#gov. mike parson

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

A rare party switch in the Missouri House could be in the offing after one Republican on Wednesday wasn’t allowed to speak against a GOP plan to restrict gender-affirming care for minors.

Rep. Chris Sander, R-Lone Jack, one of two openly gay Republicans in the Legislature, said Wednesday that local, state and national Republicans needed to decide whether gay and transgender Republicans were welcome.

“If they want to tell all Republicans who are gay to get out and go to the Democrat Party, they just need to do that,” Sander, a 2001 graduate of Hazelwood West High School in St. Louis County, told the Post-Dispatch.

Sander was one of three Republicans to vote against the restrictions, which are headed to Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, for his consideration.

House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, and Rep. Gary Bonacker, R-House Springs, also broke with their party to vote with Democrats against the ban.

Sander, who said he is Republican committeeman for the Van Buren Township in Jackson County, said he planned to speak at the county party’s May 22 meeting.

Members of the county GOP have tried to censure Sander for filing a resolution that would overturn Missouri’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which was nullified by a 2015 Supreme Court decision.

“I’m going to rail against them and I’m going to say how I think it should be, and if they don’t like it, they can just get rid of me, and if that happens then I’ll be an independent or a Democrat,” Sander said, adding he might also consider becoming a Libertarian if he left the GOP.

“If they kick me off that (Jackson County GOP) committee, I will not be a Republican,” Sander said.

If Sander were to quit the GOP, he would join a short list of other House members over the past decade to leave their political party.

In 2015, then-Rep. Keith English, a Florissant Democrat, said he was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent.

“This is no longer the Democrat Party of Bill Clinton or John F Kennedy. I’m leaving the party because I love my state,” English said at the time.

English’s decision to ditch the Democrats followed another Democratic defection a day after the 2014 midterms.

Then-Rep. Linda Black, who had been a Democrat from Desloge, switched to the Republican Party a day after the election after she ran unopposed.

Her St. Francois County district had a long history of electing Democrats but voters there have bolted to the Republicans in recent election cycles.

Sander’s eastern Jackson County 33rd District is roughly 58% Republican and 39% Democrat, according to an analysis of the district’s partisan makeup.

“I can see myself winning an election as a Republican or a Democrat or an independent,” he said.

Republicans controlled 117 seats in the House in 2015 following Black’s switch.

The GOP now controls 111 seats despite continuing to hold a two-thirds majority.

Democrats hold 51 seats following Democratic Rep. Rasheen Aldridge’s resignation this year to join the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Parson has not called a special election to replace him.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Kansas City, Missouri is now a “sanctuary city” for trans people following a 12-1 vote by the Kansas City Council to declare itself one. The move comes in response to the state’s Republican-led legislature passing two bills aimed at limiting the rights of transgender Missourians.

As the Associated Press reports, on Wednesday, Republican lawmakers sent two bills to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R). One would ban gender-affirming healthcare like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans youth as well as some adults. The other bans trans athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports at all grade levels and in college at both private and public schools. Parson is expected to sign both bills.

In response, the Kansas City Council on Thursday voted 12 to 1 to approve a resolution to declare the city a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care. As a result, city officials will not prosecute or fine individuals or organizations under the state’s new anti-trans laws. City staff are also instructed to make enforcing the ban on gender-affirming care “their lowest priority.” The Kansas City Police Department has also been encouraged to adopt a similar policy, The Los Angeles Blade reports.

“Kansas City government is committed to ensuring Kansas City is a welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for everyone, including our transgender and LGBTQ+ community. After the Missouri state legislature introduced several bills criminalizing access to gender-affirming healthcare across Missouri, I am proud City Council took action and approved the ‘safe haven’ resolution to take steps, within our legal power, to protect our transgender community and anyone seeking gender-affirming care,” Mayor Quinton Lucas (D) said. “For decades, Kansas City has been at the forefront of our region, ensuring we have equality for all, and we will continue to do everything in our power to fight for equal rights for all in our city, no matter what happens at our state capitol.”

Councilwoman Andrea Bough, the resolution’s sponsor, said that the measure was a reiteration of Kansas City’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“As a woman and a mother, I strongly feel that personal health care decisions should be reserved for individuals, families, and their physicians without influence from politicians,” Bough said. “Public service should be about helping the community not harming individuals. Today we are proclaiming to our transgender and LGBTQ community that you are safe with us.”

The city’s LGBTQ Commission previously sent a letter to city council members urging them to pass legislation to make Kansas City a “safe haven” for transgender people, following an “emergency regulation” issued by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) in April to severely restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare in the state.

