilitating illnesses.

“Erin is one of the most talented communicators I’ve worked with over the past decade and we’re thrilled to welcome her to Tightline,” said Tightline co-founder Jack Cardetti. “Every campaign and public affairs client we have will benefit from Erin’s masterful public relations skills and insights.”

As spokeswoman for We Are Missouri, Schrimpf directed the campaign’s statewide media strategy, including managing relationships with Missouri reporters and outlets, providing comments on the record for the campaign, executing press conferences, securing endorsements from newspapers throughout the state, and managing the response to the national media interest in the referendum in the weeks and days leading up to election day.

Schrimpf was selected to be a Presidential Management Fellow — the federal government’s prestigious, two-year leadership development program — following her 2016 graduation from McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University with her Master’s of Public Policy.

As a PMF at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, she served in multiple roles, including as a Speechwriter for the agency’s highest officials and in an extended detail as-

signment in the Minority staff office of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for the Ranking Member, Senator Jon Tester.

From 2011 to 2014, Schrimpf was the Special Assistant for Public Affairs for Mayor Sylvester “Sly” James in Kansas City, Missouri. In the Mayor’s office, she handled speechwriting and communications, aided in event planning from Cabinet Secretary visits to local classroom visits, and was instrumental in helping craft the communications strategy for the Mayor’s education initiative, Turn the Page KC. Schrimpf holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She was raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, and is a proud Helias Crusader. Her father Kevin Mullally was the former Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission and her mother Debbie Mullally is the Legislative Director to Sen. Jason Holsman. She now resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with her husband Blake.

Annual Constitution Project kicks off, founder hoping to expand in coming years

Benjamin Peters

It’s a project that has become a staple in Missouri’s Capitol after just six years in existence, and founder Doug Gaston hopes that as it continues, it can be expanded across the state.

Each year, since 2013, 25th Circuit Court Judge Douglas Gaston has put together the Annual Constitution Project, which brings high schoolers from across the state together to compete in an interactive program designed to show them the ins and outs of the legal process.

Gaston first founded the event in his hometown of Houston back in 2011, before growing it to a statewide event in 2013. The statewide competition is comprised of three disciplines: journalism, crime scene investigation and trial advocacy.

The students are graded by professionals in each of those fields while gathering evidence from a mock crime scene, reporting on the findings of the police, and bringing the case to trial. They also get the chance to debate legislation, while receiving insight from professionals. The intent is to submerse the students into the roles of police and detectives, journalists, lawyers, and state lawmakers.

About 250 students from 12 Missouri high schools attended the event at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.

The event kicked off on Wednesday with a speech from special guest House Speaker Todd Richardson, who appeared along with fellow state representatives Robert Ross and Travis Fitzwater and Vietnam War veteran Don Hentges, who discussed the sacrifices that have been made to preserve the rights and liberties of American citizens, and their duty to make the best of their lives.

This year, students debated a fictional bill, put together by Gaston, which would allow school officials to search students without any cause if more than five crimes had been committed near the premises.

The event is managed by the Missouri Courts’ Civic Education division and co-sponsored by the various groups that have people volunteer their time and expertise in advising the competition. Those groups include the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Missouri Sheriffs Association, the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, the Missouri Press and Broadcasters Associations, and the Missouri Trial Attorneys and Prosecutors Associations.

Once the competition kicks off in earnest, students head to regional competitions where they investigate mock crime scenes, report on it and try it in court.

In November, the winning teams advance to the statewide finals, as does an all-star team made of the top students in regional competitions whose schools failed to advance. The outstanding performance and outstanding achievement awards given at the end come with scholarships of $1,000 and $500 respectively.

He says the benefit of the program is that, not only are students learning, they’re having fun.

“We kind of sneak it in on them, but they become very knowledgeable with this stuff, and they learn to do it hands on,” he said.

Gaston says that, for now, they’re limited to 12 schools competing, but he hopes to see that expanded in years to come.

“With the current format, and what we have to work with, we have to stick with a manageable number,” he said. “I’m hoping that next year we can start opening that up to more. I would like for any school to be able to adopt it as a class and do it in their school for fun.”

Lobbyist Moves Courtesy of the Gate Way Group

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