Missouri House Changes Rules, Bills Must Clear 2 Committees January 15, 2015

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri House will require most bills to go through two committees before moving to the full chamber this year.

The House adopted rules Thursday requiring bills to pass through a regular committee and then a select committee before being sent to the floor.

House Majority Leader Todd Richardson, of Poplar Bluff, says the process will bring better vetting of legislation, more single-subject bills and improved transparency.

Democratic Rep. John Rizzo, of Kansas City, says the changes will improve the legislative process.

But Rizzo failed in an attempt to change the rules to allow lawmakers to draft amendments after a bill is brought up and introduce the amendment before it’s fully distributed.

Richardson says distributing amendments in advance keeps the process transparent.

Controversial Plan for KC Schools Due Monday January 12, 2014

(AP) – A private education reform group is preparing to release its recommendations for turning around Missouri’s unaccredited school systems, even as debate swirls over whether the consultant was appropriately awarded the contract.

The Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust, or CEE-Trust, (AP) – A private education reform group is preparing to release its recommendations for turning around Missouri’s unaccredited school systems, even as debate swirls over whether the consultant was appropriately awarded the contract.

The Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust, or CEE-Trust, has been tasked with coming up with ideas that could be implemented in the Kansas City school district and potentially also in Normandy, Riverview Gardens – both in St. Louis County – or any other districts that become unaccredited. CEE-Trust was started by The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education reform nonprofit that operates a charter school incubator.

The firm, which will make its draft recommendations to the State Board of Education on Monday afternoon, was awarded the contract last fall as a new state law took effect giving the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education greater powers to intervene in troubled schools. But Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro received criticism from some lawmakers and community organizations after emails raised questions about the bidding process used to select CEE-Trust.

Key among the concerns is that the state initially sought to hire CEE-Trust without putting the project out to bid, according to emails obtained through an open records request by the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity , an interfaith social justice organization also known as MORE2, and provided to The Kansas City Star. After the state board balked at a no-bid contract and other entities were invited to submit bids, CEE-Trust still came out the winner, even though its bid was nearly three times higher than the closest competitor.

MORE2 executive director Lora McDonald said her group was among several that called for the state to pull the plug on the study until contract questions were answered. She said she also has concerns because she believes that the soon-to-be unveiled proposal will recommend the expansion of charter schools in unaccredited districts. She noted that the Kaufman Foundation, one of two foundations bankrolling CEE-Trust’s contract, is a charter backer that has opened its own charter school.

“We have gone through this rabbit hole of creating a few high-quality schools, but, who goes to them?” McDonald asked. “It’s the children whose parents are on top of their game, and those kids are going to get a good education because they have parents who are capable of facilitating that, no matter which school they are in. I think what is left behind is kids whose families have the greatest level of need and the least ability to access the privatization movement.”

Following the Star’s story about the emails, two groups of state lawmakers called last month for investigations, and Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich is considering whether to audit the department. been tasked with coming up with ideas that could be implemented in the Kansas City school district and potentially also in Normandy, Riverview Gardens – both in St. Louis County – or any other districts that become unaccredited. CEE-Trust was started by The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education reform nonprofit that operates a charter school incubator.

The firm, which will make its draft recommendations to the State Board of Education on Monday afternoon, was awarded the contract last fall as a new state law took effect giving the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education greater powers to intervene in troubled schools. But Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro received criticism from some lawmakers and community organizations after emails raised questions about the bidding process used to select CEE-Trust.

Key among the concerns is that the state initially sought to hire CEE-Trust without putting the project out to bid, according to emails obtained through an open records request by the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity , an interfaith social justice organization also known as MORE2, and provided to The Kansas City Star. After the state board balked at a no-bid contract and other entities were invited to submit bids, CEE-Trust still came out the winner, even though its bid was nearly three times higher than the closest competitor.

MORE2 executive director Lora McDonald said her group was among several that called for the state to pull the plug on the study until contract questions were answered. She said she also has concerns because she believes that the soon-to-be unveiled proposal will recommend the expansion of charter schools in unaccredited districts. She noted that the Kaufman Foundation, one of two foundations bankrolling CEE-Trust’s contract, is a charter backer that has opened its own charter school.

“We have gone through this rabbit hole of creating a few high-quality schools, but, who goes to them?” McDonald asked. “It’s the children whose parents are on top of their game, and those kids are going to get a good education because they have parents who are capable of facilitating that, no matter which school they are in. I think what is left behind is kids whose families have the greatest level of need and the least ability to access the privatization movement.”

Following the Star’s story about the emails, two groups of state lawmakers called last month for investigations, and Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich is considering whether to audit the department.

