Capitol Calling

False Alarm

It seems the possible hostage situation in Jefferson City today was a false alarm.

An alarm company's call to the Jefferson City Police Department prompted law enforcement officials to shut down part of downtown. But by mid-afternoon, the road was opened again for traffic.

Gov. Jay Nixon released the following statement about the fracas:

“Thankfully, reports this morning of an incident in the Governor’s Office Building in Jefferson City turned out not to be true. I sincerely appreciate the quick response of area law enforcement to this situation. The men and women of the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Capitol Police and the Jefferson City Police Department should be commended for their swift action. As we saw by their quick response this morning, Missourians should have faith that our law enforcement agencies stand ready to protect them and their families in time of need.”

You can read more here.

El-Amin pleads guilty to bribery

The St. Louis Beacon is reporting that Rep. T.D. El-Amin, D-St. Louis, pleaded guilty today to taking a bribe from a gas station owner.

From Jo Mannies' article:

Court documents said that between March 1 and June 1 of this year, El-Amin met a number of times with the owner of a gas station and convenience store in his district; the owner was identified only as John Doe.

In the meetings, which were recorded on audio and video, the station owner said he was being subjected to nuisance citations and summons by the city. The documents said El-Amin agreed to help the owner deal with the problem in exchange for a series of payments totaling $2,100.

At a news conference after the court proceedings, John Gillies, the FBI special agent in charge of the St. Louis office, said more cases like that of El-Amin will be coming. He said since his office set up a special unit to combat official corruption, an increasing number of witnesses have come forward complaining they have been taken advantage of by public officials.

"We'll continue to weed out corruption," Gillies said, adding that it "takes a lot of courage" for the public to cooperate with authorities.

Read the rest here.

Missouri Republican Party executive director Lloyd Smith released the following statement on El-Amin's guilty plea:

“Our elected officials are expected to put service over self, but Democrat State Rep. T.D. El-Amin committed the gravest violation of the public trust—acting for personal profit rather than for the Missourians he represents.  He is the fourth St. Louis-area Democrat who has admitted violating federal laws in the past two years—following State Sen. Jeff Smith and State Reps. Steve Brown and John Bowman.  Whether the efforts of Smith and Brown to lie to federal investigators, Bowman’s role in a credit card kickback scheme, or El-Amin’s acceptance of bribes, these actions are wrong and cannot be tolerated.”

Beacon: Smith steps down

Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, has resigned after pleading guilty in federal court to obstructing justice.

From the St. Louis Beacon:

State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, has pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice in the courtroom of Judge Carol Jackson. Sentencing is set for Nov. 10. Smith has resigned his seat in the state Senate.

Smith faces stiff penalties, up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

Smith told the judge that during his congressional campaign in 2004 against Russ Carnahan, he "became aware that an individual was planning an independent campaign" on his behalf.

Read the rest here.

Beacon: Health care plan could force Missouri to act on Medicaid

An article from St. Louis Beacon reporter Jo Mannies ran yesterday detailing the impact of the federal health care bill on Missouri.

Mannies reported that the bill could force Missouri to raise its Medicaid eligibility rates. That's because Congress is considering raising the minimum rate up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, which is much lower than Missouri's current percentage.

Needless to say, the Medicaid provision has caused governors of all political persuasions to raise alarm bells.
The New York Times reported that Democrats such as Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson all had concerns about the plan. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas - a Republican who chairs the National Governors Association - called the plan "an unfunded mandate."

So what does Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon think about the proposal? See for yourself:

Round Up!

Apologies for the lack of updates today, as work became pretty heavy for a Monday.

Here's a few snippets from around the political world:

- Judge Sonia Sotomayor went before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Sotomayor is President Barack Obama's first pick for the U.S. Supreme Court.

- Opponents of the Missouri Plan launched a ballot initiative today. Their aim is turn the current system into one resembling the federal model.

- Jo Mannies over at the St. Louis Beacon has more on an energy-related bill signed into law by Gov. Jay Nixon.

