GOP Governor Mike Parson remains in the Missouri Governor’s Mansion in 2024 and Republicans will have supermajorities in both legislative chambers in the new session. It begins on Wednesday January 3 at high noon in Jefferson City. Republicans control the Missouri Senate 24-10 and the Missouri House 111-51. Missouri Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina) joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” to preview the 2024 session. Leader O’Laughlin expresses frustration with a term that’s used sometimes in Jefferson City: RINO. That means Republican in name only. Senator O’Laughlin tells listeners that some of her GOP colleagues don’t want to compromise, adding that you must compromise to get 18 votes in the chamber. Senator O’Laughlin also doesn’t think the controversial slot machine issue will be resolved during the 2024 session:
(LISTEN): Palm Strategic Group partner Jonathan Ratliff appears on “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”
Palm Strategic Group partner Jonathan Ratliff is also the Missouri House Republican Campaign Committee’s (HRCC) executive director. Republicans control the Missouri House 111-51, which is a supermajority-plus. Mr. Ratliff joined us live this morning on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”. The Missouri House Ethics Committee will hold a November 8 hearing in Jefferson City, a hearing that’s widely believed to involve House Speaker Dean Plocher (R-Des Peres) Mr. Ratliff tells listeners that House Republicans will caucus in about a week, adding that the caucus overall stands behind Speaker Plocher. Mr. Ratliff also says Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) enters the secretary of state’s race as the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP primary. Ratliff describes Rowden as a prolific fundraiser. He also weighed in on the Democratic primary for Missouri’s first congressional district, where incumbent U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-St. Louis) is being challenged by St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell (D). Mr. Ratliff tells listeners that anytime Congresswoman Bush speaks, it’s a great fundraising opportunity for Republicans across Missouri. Ratliff also addressed Senator Rowden’s mid-Missouri seat, which will be an open seat and a Boone County-only seat in 2024. Mr. Ratliff predicts that seat will flip to Democrats:
(LISTEN): Missouri’s Rowden, Hoskins clash again over sports wagering
Two Missouri GOP state senators who are running for secretary of state next year are blaming each other for the defeat of sports wagering legislation in Jefferson City this year.
Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) spoke Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program.
“We had the ability to cut property taxes, legalize sports betting and do some other things in the tax realm all in one fell swoop, and Senator Hoskins decided to kill all of that because they want slot machines in gas stations,” Senator Rowden says.
Senator Rowden tells listeners that the legality of these slot machines in gas stations is questionable, noting the issue is currently in litigation.
State Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrenburg), who represents mid-Missouri’s Cooper County in the listening area, disagrees. He’s issued a statement to 939 the Eagle, which says “the Missouri Constitution says state tax revenue from gaming must be used for education and veterans and currently that tax revenue does not fully fund our veterans homes and cemeteries. As a veteran of the Missouri Army National Guard, I will continue to fight to find a dedicated funding source for our veterans homes and cemeteries. Unfortunately, as a former pop singer, Rowden’s loyalties lie with getting the best deal for casinos, not the best deal for Missouri veterans and taxpayers.”
Meantime, Senate President Pro Tem Rowden says term limits are good but that Missouri’s term limits are bad. Missouri voters approved term limits in 1992, and state lawmakers can serve up to four terms in the House (eight years) and up to two four-year Senate terms (eight years) for a maximum of 16 years in Jefferson City. Senator Rowden tells 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” he’d like to see that tweaked and sent back to voters.
“I love the idea or I like the idea of saying ok you can just serve 16 years (in the Missouri Legislature) but you can do it wherever you want. Because instead of saying you can only serve eight and eight in either chamber, there’s a bunch of House members that are never going to run for the (Missouri) Senate, but if they’re there for 16 years they have the ability to really kind of put their roots down and figure out those ways to really serve their community well,” says Rowden.
You can listen to host Fred Parry’s full interview with Senator Rowden here.
(LISTEN): Kendrick predicts Boone County Nature School will be a gamechanger
Boone County’s presiding commissioner is ecstatic about the Boone County Nature School, which is being built in the Three Creeks Conservation Area just south of Columbia. Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick attended the recent dedication of the nature school’s Council House.
“And the coordination, cooperation with all (six) of the Boone County school districts as well is going to really be a gamechanger in the long term in Boone County,” Mr. Kendrick says.
The Boone County Nature School is a partnership between Columbia Public Schools (CPS), the Missouri Department of Conservation and the community, which includes all six Boone County school districts. CPS has committed $2-million for the nature school’s construction, while the Missouri Department of Conservation has committed $1-million. Commissioner Kendrick notes Boone County has contributed about $400,000, using federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. ARPA was signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Mr. Kendrick has been working on the Boone County Nature School issue since he was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014. He helped lead a bipartisan effort in Jefferson City to restore funding for the 111-acre project, which is in Three Creeks. Commissioner Kendrick tells 939 the Eagle that the nature school will provide an excellent educational experience to students.
“And just the experience to get out and have the educational piece kind of come to light in a natural setting enjoying nature, one of the best conservation areas in the state of Missouri (Three Creeks), it really will help connect kids with nature and will make sure that they understand the importance of our natural resources for a lifetime to come,” says Commissioner Kendrick.
He attended the recent dedication on the grounds, when the Columbia Audubon Society made a $30,000 donation for the nature school’s Council House portion. The Boone County Nature School is scheduled to be completed in June 2024.
CPS Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood predicts the new nature school will be a model for the state and the nation.
(AUDIO): State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) discusses her lieutenant governor bid on “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”
State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) is a veteran lawmaker in Jefferson City. She’s served more than 11 years in the Missouri Legislature: eight in the House and three in the Missouri Senate. She’s launched her candidacy for lieutenant governor and says she wants to unabashedly protect sacred Christian and conservative values. One of her landmark bills that was signed into law in 2021 was bipartisan prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) legislation. Senator Rehder joined us live on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri”, telling listeners that more than 70 percent of Missourians support PDMP. She also says her constituents in southeast Missouri back her transgender bill that becomes law on August 28. It requires athletes to participate in male or female competitive sports based on their gender at birth, through the collegiate level:
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