Top Three Takeaways of the Week | |
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Senate Passes "Defund Planned Parenthood" Legislation:
The Senate tackled a Republican Caucus priority and, after over eight hours of debate, passed the “Defund Planned Parenthood” bill on a partisan vote. The bill now moves to the House, where it requires one final vote before being sent to the Governor. The Democrats managed to extract some undisclosed concessions from Republicans before the bill came to a vote at 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The tempo of the Senate over the final five weeks of session will likely be influenced to some degree by how quickly the House processes this bill and sends it to the Governor. Missouri Right to Life has claimed it will obstruct Senate progress on other key bills, particularly insisting on no movement on the renewal of the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA), which provides over $4 billion in funding for the state’s health care programs, until the House acts on the Planned Parenthood bill. Without the renewal of this funding source, the state budget would be unstable. For this reason, the Senate seeks certainty on the renewal of that legislation before passing the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which is due on the Governor’s desk by May 10th. This type of leverage and drama between parties, legislative chambers, and stakeholders is typical for this time of year, though it has been unusually tense throughout the 2024 legislative session.
House Perfects Proposal to Move U.S. Owned Manufacturing from China to Missouri:
Last week, the House worked on several bills, headlined by the Advanced Manufacturing Act, which grants assistance to companies wanting to relocate their offshore facilities currently located in “adversary countries,” as determined by the US Department of Defense. While some conservative lawmakers are hesitant to support tax credits, which can be criticized for picking winners and losers if they serve as incentives for specific businesses, Rep. Ben Baker, a prominent leader within the House conservative caucus, added an amendment that brought many of the conservatives on-board with the legislation. This amendment requires the Department of Economic Development to prioritize applications from U.S.-owned companies relocating their manufacturing from China or other foreign adversaries. This amendment, which passed 133-0, combined with the provision that any company willing to invest $1 billion and create 500 or more jobs qualifies, appears to have generated bipartisan support. Proponents noted that many companies are planning to repatriate these facilities and see this as a crucial step for economic development and national security.
Budget Watch:
The Senate will begin revealing their version of the budget late this week or early next week, giving them three weeks to meet the constitutional deadline for passing a budget. Missouri cannot enact continuing resolutions or other extensions. Precisely at 6 p.m., not a minute later, on May 10, the budget must be passed; otherwise, the House and Senate will have to return to "GO" and start the entire process over. This could lead to what most want to avoid—a Special Session! We remain highly confident that the budget will be completed on time.
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Polling Data on Senate 3 GOP Primary | |
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In April 2024, Remington Research Group conducted a comprehensive survey for the Missouri Scout, polling 301 likely 2024 Republican Primary Election voters in Missouri. The survey, with a margin of error of +/-5.6% with a 95% confidence level, offers valuable insights into voter attitudes towards several Republican primary races.
Republican Primary for Missouri State Senate District Three
- Mike Henderson: 31%
- Cyndi Buchheit-Courtway: 19%
- Undecided: 50%
What is your opinion of Senator Elaine Gannon?
- Favorable: 31%
- Unfavorable: 14%
- No opinion: 55%
Generally speaking, do you think it's better to expand charter school options or keep resources focused on existing public schools?
- Expand Charters: 38%
- Focus on Existing: 44%
- Not sure: 18%
Generally speaking, should your representative fight for Republican values even if it means gridlock OR should they be willing to compromise with Democrats in order to get something done?
- Fight: 63%
- Compromise: 26%
- Not sure: 11%
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View Legislation by Subject | |
Below is a list of filed bills sorted by subject. We will keep this updated throughout the legislative session. | |
Lawmaker Profile - Tara Peters (R-Rolla) | |
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Rep. Tara Peters
Republican - Rolla
OCCUPATION: Realtor
HIGHER EDUCATION: Purdue University Calumet
BUSINESS: Tara Peters-Realty Executives Ferrell Associates
BIOGRAPHY: Representative Tara Peters, a Republican, represents Phelps County (District 122) in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was elected to her first term in November 2022.
In addition to her service as a legislator, Peters is a real estate agent with Realty Executives – Ferrell Associates. She and her husband also own and operate Pete’s Pumpkin Patch, which is a small farm and agri-tourism destination.
Peters is a dedicated public servant who has served in a variety of leadership and volunteer roles with organizations that work to promote the well-being of families, children, and seniors. During her time as the President of Rolla Junior Club she helped raise funds to purchase playground equipment for a city park and provide scholarships to deserving students. She also helped provide financial support and opportunities for retired senior volunteers through her service as a board member for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
Currently, she serves on the board of the M.U. Extension Council for Phelps County, which promotes educational programs for families in surrounding counties. She also is entering her sixth year as a member on the Missouri Farm Bureau Agri-Tourism Board.
