Welcome back to Under the Dome, your weekly update on the goings-on of the Missouri state legislature.
Majority rule under threat as resolution stripping voters of rights moves to House
This week, the Missouri Senate moved forward legislation that would end majority rule in Missouri, taking away rights that Missourians have utilized for more than 100 years to keep legislators accountable and advance legislation favored by voters.
Thanks to a strong pushback by key legislators, Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman’s SJR74 was stripped of “ballot candy.” The resolution now moves to the House for debate, where extreme politicians are threatening to return “ballot candy,” a blatant admission of resorting to trickery to steamroll their permanent plans to take voters’ rights.
Coleman speaking about purposefully including “ballot candy” in SJR74 on the floor of the Missouri Senate, via Missouri Senate Communications video.
The resolution approved in the Senate would require what’s called a concurrent majority, meaning that in addition to passing the entire state, any constitutional ballot issue would also need to be approved by a majority vote in five of the state’s eight congressional districts. According to an analysis from the Missouri Independent, as few as 23% of voters – a majority in the four districts with the lowest number of voters in 2020 and 2022 – could defeat a statewide ballot measure.
The legislature continues to ignore public outcry to their plans to end majority rule, which has been overwhelming and bipartisan.
Progress MO is calling on Missourians from all parts of the state to urgently contact their legislators to demand that they vote no on these efforts to dismantle majority rule and seize their rights in Missouri.
Freedom Caucus members smear KC dad, spread fear and hate
Denton Loudermill and his family in their neighborhood, via family photo shared with the Kansas City Star.
This week also featured continued swamp creature behavior from the “Freedom” Caucus when members and the Caucus’s own social media channels were caught falsely accusing a KC dad of being a mass shooter and illegal immigrant.
Three Missouri lawmakers shared posts with a photo of a man that claimed him as one of the suspects in the mass shooting, which killed one person and injured more than 20 people. The post not only smeared an innocent man but also falsely fueled illegal immigration fears.
Asked for an apology, lawmakers instead doubled down. As reported in the Kansas City Star, Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville and chair of the hard-right Missouri Freedom Caucus, refused to apologize or even recognize that they did anything wrong.
“I’m not even commenting on that,” Brattin told the Kansas City Star. “That’s not even part of the discussion.”
When pressed, Brattin signaled that he didn’t think his false post was worth an apology.
“There’s nothing that I even see – even worth that,” he said. “So we’ve done nothing. And, you know, I have no comment.”
House Speaker under fire for yet another scandal
Finally, this week the St. Louis Post-Dispatch exposed that so-called “lifelong conservative” Dean Plocher doubled his office’s payroll in the past five years while embroiled in a series of ongoing scandals.
After firing two of his employees and watching as another resigned amid a midterm shake-up, the embattled House Speaker is overseeing an office payroll that could cost taxpayers double the amount it under then-Speaker Elijah Haahr in February 2020.
According to payroll records provided by the House human resources office, the annual payroll for the speaker’s office as of Feb. 1 was $746,427, compared to $495,832 in his maiden year as the leader of the Legislature’s lower chamber.
As 2023 comes to a close, Progress Missouri wanted to reflect on the year in Missouri politics: the good, the bad and the ugly.
There were some standout moments, each as unique as the stars in the sky – or the zodiac signs’ personalities.
Read on to find out which Missouri political moment best exemplified your star sign this year!
Aries: Bill Eigel’s Staged “Book Burning”
Aries are the first fire sign of the zodiac: they’re bold, confident and fiercely competitive. They’re also impulsive, and often respond with emotion instead of logic.
Enter Bill Eigel’s staged book burning from earlier this year. In a bid for attention on his longshot gubernatorial campaign, State Sen. Eigel burned boxes with a flamethrower, saying when he became governor he would burn books “on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion.”
Taurus: The Most Unproductive Legislative Session In MO History
Tauruses are known for their dedication and resolve, but sometimes that dedication appears as stubbornness.