- Nixon vetoed legislation that, among other things, would have given the state Public Defender Commission more ability to control their caseload. The measure - seen as a priority for the overburdened public defender system - was vigorously opposed by some prosecutors and judges.

- Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Jefferson County, regrets sponsoring legislation renaming a portion of I-70 after Mark McGuire. No word yet on whether Missouri legislators would be open to naming the stretch of road after White Sox catcher Ron Karkovice.

McCaskill: Sotomayor will be a "terrific Supreme Court justice"

Jo Mannies over at the St. Louis Beacon snagged a statement from Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to Mannies, McCaskill released a statement noting that Sotomayor "accomplished great things in her life through the all-American values of discipline, hard work, and integrity."

"I'm especially glad she has experience as a courtroom prosecutor and a trial judge," McCaskill said. "There hasn't been a person with more experience nominated in decades. She will be a terrific Supreme Court justice."

Sotomayor will need Senate approval to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

Session Wrap Up: House Republicans defend health care non-vote

In the whirl-wind hour after the session ended on Friday, I managed to listen in on the House Republican press availability.

[Since the House avail nearly overlapped Gov. Jay Nixon's presser, I did not stay for the Democratic response. You can read Jo Mannies' wrap-up for the St. Louis Beacon for more info.]

The big question for House Speaker Ron Richard revolved around why the lower chamber did not take up major health care legislation that passed the Senate earlier in the day. The move came after the House adjourned early on Thursday, a move widely seen as an act of brinkmanship to pass an economic development bill.

Here's video of Richard:

Schweich for Senate?

Is the Republican primary for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat getting a bit more crowded?

According to St. Louis Beacon reporter Jo Mannies, it's possible.

Mannies reported this morning that Washington University law professor Thomas Schweich is mulling a bid for the seat current held by U.S. Sen. Kit Bond:

Schweich, a graduate of Clayton High School who served the Bush administration as the ambassador for counternarcotics and justice reform in Afghanistan, has been asked by some of the region's most prominent Republicans to consider the idea because some in the GOP question whether Blunt will be a strong candidate against the only announced Democrat, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.

Among the Republicans encouraging Schweich: retired U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth, R-Mo.; former Ambassador to Hungary Bert Walker, a Bush cousin and chairman emeritus of Stifel Nicolaus and Webster University; and former Ambassador to Belgium Sam Fox, the founder of Clayton-based Harbour Group.

Danforth, Fox and Walker used the same phrases to describe Schweich: "A fresh face."

"He's a fresh face. A tremendously impressive individual,'' said Walker. "He's somebody that the Republican Party should take a hard look at."

Read the rest here.

Tax cut plan gets chilly reception

That aforementioned tax cut plan pushed by House Republicans is getting a less than stellar reception from Senate Republicans and Gov. Jay Nixon. That's the crux of my latest story for the St. Louis Beacon.

Here's a bit of it:

Many legislators doubt there's enough time to implement a legislative change requiring the consent of the Missouri Senate. If the tax cut stalls, a number of projects originally slated to be funded with federal stimulus money could still be dead or in serious jeopardy.

The tax-cut plan could place the House in direct conflict with the Senate and Gov. Jay Nixon, who could have a difference of opinion about how to spend the stimulus money.

The end result? Gridlock, according to one key Democrat on the Budget Committee. That means that less funds might be spent this year than previously expected. That, he said, could be a good thing -- especially since next year's budget could be even more challenging than this year's.

Read the whole thing here.

GOP lawmakers quarrel as session's end draws near

My story today for the St. Louis Beacon touches on infighting between Republican lawmakers, a factor that seems to be holding up major pieces of legislation.

Here's a sample:

Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly saw themselves as a bulwark against Gov. Jay Nixon when the session began. But with roughly a month to go before lawmakers adjourn for the year, Republicans seem to be turning their aim away from the Democratic governor and instead targeting each other.

Some Senate Republicans are lobbing stinging attacks, questioning the ethics and motivations of their colleagues. Various factions seem miles apart on two of the biggest bills: 1) an economic development package and 2) a proposal to allow utility companies to recover financing costs for the construction of nuclear power plants from ratepayers.

Read the rest here.