This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 6, 2012 - Two high-ranking Republicans in the Missouri House are throwing cold water on state Sen. Brad Lager’s proposal for a special session in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the federal health-care law.
In a statement released Friday, House Speaker Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, said that a special session held during an election year “would invite grandstanding and filibustering.” In addition to the cost of holding a session, Tilley noted he is “unaware of any action being taken by the administration between now and January that requires the legislature to act.”
Tilley's opposition effectively kills the idea.
Earlier this week, Lager – a Savannah Republican who is seeking to unseat Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder – released a statement calling on the leaders of the Missouri House and Missouri Senate to “opt out of the mandates and expansions of Obamacare.” Because of the June 28 Supreme Court decision, states can decide whether or not to go forward with an expansion of Medicaid up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level.
Kinder announced yesterday he was filing a legal challenge to a ballot summary of an initiative barring a governor from setting up a health insurance mandate through executive order. Without mentioning Lager by name, he described calling a special session a “bad idea.”
A special session would need to be called by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, or by a three-fourths vote in the state House and state Senate. Both chambers are controlled by Republicans.
Tilley cited the expense and, perhaps, wasted effort.
"Without assurances that all sides would agree on the legislative proposals, Sen. Lager's proposed special session would put hundreds of thousands of tax dollars at risk and could ultimately result in another costly special session with no results for the taxpayers," Tilley said. “I would suggest a better, more immediate course of action is for him to join a lawsuit to fix the biased language Secretary of State Robin Carnahan proposed.”
House Majority Leader Tim Jones – a Eureka Republican who will likely become the next House Speaker – added in a statement that “the cost is too high and I believe there is nothing that can be accomplished in a costly special session that cannot be addressed by the November elections or the legislature in January."
Tilley’s reaction to Lager’s proposal is not entirely surprising. The two men publicly feuded during the 2011 special session, which was known for the collapse of an economic development bill that included incentives for an international trade hub at Lambert St. Louis-International Airport. Both Tilley and Jones endorsed Kinder’s bid for a third term, along with a swath of other House Republicans.
Lager spokesman Ray Bozarth said in an e-mail to the Beacon that Tilley and Jones’ statements were “disappointing.” He added that “Brad plans to do whatever he can to fight against Obamacare in Missouri.”
In a statement reacting to Kinder’s dismissal of calling a special session, Lager said it is “really sad that Peter Kinder can’t set aside his political aspirations to do what is right for the people of Missouri.”
“Rather than have the General Assembly fulfill their constitutional duty and exert the authority that we have as recognized in the Supreme Court decision, Kinder wants to lead the charge on a meaningless lawsuit regarding ballot language,” Lager said. “The simple fact is that Peter Kinder wants to grab headlines and act like he’s doing something that matters, when the real authority to reject Obamacare rests with the members of the state House and Senate who are charged with developing the budget, determining eligibility and implementing or rejecting the expansion.”
In addition to Kinder and Lager, Wentzville attorney Michael Carter and St. Louis resident W. Kullmann are seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Eight Democrats are seeking the Democratic nod for the office, including former state Auditor Susan Montee, former state Rep. Judy Baker, D-Columbia, state Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield, former state Rep. Fred Kratky, D-St. Louis, St. Louis School Board member Bill Haas, Conservation Commission member Becky Plattner, former state Rep. Jackie Townes McGee, D-Kansas City, and St. Joseph resident Dennis Weisenburger.