Geminis are communicators at heart – they love to text, talk and tweet. But the more online you are, the more likely you are to screw something up. When Gemini missteps, they’re happy to just … move on.
Leo: AG Bailey’s Desperate Attempts To Make Headlines
Leo might be one of the most recognizable zodiac signs, in part because they’re always trying to get in the spotlight! For Leos, it’s easy to be the center of attention because of their natural charisma.
Virgos are diligent and methodical perfectionists. They have high expectations and can be critical of others if they’re not careful. Because they are perfectionists, they often believe they know what’s best for everyone, and they’re not afraid to call you out if you step out of line.
This year, the Missouri state legislators took drastic measures in their attempts to force us to do what they want us to do. They considered laws banning birth control for low-income Missourians and tried to bring an end to majority rule. The legislature would benefit from trusting that Missourians know what is best for their communities and letting go of their control issues.
Libra: Mitt Romney’s Scathing Commentary On Josh Hawley
Libras are natural diplomats and peacekeepers – but they also love a good gossip sesh every now and again.
Sagittarius: Bill Eigel’s Insane Pre-Filed Bills For 2024
Sagittarius is known for being multifaceted and extremely passionate. Sagittarians are natural entertainers, but struggle with practicality and commitment.
Aquarius: Missourians Fighting Back Against Politicians Who Want To End Majority Rule
Aquarians are known for their rebellious streak: more than any other sign, they crave the freedom to make their own decisions. Plus, they’re natural humanitarians, passionate about fighting to make the world a better place.
Early next year, Pluto will enter Aquarius, symbolizing a new era of transformation. Pluto in Aquarius represents humanity and serving the common good. We’re dealing with big stuff here: changing power dynamics and developing empowerment as a community. That sounds great for everyone in Missouri who is over the status quo.
Before the House committee investigating Plocher reconvenes Dec. 6, here’s a debrief on what’s happened so far.
Plocher Threatened To Fire An Employee For Exposing His Government Contract Scheme
As previously reported by the Missouri Independent, Plocher committed “unethical and perhaps unlawful conduct” in seeking an expensive government contract that could benefit elected officials running for office. Then, he announced his own campaign for Lieutenant Governor.
Plocher Used Campaign Funds To Pay For Travel, Lied About It, And Got The State To Reimburse His Campaign
Plocher used taxpayer dollars to reimburse his campaign nine times since taking office in 2018. He signed sworn affidavits saying he had used personal funds, not campaign funds, to pay for travel when seeking reimbursement – a blatant lie. These illegal reimbursements could violate both state and federal law.
Plocher Fired His Chief of Staff – And Replaced Him With A Criminal
After the two ethics violations above and extensive public pressure, the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Plocher.
House Ethics Committee MUST Investigate Speaker Dean Plocher For His Repeated Violations of the Law
On September 22, reports by the Missouri Independent revealed that Speaker of the Missouri House Dean Plocher, a Republican representative from Des Peres, had committed “unethical and perhaps unlawful conduct” in seeking an expensive government contract that could benefit elected officials running for office.
Missourians were still reeling from an elected official and statewide political candidate breaking the law when the Missouri Independent published another devastating report revealing that Plocher had broken the law multiple times.
New Report Shows Plocher Used Campaign Funds To Pay For Travel, Lied About It, And Got The State To Reimburse His Campaign
According to the Missouri Independent,
On at least nine occasions since 2018, Plocher spent campaign money [on travel expenses] and then also sought reimbursement from the legislature…
In each instance, Plocher was required to sign a sworn statement declaring that he had used “personal funds” to pay the expenses.
Campaign and legal experts interviewed by The Independent say an elected official is allowed to use campaign money for official business. Or, they can use personal money and then request reimbursement from the state.
But doing both could violate state and federal law.
Plocher took money from Missouri taxpayers to reimburse his campaign and lied about it. And it may have broken several laws.
Tell Your Legislators – Plocher Is No Longer Fit For Office
We can work together to get the legislature to investigate Plocher’s illegal activity, force him to resign as Representative and Speaker, and withdraw from his run for Lieutenant Governor.
