January 10, 2024 | Posted in News
HAPPY NEW YEAR. THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY. I’M CODY HOLYOKE. THE NEW YEAR MEANS NEW MOVEMENT IN MISSOURI ON IMPORTANT ISSUES AFFECTING OUR TAXES, OUR FAMILIES, EVEN OUR VOTES. ON WEDNESDAY, STATE LAWMAKERS GAVELED IN TO START THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THEY’RE BACK WITH HOPES TO DO BETTER THIS YEAR. THE END OF THE LAST SESSION CAME TO A GRINDING HALT, THANKS IN PART TO LAST MINUTE PUSHBACK ON A SPORTS BETTING BILL IN THE SENATE. ON THE HOUSE SIDE, FOR THEIR PART, LEADERS ARE KEEPING AN OPTIMISTIC TONE AS THEY GET STARTED. IT’S HARD TO PASS A BILL AND IT SHOULD BE, BUT WE HAVE TO DO THE JOB. I SIGNED UP FOR THIS. I WELCOME THE CHALLENGE. WE’RE GOING TO PASS GOOD STUFF. HOPE THE SENATE WORKS WITH US. BUT I’M OPTIMISTIC. WE ARE APPREHENSIVE TO WHAT THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR. BUT WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THERE MAY BE SOME ROOM FOR SOME BIPARTISAN THINGS TO DO. SO HIGH HOPES AS WE KICK OFF THE SESSION. BUT LAWMAKERS CERTAINLY HAVE THEIR WORK CUT OUT FOR THEM. THEY ALREADY HAVE TO SORT THROUGH A PILE OF MORE THAN 1300 BILLS FILED BEFORE THE SESSION EVEN STARTED. WE’RE SEEING MANY OF THE SAME PRIORITIES THIS YEAR. OF COURSE, SPORTS BETTING IS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT. HUNDREDS OF BILLS HAVE TO DO WITH SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION. NEARLY THREE DOZEN DEAL WITH ABORTION IN SOME WAY, AND 19 DISCUSSED THE INITIATIVE PETITION PROCESS, THE WAY THE PEOPLE OF MISSOURI ARE ABLE TO GET A MEASURE PASSED WITHOUT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. THERE’S EVEN A PUSH RIGHT NOW TO PREVENT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FROM REVERSING LAWS THE PEOPLE ENACT THROUGH THE PETITION PROCESS, WITHOUT ANOTHER VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOE ADAMS OF SAINT LOUIS AREA DEMOCRAT, TELLS ME HE’S SPONSORING THIS BILL AS A WAY TO THWART POLITICIANS FROM PICKING APART THESE MEASURES AFTER THE FACT. THEY DON’T LIKE WHAT THE CITIZENS PUT TOGETHER. YOU SHOULD SIMPLY DO YOUR JOB AND DO SOMETHING AND CREATE THE PIECE OF LEGISLATION TO ENFORCE IT, OR TO ESTABLISH WHAT THE CITIZENS ARE ASKING. LAST YEAR, ADAMS PITCHED A SIMILAR BILL THAT, LIKE MANY OTHERS, STALLED IN COMMITTEE. SO WHAT WILL LAWMAKERS BE ABLE TO GET DONE THIS YEAR? LET’S DISCUSS WITH OUR FIRST ROUNDTABLE OF 2024, PLEASE WELCOME BACK. BRIAN ELLISON, HOST, CONTRIBUTOR WITH KCUR AND KMBC NINE POLITICAL REPORTER MICHAEL MAHONEY. HAPPY NEW YEAR, GENTLEMEN. THE QUESTION IS IN JEFF CITY, WILL IT STAY A HAPPY NEW YEAR OR WILL WE SEE MORE ROADBLOCKS AND INFIGHTING? IT’S GOING TO BE AN UGLY YEAR IN JEFFERSON CITY. THERE THEY HAVE SOME THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO GET DONE MOST DIRECTLY. THE BUDGET THAT BY LAW, THEY’VE ALSO GOT TO REENACT THE FRA. THE FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR FOR MEDICAID, FOR HOSPITALS, AND THEN THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE CAMPAIGNING FOR OFFICE AND MAKING ELECTION SPEECHES AND CASTING VOTES ON THE FLOORS OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE THAT ARE DIRECTLY INTENDED FOR CAMPAIGN FODDER IN THE FALL. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE A A A PRETTY SESSION. RIGHT. AND REMEMBER THAT THAT IT WAS NOT A PRETTY SESSION LAST YEAR WHEN THERE WASN’T AN ELECTION. THERE WAS ALREADY CONSIDERABLE DISAGREEMENT, PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS ON THE SENATE SIDE, WHICH HAD THE POWER AND AND DID, IN FACT DISRUPT THE PROCEEDINGS AND KEEP A LOT OF REPUBLICAN PRIORITIES FROM GETTING PASSED. THE REALITY IS THAT IN AN ELECTION YEAR, BY OUR COUNT, FIVE SENATORS ARE RUNNING FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE. THAT’S OUT OF 34. UH, AT LEAST A DOZEN OR SO REPRESENTATIVES ARE RUNNING AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR SENATE SEATS. IT’S GOING TO BE A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR TO TO SEE MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS HAPPEN. THAT’S NOT SURPRISING, BECAUSE AN ELECTION YEAR SESSIONS GENERALLY ARE NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE. THIS ONE HOLDS THE POTENTIAL FOR NOT BEING VERY PRODUCTIVE AT ALL. NO. IN ITALICS. YEAH. AND YOU HAVE THE CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS THAT HAD DISBANDED. BUT THEY’RE THE FREEDOM CAUCUS NOW. THEY’RE ALREADY MAKING WAVES. RIGHT. ON THE VERY OPENING DAY OF SESSION ON WEDNESDAY OF THIS WEEK, YOU SAW INDEED, UH, SPEECHES THAT SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF TRUST IN SENATE LEADERSHIP. THIS IS, AGAIN, REPUBLICAN VERSUS REPUBLICAN CONFLICTS. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BODE WELL FOR PRODUCTIVITY. LET’S TALK ABOUT TAXES, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THAT’S COMING UP IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, RIGHT IN IN JEFFERSON CITY, THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF, UH, EFFORTS TO LOWER TAXES OF SOME SORT. THERE’S ALSO GOING TO BE A POSSIBILITY, A STRONG POSSIBILITY. I THINK THAT JEFFERSON CITY LOOKS AT TRYING TO ADDRESS THE ENTIRE PROPERTY TAX, REASSESS, UH, PROGRAM IN THE THROUGHOUT THE OUT THE STATE OVER IN KANSAS, UH, THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, UH, IS ABSOLUTELY INTENT ON GETTING SOME SORT OF TAX CUT PASSED AND THEY’RE ALREADY AT LOGGERHEADS WITH GOVERNOR LAURA KELLY, WHO WANTS MEDICAID EXPANSION AGAIN TO BE HER TOP PRIORITY. AND THE REPUBLICANS WANT TAX CUTS, RIGHT. WE’RE SEEING SIMILAR THINGS IN BOTH STATES, RIGHT. JUST LIKE YOU SAID, COMING TO LOGGERHEADS HERE. WE MENTIONED SPORTS BETTING, RIGHT. IS THAT FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN IN MISSOURI? YOU WOULD THINK SO. BUT THEN AGAIN, WE THOUGHT THAT LAST YEAR THERE’S BY BROAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT TO LEGALIZE SPORTS WAGERING IN MISSOURI. BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO BE TIED UP IN THE DEMAND ON THE PART OF A FEW THAT THAT THESE VIDEO LOTTERY MACHINES, A PARTICULAR SORT OF GAMBLING, BE AUTHORIZED OR CLEARLY LEGALIZED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SPORTS GAMBLING, UH, IS THERE ENOUGH MOVEMENT, ENOUGH MOMENTUM FOR SPORTS BETTING? OBVIOUSLY, MISSOURI IS SEEING A LOT OF SPORTS GAMBLERS GO ACROSS STATE LINES TO PLACE THEIR BETS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF NEGATIVE PUBLICITY OUT OF KANSAS ABOUT HOW LITTLE MONEY THE THE STATE IS ACTUALLY MAKING FROM SPORTS WAGERING IN AN ELECTION YEAR. I’M JUST NOT SURE IT’S GOING TO GET ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AGAIN. THE BEST POSSIBILITY FOR THAT HAPPENING IN MISSOURI MAY BE TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT AS AN INITIATIVE PETITION, THE LEADING SPORTS PRO SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE, THE ROYALS, THE CHIEFS, THE CARDINALS, THE BLUES OVER IN SAINT LOUIS ARE ALL BEHIND THIS, AND IT’S LIKELY THAT IF IT DOESN’T GET THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE, WHICH I THINK IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT BRIAN JUST ESTABLISHED, UM, THAT IT THIS COULD BE ON THE ON THE BALLOT AND THE OTHER THING THAT MAY BE ALSO ON THE BALLOT IS, UH, TRYING TO INCREASE THE THRESHOLD FOR ANY INITIATIVE PETITION TO, TO GET ENACTED. WELL, THEY FAILED LAST TIME AROUND, BUT NOW THEY SEE WHAT’S COMING, POTENTIALLY WITH AN ABORTION INITIATIVE PETITION IN 2024. RIGHT. THAT’S POTENTIALLY, I THINK, THE MOST IMPORTANT LEGISLATION THAT VERY WELL COULD COME OUT OF OF THIS SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IF VOTERS ARE ASKED TO, TO, TO, TO RAISE THE THRESHOLD FOR APPROVING CITIZEN INITIATIVES THAT COULD HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR EVERYTHING FROM ABORTION TO SPORTS GAMBLING TO, TO, TO FUTURE TAX INCREASES, TO, TO PAY FOR NECESSARY STATE FUNCTIONS. AND SO A LOT IS RIDING ON THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE. YEAH, WE MENTIONED KANSAS REAL QUICK BECAUSE I KNOW THEY START TOMORROW. SO WHAT SHOULD WE BE WATCHING AS THEY GET UNDERWAY. AS I SAID I THINK IT’S THE IT’S THE BIG BATTLE WITH GOVERNOR KELLY INTENT ONCE AGAIN TO TRY AND GET MEDICAID EXPANSION INTO ONE OF THE FEW STATES. I THINK THERE’S AROUND TEN IN THE ENTIRE NATION THAT HAVE NOT EXPANDED, UH, MEDICAID AND THE INTENTION AND THE WILL OR THE WISH OF THE THE LEGISLATORS AND THE LEADERSHIP IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE TO USE SOME OF THE SURPLUS THAT KANSAS HAS AND GIVE IT, UH, GIVE A TAX BREAK TO, UH, TO KANSANS. AND THEY MAY ALSO BE TALKING ABOUT PROPERTY TAX REFORM IN KANSAS AS WELL, AMONG MANY OTHER