The rule would require both minors and adults in Missouri to receive 15 hourly sessions with a therapist over at least 18 months before receiving gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy or puberty blockers. They would also have to be screened for autism and “social media addiction,” and any mental health issues would have to be treated and resolved before they would be eligible for treatment for gender dysphoria.

Critics described the move as a “power grab” by Bailey, who is campaigning for reelection. A Missouri judge temporarily blocked the rule late last month.

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Missouri governor will not grant mass pardons for marijuana offenses after Biden request

Missouri governor will not grant mass pardons for marijuana offenses after Biden request

Missouri’s governor will not grant a blanket pardon to those convicted on minor marijuana offenses after President Joe Biden pardoned federal convictions and urged governors to do the same at the state level. A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Mike Parson said Biden’s declaration Thursday “does not implicate state law in any way,” and that Parson would not alter how he handled pardons for simple…

[don-lichterman]

Parson pitches legislative leaders on cutting Missouri’s income tax rate | Politics

Parson pitches legislative leaders on cutting Missouri’s income tax rate | Politics

Gov. Mike Parson delivers his State of the State address at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022.  David Carson, JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Mike Parson began laying the groundwork Tuesday for an attempt to cut Missouri’s income tax rate. In back-to-back meetings in his office with House and Senate leaders, the Republican discussed his decision earlier this month to…

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - July 25, 2023

If you're ready to "paws" for a moment of joy and laughter, read through stories that'll leave you feeling inspired. It's time to fetch some happiness, one headline at a time!

1. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs bill outlawing pelvic exams on unconscious patients without consent

A little-known practice that allowed medical students to perform pelvic and other intimate exams on unconscious patients without their consent is now banned in Missouri after action taken Thursday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.  

2. Indonesia market caves to pressure, ends dog, cat meat trade

Authorities on Friday announced the end of the “brutally cruel” dog and cat meat slaughter at a notorious animal market on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi following a years-long campaign by local activists and world celebrities. An anti-animal cruelty group will move the remaining live dogs and cats from the slaughterhouse to sanctuaries

3. Colorado food bank receives donation from Taylor Swift. She has been donating to food banks across the country during her "Eras Tour."

Taylor Swift made a donation to Food Bank of the Rockies on Friday before playing two sold-out stadium concerts in Denver.

Food Bank of the Rockies announced Swift's donation and said it will allow it to purchase food for 75,000 meals. 

4. Earth’s atmosphere can clean itself, groundbreaking research finds

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have found that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide (OH) by a previously unknown mechanism.

This molecule is crucial in helping to clear the air of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and other chemicals.

5. US woman, 55, searching for long-lost Singaporean pen pal, 56, reconnects with him after 30 years

The pair started exchanging letters way back in 1983 when they were still in their teens, but lost contact after 10 years of correspondence.

Now 55 years old, Kelly is eager to reconnect with Cheng, and has been actively searching for him via appeals on social media.

6. ‘Intuitive’ pet who ‘hears’ for deaf owner named National Cat of the Year

An “intuitive” cat who helps his deaf owner by alerting her to sounds around the house has won a national award.

Zebby was named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year 2023 in recognition of the way he supports owner Genevieve Moss, 66, by alerting her to noises like the phone ringing or a guest at the door.

7. Australian sailor and his dog survive two months at sea

An Australian sailor who survived two months in the Pacific Ocean by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater is "stable and very well", a doctor says.

Sydney resident Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog Bella left Mexico for French Polynesia in April, but their boat was damaged by a storm several weeks later. They were rescued by a trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them.

----

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

Support this newsletter ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog.

[jesseleelazyblog]

Unethical Executions in April

Micheal Smith is being executed in Alabama despite having an intellectual disability that would disqualify him from the death penalty in any other state. The only reason he is still being executed is because of a few confusing technicalities in Oklahoma law.

Petitions Here:

Letter Writing Campaigns for oklahoma residents here:

Missouri is slated to execute Brian Dorsey despite his claims of ineffective counsel and the fact that he is picture of remorse and rehabilitation: he turned himself over to the police and pled guilty, has had a flawless prison record, currently resides in the honor ward while working as a prison barber (a highly coveted job only given to trust worthy inmates), and has about 60 prison staff members advocating for the commutation of his sentence.