Rizzo Wants Missouri Execution Delay While Lethal Injections are Checked January 12, 2014

(AP) – The mystery swirling around where Missouri prison officials obtain the drug for lethal injections is prompting demands to halt executions until the source is revealed, including one lawmaker who wants to impose a moratorium before a scheduled execution this month.

The Missouri Department of Corrections maintains that the drug maker is part of the execution team and is therefore protected by state privacy laws. Other states have taken similar positions, in part because of backlash against the drug makers by anti-death penalty advocates.

But with the chorus of concerns mounting – including harsh criticism from a federal judge and lawsuits – Rep. John Rizzo said Friday that he plans to introduce legislation on Monday that would halt executions through most of 2014. It also would create a commission to look into the concerns.

The Kansas City Democrat said the state needs to assure the public that the execution process is fair and the drug, pentobarbital, was legally obtained.

“We’re here to make sure the government is working the way it’s supposed to and not circumventing the process, circumventing laws,” he said.

Attorneys for death-row inmates, including Herbert Smulls, scheduled for execution on Jan. 29, also have called on the state’s U.S. attorneys and the Missouri Board of Pharmacy to investigate if laws were broken in obtaining the drug. The demands came after St. Louis Public Radio and the St. Louis Beacon, citing information pieced together from public records requests, reported that Missouri obtained its pentobarbital doses from a compounding pharmacy in Oklahoma that isn’t licensed to do business in Missouri.

“Missouri is breaking the law to execute people and they are doing it under the cover of darkness,” said Smulls’ attorney, Cheryl Pilate.

Corrections Department spokesman David Owen declined an interview request from The Associated Press. But he said in an email, “the process that is utilized relating to the acquisition of drugs used in executions is in compliance with all laws.”

A spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster declined comment.

Rep. Paul Fitzwater, chairman of the House Corrections Committee, where Rizzo’s bill would likely be assigned, said it was too early to speculate on the chances of Rizzo’s bill passing

Lawmaker’s Uncle Pleads Guilty to Election Fraud May 14, 2013

(AP) – The uncle of a Democratic Missouri lawmaker has pleaded guilty to voter fraud in an election that his nephew won by a single vote.

John Moretina pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to giving false information when registering and voting. Moretina lived in Gladstone but admitted to giving a false address in July 2010 that allowed him to vote in the 40th House District where his nephew John Rizzo was a candidate.

Rizzo defeated Will Royster by a single vote in the August 2010 Democratic primary. Royster alleged voter fraud at the time but an appeals court rejected his request for a new election.

Rizzo won re-election last year and remains in the Missouri House. He said Tuesday that he had not been contacted by authorities about his uncle’s activities.

Missouri Dems Outraise Republican Rivals October 16, 2012

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Most of the Democratic candidates for Missouri executive offices held a substantial cash advantage over their Republican opponents as they entered the final month before the November elections, according to reports released Monday.
Quarterly financial figures show Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon had more than $4.9 million in his campaign account at the start of October, compared with $1.5 million for his Republican challenger, St. Louis businessman Dave Spence. Democrats also had large financial advantages in every other statewide race except for lieutenant governor.
The October finance reports typically are important because they show how much cash a candidate has remaining for ads and other campaign activities in the final weeks before Election Day.
In the case of the governor’s race, Nixon’s hefty bank account means he should have plenty of resources to continue broadcasting his message as he seeks to convert his lead in the public opinion polls into a second term. But Nixon’s greater than 3-to-1 cash advantage is not necessarily insurmountable for Spence, who could tap into his personal wealth. Spence previously loaned and gave his campaign a total of $4 million, but he has not put more of his own money into the race since shortly after winning the August Republican primary.
A competitive primary drained the campaign account of Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. But Monday’s reports show Kinder had essentially pulled even financially with his Democratic challenger, former State Auditor Susan Montee, in a race that so far has received little public attention. Heading into October, Montee reported about $270,000 in her campaign account and Kinder nearly $268,000.
Democratic State Treasurer Clint Zweifel held a large financial advantage over his Republican challenger, state Rep. Cole McNary. Although the candidates raised similar amounts of money during the quarterly reporting period, Zweifel started with a substantially larger base and had nearly $1.3 remaining in his campaign account at the beginning of October, compared with $161,000 for McNary
Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster reporting raising and spending – and still having – substantially more money than his Republican challenger, Ed Martin. Koster’s campaign reported more than $2.5 million on hand at the start of October, compared with a little less than $525,000 for Martin.
There is no incumbent in Missouri’s secretary of state’s race, because Democratic Robin Carnahan is not seeking a third term. But the Democratic candidate, state Rep. Jason Kander, reported far more money in his campaign account than the Republican candidate, state Rep. Shane Schoeller, who had to spend a considerable amount to win a GOP primary.
The finance reports show that Kander had almost $1.1 million in his account at the start of October, compared a little over $297,000 for Schoeller.