Cold Missouri Reception for Brownback’s Border War Truce April 20, 2016

(AP) – Missouri lawmakers appear uninterested in Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to end the business “border war” between the two states.

Brownback last week offered to reduce his state’s efforts to lure jobs away from the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area if Missouri’s lawmakers would in turn weaken a law they approved in 2014 addressing the issue.

The Kansas City Star reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1WFSKXT ) that some Missouri legislators say Brownback’s proposal wouldn’t completely stop incentives for businesses to relocate from Missouri to Kansas.

A current Missouri law offers a truce in the business fight if Kansas agrees to the law’s terms by Aug. 28.

Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, a Joplin Republican, says he has no desire to change the 2014 law in response to Brownback’s offer.

Cruz Passes on Missouri Primary Recount April 19, 2016

(AP) – Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won’t ask for a recount of his narrow loss to businessman Donald Trump in Missouri’s presidential primary.

Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the campaign won’t request the recount. Cruz had faced an end-of-Tuesday deadline to contest the results of the March 15 primary.

Trump defeated Cruz by 1,965 votes out of more than 939,000 cast in the Republican primary – a margin of about one-fifth of a percentage point.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defeated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by 1,574 votes out of more than 629,000 cast in the Democratic primary – a margin of one-quarter of a percentage point.

Sanders had said previously that he wouldn’t request a recount.

Lister Leads Field in Money Primary April 18, 2016

(AP) – Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster’s most recent fundraising has exceeded the combined total of all his Republican opponents in the race for Missouri governor, reports filed Friday with the Missouri Ethics Commission show.

Koster raised $2.2 million in cash and in-kind donations between the beginning of the year and the end of March, while his four Republican rivals raised just under $2.1 million. Koster’s $7.4 million in cash on hand is also larger than any of his GOP opponents’ campaign accounts.

Former Navy SEAL officer Eric Greitens topped the Republican field with about $1 million in donations, bringing his cash on hand to $4.1 million.

Former U.S. attorney and Missouri House speaker Catherine Hanaway reported raising about $558,000, but more than half of that came from in-kind contributions rather than cash, including $241,520 from the Missouri Club for Growth Political Action Committee. That donation was for radio ads that ran from February through the end of March, mostly on Christian and conservative talk radio programs, Hanaway spokesman Nick Maddux said.

Hanaway’s ended the quarter with more than $1.5 million on hand.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder raised about $332,000 this period, leaving him with about $624,000 in cash on hand.

St. Louis businessman John Brunner raised about $163,000. Although he raised the least in the Republican field, he has demonstrated an ability to self-fund his campaign. He spent more than $7.5 million of his own money on an unsuccessful race for U.S. Senate in 2012, and so far he has poured more than $3.7 million into this race.

Brunner’s campaign spent about $522,000 this quarter, topping the field. Koster’s campaign spent about $510,000, while Greitens spent about $320,000.

Greitens’ has faced criticism for not returning $1 million given to him in previous quarters from a donor accused of sexual abuse. The donor, Michael L. Goguen, has denied the allegations and does not appear on this quarter’s list of contributions.

Hanaway’s campaign spending, which does not include the radio ads, exceeded $207,000. Kinder spent about $149,000.

Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is barred from re-election because of term limits. The state’s primary elections are August 2.

Voters will also choose party nominees for new lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer and secretary of state – none of which have incumbent candidates this year.

Religious Liberty Measure Hearing Set for Tuesday in Jeff April 11, 2016

Missouri’s so-called religious freedom bill is scheduled for a House committee hearing early Tuesday evening.
Notices started going out Monday afternoon.
The measure would prevent anyone from being punished for refusing to do business with a same sex couple.
Business interests in Kansas City and in St. Louis are worried such a measure could cost the state business and some high profile sports events.
The Kansas City Sports Commission says even serious consideration of such a move could jeopardize the Commission’s ability to competitively bid for future NCAA events and championships.
Supporters say the measure is not a sword to discriminate with but a shield to protect Missourians’s their personal or religious convictions.
The measure has already passed the state Senate. If approved by the House the proposed constitutional amendment would gin on the state-wide ballot later this year.

Contempt Plan Against Planned Parenthood Advances April 7, 2016

(AP) – A proposal to censure a Planned Parenthood official is advancing to the floor of the Missouri Senate.
A Senate committee voted 5-2 Thursday to endorse holding regional Planned Parenthood CEO Mary Kogut in contempt of the Senate, which can entail a fine and 10 days in jail
The resolution would demand she come to the Senate to answer why she has not complied with a subpoena involving lawmakers’ investigation into fetal tissue donation.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Kehoe said he expects the Senate to vote on the contempt resolutions next week.