Petitions Here:

Letter Writing Campaigns and other actions for Missouri Residents here:

https://www.archstl.org/missouri-bishops-others-request-clemency-for-brian-dorsey-first-inmate-to-be-executed-this-year-9478

[idvoteforthatdaddy]

Mike Parson Governor of Missouri

I would love for Gov. Parson to suck my cock, but I'm a little nervous. He wouldn't be experienced, and those teeth look dangerous.

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Mike Parson Governor of Missouri

Is it weird that I like to image Jim Kits' onlyfans page is Gov. Parson's.

On A Side Note: I've always love Gov. Parson's choice in socks and shoes.

[photoset #27]

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Anna Spoerre at Missouri Independent, via KCUR:

The new law will go into effect Aug. 28. Planned Parenthood, Democratic lawmakers and health organizations say the ban will cause the most harm to low-income Missourians who rely on the clinics for contraceptives, STI testing, cancer screenings and more.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has signed legislation limiting Planned Parenthood’s ability to serve low-income patients at a ceremony in his Capitol office Thursday. The new law, which will go into effect Aug. 28, will end Medicaid reimbursements to any health centers affiliated with abortion providers. In Missouri, the law would apply to Planned Parenthood. “This is something Republicans have been working for years, since we captured the majority,” said state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican who sponsored a version of the legislation. She added: “It’s a huge victory. Missouri has a long history of being a pro-life state.”

Nearly every abortion, with exceptions for medical emergencies, has been illegal in Missouri since 2022. However, the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics have continued to operate, providing services such as contraceptive care, STI testing, cancer screenings and wellness checks.

Missouri Republicans have argued that no additional money should be going to Planned Parenthood, since Missouri’s locations are affiliated with clinics in Kansas and Illinois, where abortion is legal and where many Missourians travel for the procedure. Democrats, Planned Parenthood and other health institutes have argued that the bill would cause the most harm to Missouri’s most vulnerable population, who may be forced to find a new provider. But the state’s public health safety net is already strained and will have a difficult time absorbing the thousands of displaced patients. Two weeks ago, the Missouri House approved the legislation, originally filed by Republican state Rep, Cody Smith of Carthage, though it did so without approving an emergency clause which would have put the bill into effect immediately upon the governor’s signing.

Coleman’s version of the bill was blocked by a Democratic filibuster in February. A second filibuster by Senate Democrats in April was abandoned after 11 hours when Republicans agreed to remove a provision that would have ended contracts with organizations founded by eugenicists. Missouri Republicans have twice before tried to pass a similar restriction through the state budget, attempts that were ruled unconstitutional by state courts.

[...] MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid program, serves low-income and disabled citizens and has long banned funding for abortion, with limited exceptions.

Shame on you, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R), for signing a bill to block Planned Parenthood or any abortion provider from accessing Medicaid funding. #HB2634

[beardedmrbean]

After misinformation spread about its gender-affirming care program, Washington University in St. Louis has come under intense scrutiny. Under a new Missouri law banning such treatments for new patients, the university's Transgender Center has decided not to prescribe medications to minors going forward.

In a statement posted online, the Washington University Transgender Center attributed its decision to “unacceptable” legal exposure if it were to continue.

The center said that patients under 18 will be referred to other providers for these medications, including hormones and puberty blockers. Gender-affirming health care for transgender youth is supported by a vast majority of medical associations in the United States, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“We are disheartened to have to take this step,” a university statement read. “However, Missouri’s newly enacted law regarding transgender care has created a new legal claim for patients who received these medications as minors. This legal claim creates unsustainable liability for health-care professionals and makes it untenable for us to continue to provide comprehensive transgender care for minor patients without subjecting the university and our providers to an unacceptable level of liability.”

Gov. Mike Parson signed into law a ban on gender-affirming care for new patients under 18 in June after the Republican legislature passed it. Patients of Washington University’s youth gender clinic could still receive treatment under the new law. However, a special provision in the law allows patients to sue doctors who prescribe hormones to minors.

Patients who received care as minors can sue their doctors 15 years after treatment or after their 21st birthday, whichever is later. A Missouri patient generally has two years to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.

This law made the university’s continuation of these services “untenable,” it said.

An ex-employee of the university’s gender clinic accused doctors in the spring of prescribing treatment too quickly, drawing the attention of politicians who want to ban gender-affirming care for minors.

Former caseworker Jamie Reed, who worked at the facility between 2018 and late 2022, alleged that children were often given puberty blockers or hormones without obtaining proper mental health assessments.

An internal investigation by Washington University in St. Louis released in April found no evidence that the gender-affirming medicine clinic failed to assess minors in its care.