Peters is a graduate of Purdue University – Calumet, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Communications.
Born in Valparaiso, Indiana, Peters currently resides in Rolla with her husband, Chris, and their two children, Landon and Ledger.
COMMITTEES:
BILLS SPONSORED:
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HB1663 - (4001H.01I) - Establishes written parental consent requirements for individualized education programs (IEPs)
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HB1664 - (3629H.01I) - Modifies provisions relating to the establishment of hospitals
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HB1665 - (3633H.01I) - Modifies provisions relating to the investment of moneys by county hospitals
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HB1666 - (3557H.01I) - Creates provisions relating to temporary licenses for dietitians
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HB1852 - (4136H.01I) - Requires implementation of health and safety measures in public schools
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HB2190 - (4800H.02I) - Enacts provisions relating to continuous insurance coverage of self-administered hormonal contraceptives
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HB2267 - (4887H.03P) - Creates provisions relating to insurance coverage of pharmacy services
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HB2413 - (5162H.03C) - Creates provisions relating to health care
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HB2653 - (5537H.01I) - Establishes the "CW2 Rusten Smith Memorial Highway" in Phelps County
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- Tom Dempsey added Mercy Healthcare Systems.
- George Oestreich added Seguridad, Inc; and deleted Logan & Seiler, Inc.
- David Sweeney added Northpoint Development; and deleted Missouri Restaurant Association.
- Eapen Thampy added J. Rieger & Co.
- Jeffrey Altmann added CBD Kratom.
- Samantha Davis added Bayer US.
- Daniel Paul Diaz added Citizens for Sound Money.
- Chandra Hendren added Heritage Action for America.
- Irl Scissors and Sarah Wood Martin added National Strategies, LLC OBO COMPASS Pathways.
- Kent Kaiser added Kent Kaiser.
Source: Missouri Ethics Commission
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Campaign Contributions Over $5,000 | |
| TO: | FROM: | AMOUNT: | | Affton Firefighter Action Committee to Elect | Mark Bryant | $7,000 | | American Dream PAC (pro-Kehoe) | John Danforth | $5,650 | | American Dream PAC | Beau Brauer | $5,650 | | Bootheel Values PAC (pro-Burger) | Drury Development Corporation | $5,200 | | Democratic Coalition Kansas City | Kansas City Royals Baseball Club | $10,000 | | Families for a Strong St. Joseph | American Advancement, Inc. (Hyattsville, MD) | $14,000 | | Forward Jackson County | Kansas City Royals Baseball Club | $10,000 | | Friends For Safety | Pattonville Professional Firefighters | $5,955 | | HBS MO State PAC | Midwest Solar Devco CEI, LLC (Scottsdale, AZ) | $10,000 | | Lincoln PAC (pro-Hough) | IAFF FIREPAC VIC Missouri (Washington, DC) | $15,000 | | Lincoln PAC | Corwin | $10,000 | | Missouri American Water Company Employees Political Action Committee | Loellke Plumbing LLC (Jerseyville, IL) | $15,000 | | Missouri First | Republic Services (Phoenix, AZ) | $30,000 | | Missourians for Constitutional Freedom (pro-reproductive rights IP) | American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. (New York, NY) | $7,068 | | Missourians for Constitutional Freedom | American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri | $400,000 | | Missourians for Constitutional Freedom | Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action | $27,500 | | Missourians for Constitutional Freedom | Abortion Action Missouri Foundation | $10,591 | | Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages (higher minimum wage) | Missouri Organizing and Voter Engagement Collaborative | $8,305 | | Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages | Missouri Jobs with Justice Voter Action | $63,871 | | Missourians for Healthy Families & Fair Wages | Missouri Jobs with Justice | $10,876 | | Missourians for Truth in Petitioning (anti-Ozark casino IP) | Strategic Capital Consultants, LLC | $46,216 | | MSCEW PAC Federal Cmte | IBEW PAC Voluntary Fund (Washington, DC) | $13,000 | | Protect Majority Rule | American Civil Liberties Union, Inc. (New York, NY) | $50,000 | | Protect Majority Rule | The Fairness Project (Washington, DC) | $6,678 | | Sander for Missouri | Christopher Sander | $5,001 | | Together Missouri PAC (pro-Hamra) | Rose Mary McGuire | $10,000 | | Winning for Missouri Education (pro-sports betting IP) | Betfair Interactive US, LLC (Jersey City, NJ) | $1,625,000 | | |
Source: Missouri Ethics Commission | |
- Friday, May 10: Deadline to pass Fiscal Year 25 Budget
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Friday, May 17: Last Day of Session
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Wednesday, September 11: Veto Session
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