Politically Speaking

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Josh Hawley Apr 10, 2019

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On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum spoke with U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley about his first few months in the United States Senate. The Republican senator was elected to a six-year term last November. Saturday will mark his 100th day in office, which has been jam-packed with some big debates over President Donald Trump’s agenda and administration. Hawley first burst onto the Missouri political scene in 2016, when he was elected as the state’s attorney general. Roughly two years later, he unseated U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in one of the most expensive and high-profile federal contests of the 2018 election cycle. After being sworn into office in January, Hawley was assigned to a number of key committees — including the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees. The Judiciary Committee is responsible for voting on a president’s nominees to the federal bench. Thus far, Hawley has introduced legislation aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, placing more safety measures on duck boats and creating a grant that would pay for programs to reduce law enforcement suicides.

Wiley Price Apr 01, 2019

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State Rep. Wiley Price is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The St. Louis Democrat talked extensively about his first few months in the Missouri House, as well as a slew of bills he’s sponsored to overhaul the state’s elections. Price was first elected last year to represent Missouri’s 84th House District, which takes in portions of the western part of St. Louis. It includes largely African-American neighborhoods in north St. Louis, as well as primarily white parts of south St. Louis. Price comes from a civically-minded family. His father, Wiley Price III, is a photographer for the St. Louis American and a recent inductee into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame. His mother Leata Price-Land is a longtime community activist who recently ran for the 26th Ward aldermanic seat, losing narrowly to Shameem Hubbard. When the 84th District House seat became open after state Rep. Karla May ran for the state Senate, Price ran against attorney Brad Bakker in the August 2018 Democratic primary. He emerged victorious by about 800 votes, a win that was tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district.

Deb Lavender Mar 26, 2019

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State Rep. Deb Lavender returns to Politically Speaking to talk about upcoming debate over the Missouri budget, which is slated to take place over the next few weeks. Lavender, D-Kirkwood, is currently serving her third term in the Missouri House. She serves on the House Budget Committee, and has sought to make her mark on the panel responsible for mapping out the state’s spending priorities. Missouri has been experiencing a decline in revenue for months compared to the previous fiscal year. But the state has a fairly large surplus to fill in the budget gap this year. One of the other major initiatives going through the House Budget Committee is a plan from Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, to steer $100 million in general revenue funds to repair the state’s bridges. That’s in contrast to Gov. Mike Parson’s bonding plan, which Republicans like Smith worry will saddle the state with interest payments.

Mike Kehoe Mar 18, 2019

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Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe joins Politically Speaking to talk about his first few months in office — and some of the issues that his Republican legislative colleagues are dealing with during the 2019 session. Kehoe spent nearly eight years as a state senator representing several Mid-Missouri counties, including Cole. After he became chief executive last year, Gov. Mike Parson appointed Kehoe as lieutenant governor. In many respects, the lieutenant governor’s office doesn’t have a lot of defined duties. The officeholder presides over the Senate and sits on a number of key boards and commissions. But the lieutenant governorship came into greater focus last year when Gov. Eric Greitens became embroiled in scandal.

Kevin Windham, Jr. Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

State Rep. Kevin Windham is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where the Hillsdale Democrat talked about his first few months as a member of the Missouri House. Windham represents the 85th District, which takes in roughly 20 municipalities in central and north St. Louis County. When he won his seat in 2018, he became the youngest African-American man ever to get elected to the General Assembly’s lower chamber. Windham is a graduate of Southeast MissourI State University. After college, he worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. It’s a similar to path to former state Rep. Stephen Webber, who, like Windham, worked for the Democratic senator before getting elected to the House at the age of 25.

5 takeaways from Tuesday's St. Louis aldermanic elections Mar 06, 2019

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St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed’s narrow victory on Tuesday required some unusual political coalitions and allies to come together. Reed bested state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed and Alderwoman Megan Green in easily the toughest re-election bid since he captured the presidency of the Board of Aldermen in 2007. It came after years of political toil for the Democratic official, featuring two unsuccessful bids for mayor and high-profile fights with aldermanic colleagues. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann break down the results.

Denny Hoskins Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Sen. Denny Hoskins is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where the Warrensburg Republican talked about some of the legislation he’s sponsoring during the 2019 session.

Hoskins was elected to the 21st Senatorial District in 2016. That seat includes Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline counties.

Before running for the Senate, Hoskins served for eight years in the Missouri House. The certified public accountant was elected as House Speaker Pro Tem, which is the second highest ranking position in the General Assembly’s lower chamber.

Nick Schroer Mar 01, 2019

Show notes

State Rep. Nick Schroer joins Politically Speaking to talk about his legislation that would substantially restriction abortion in Missouri.

The St. Charles County Republican's bill ended up passing the Missouri House earlier this week. It's expected to face a Democratic filibuster when it hits the Senate floor.

Among other things, Schroer’s bill would ban abortion if a doctor can detect a heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as six weeks. It would also ban almost all abortions if Roe versus Wade is overturned.

The legislation does have exceptions for medical emergencies, but if a woman becomes pregnant because of rape or incest. Doctors could face criminal penalties if they run afoul of the legislation's provisions.

Phil Christofanelli Feb 26, 2019

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State Rep. Phil Cristofanelli joins Politically Speaking for the first to talk about some of his key priorities for the 2019 legislative session.

The second term Republican lawmaker represents Missouri’s 105th House District, which takes in portions of St. Charles County.

A graduate of Washington University, Cristofanelli was elected as a Republican committeeman when he was 21. He later served on the Missouri Republican Party state executive committee. Before getting elected to the House in 2016, Christofanelli was press secretary for U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek, R-Michigan.

Since entering the legislature, Christofanelli has zeroed in an array of fiscal issues. He sponsored legislation requiring the Missouri Department of Revenue to map out the state’s special taxing districts, which was signed into law last year.

Steve Stenger Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger joins Politically Speaking to talk about Better Together’s proposal to merge St. Louis and St. Louis County.

If statewide voters approve the plan next year, Stenger will become the unified government’s first “metro mayor.” That office was designed to be powerful: A mayor in the new government can make key appointments, use a line item veto, and help appoint whoever is in charge of drawing districts for a 33-person council.

Stenger and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson are backing the Better Together plan, which was formally unveiled late last month. It comes as Stenger has lost some of his power as county executive after voters approved a charter amendment giving the St. Louis County Council more authority over financial matters.

Among other things, Stenger believes the reorganized government will allow for greater efficiency — and better services for roughly 1.3 million people. He’s also enthusiastic about having one police department and one municipal court serve the region, as opposed to dozens of smaller ones.

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