Clay County Lawmaker Joins Kinder’s Challenge to “Dear Colleague” Letter May 27, 2016

Clay County St. Rep. T.J. Berry says the Obama administration’s new regulation on transgender bathroom preference in public schools could encourage pedophile and child molesters.
“If I’m a pedophile and found in the other bathroom, now I just claim I’m transgender and it allows me to access it (the other bathroom)”
Berry is one of 108 Missouri state lawmakers who signed onto the letter from Lt . Peter Governor Kinder.
Kinder’s letter demands the Obama administration rescind the ‘Dear Colleague” letter sent out to US school districts earlier in May.
“your administration is seizing local control from public schools,” Kinder charges in the letter.
The letter says students who be able to use the bathroom of their preferred sexual identity rather than their gender at birth.
The “dear Colleague” letter from the Obama Education and Justice departments warned that district that do not comply are risking their federal funding.
11 states have sued the Obama administration challenging the regulation.
Kansas and Missouri, however, are not among them.

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.

Nixon Says Vetting Refugees is Feds Job November 16, 2015

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says Washington should implement the strongest possible safeguards when screening refugees entering the United States.

Nixon noted the screening process for refugees is a function of the US State Department and the federal Department of Homeland Security, not the state of Missouri.

At least three republican gubernatorial candidates, John Brunner, Peter Kinder and Catherine Hanaway called on Nixon to join other Governors in refusing to take in any refugees from Syria.
A backlash against accepting Syrian refugees accelerated Monday. One of the Paris attackers was discovered to have entered Europe posing as a Syrian refugee.

Earlier this year, Washington agreed to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees.
Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, who is also running for governor, says his office sent a letter to Nixon.
“ I urge you to refuse to accept any of Syrian refugees being located to Missouri until the federal government ensures a proper vetting procedure is in place,” Kinder wrote.

Catherine Hanaway asked Nixon to suspend accepting any Syrian refugees “until further security measure are put into place to understand who and where these refugees are coming from,”.

Another St. Louisan, John Brunner said “I call on Governor Nixon to reject President Obama’s plan to relocate Syrian refugees to Missouri”.

Earlier this year the international Institute of St. Louis indicated it would accept refugees from Syria.

It is unlikely any refugees are sent to Kansas City.

Hillary Cohen Singer of the refugee service of the Jewish Vocational Services group says refugees are usually sent to an area where a community is already established.

Cohen Singer says there are few Syrians in the Kansas City metro.

Peter Kinder 2016? July 10, 2015

Missouri’s Lt. Governor peter Kinder says he’ll reveal his political plans for 2016 this weekend.
Kinder has scheduled a news conference in suburban St. Louis late sunday afternoon.
Kinder was considered a likely candidate for Governor in 2012 but backed away from the campaign after a series of embarassing photos were published..
Jay Nixon won re-election in a landslide.
Instead he won a rare 3rd term as Missouri’s Lt. Governor.

Nasheed Steps Down from Mo. Black Caucus Chair, KC’s Ellington May Replace Her January 10, 2014

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Democratic chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, of St. Louis, said
Friday she decided to step down because of tension in the group about her appearance with the state’s Republican lieutenant governor.

The caucus’s vice-chairman, Rep. Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, will take over her duties until the 16-member group elects a successor, Nasheed said.

Ellington declined to comment on his status with the caucus or Nasheed’s resignation.

Sen. Nasheed,, and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder spoke together at a news conference in December.

The two were denouncing an informal deal to delay about $14 million in low-income housing tax credits to secure the Legislature’s passage of a $1.7 billion incentive package for Boeing.

“If anyone is willing to stand up on behalf of the indigent and the poor, then I will stand by you, side by side,” Nasheed said about appearing with Kinder.

Kinder was the only member of the state commission responsible for authorizing the credits to vote against the delay, which will last at least until March 13. The delay in tax credits awarded to low-income housing developers affects 32 developments that would have housed 1,654 units.

Nasheed said she resigned so the caucus could be unified this year in opposing Republican priorities, such as requiring photo identification at polling places and legislation to bar the payment of union fees as a condition of employment.

Nasheed became chairman of the caucus in 2013 following her election to the state Senate. She previously served six years in the House.