[socialjusticeinamerica]

Silence = Complicity.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

After the NRA’s wildly successful lobbying to turn the Second Amendment into an absolute individual right was emboldened by the Bruen decision, several states have been toeing the line to determine what prohibitions, if any, stand in the way of gun ownership. One of them, Missouri, passed a law that put a chilling effect on state and local law enforcement from enforcing federal gun laws in Missouri. The Show Me State just got shown that it can’t do that. Not for now, anyway. From Reuters:

“A Missouri state law that declared several federal gun laws 'invalid' is unconstitutional, a U.S. federal judge ruled on Tuesday, handing the U.S. Justice Department a victory in its bid to get the law tossed out.

At issue was a measure Republican Governor Mike Parson signed into law in 2021 that declared that certain federal gun laws infringed on the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment.

U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes in Jefferson City, Missouri, said the state’s Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which holds that federal laws take priority over conflicting state laws.”

The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution is like the Commerce Clause and the Insurrection Clause in some ways — they are some of the threads that bind together an otherwise mostly independent series of states. And as neat as it is to think of the states as individual laboratories of democracy, there has to be some overlapping and enforceable code of conduct that can separate otherwise good science from a bumbling series of OSHA violations in a lab coat.

“Wimes, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, in a siding with Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration called the practical effects of the Republican-led state’s law ‘counterintuitive to its stated purpose.’

‘While purporting to protect citizens, SAPA exposes citizens to greater harm by interfering with the federal government’s ability to enforce lawfully enacted firearms regulations designed by Congress for the purpose of protecting citizens,’ he wrote.”

It it pretty hard to argue against that — just take a look at this clip that goes into detail about how laws like SAPA would make it harder for the police who aren’t killing unarmed protestors to do domestic abuse calls.

As expected, Missouri has already announced that it will appeal the decision.

“Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, in a statement promised an appeal, saying he was committed to ‘defending Missourians’ fundamental right to bear arms.’

‘If the state legislature wants to expand upon the foundational rights codified in the Second Amendment, they have the authority to do that,’ he said.”

Sure would be nice if some Missouri representatives were more committed to defending Missourians’ fundamental right to live. Missouri has the fourth highest gun death rate in the nation, due at least in part to the vigorous defense of the Second Amendment by representatives like Bailey. As easy as it is to view this as a concrete example of the tension between state rights and federal authority, let’s not forget about the real consequences we have to stomach in the process.

[dosesofcommonsense]

NEW — There are now 25 states standing in solidarity with the great state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott against the lawless Joe Biden:

Wyoming - Gov. Mark Gordon

Iowa - Gov. Kim Reynolds

Arkansas - Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Montana - Gov. Greg Gianforte

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Idaho - Gov. Brad Little

North Dakota - Gov. Doug Burgum

Nebraska - Gov. Jim Pillen

West Virginia - Gov. Jim Justice

Alabama - Gov. Kay Ivey

Tennessee - Gov. Bill Lee

Louisiana - Gov. Jeff Landry

Georgia Gov. - Brian Kemp

Utah - Gov. Spencer Cox

Virginia - Gov. Glenn Youngkin

South Dakota - Gov. Kristi Noem

Oklahoma - Gov. Kevin Stitt

Alaska - Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Indiana - Gov. Eric Holcomb

Nevada - Gov. Joe Lombardo

New Hampshire - Gov. Chris Sununu

Mississippi - Gov. Tate Reeves

Missouri - Gov. Mike Parson

Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine

South Carolina - Gov. Henry McMaster

Please encourage these men and women and tell them THANK YOU.

Remember, they can't arrest us all!

https://thefederalist.com/2024/01/25/here-are-all-the-states-standing-with-texas-against-bidens-border-assault/

[cheerfullycatholic]

Marcellus Williams is at risk of being executed in Missouri for the 1988 murder of Felicia Gayle, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter in St. Louis, who was stabbed to death in her home. No execution date is currently set, however, in June 2023, Gov. Mike Parson lifted Marcellus' stay of execution, which had bee issued by former Gov. Eric Greitens minutes before Marcellus' 2017 scheduled execution.  Williams is at risk of receiving a new date at any time. Update: On August 6, 2023, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced he will allow a panel of five former judges to review the death penalty case of Marcellus Williams, whose guilt in the stabbing death of a former newspaper reporter has been called into question by DNA evidence. The inquiry was initially ordered by former Gov. Eric Greitens." Almost Marcellus' entire conviction rested on inconsistent testimonies from two individuals who were incentivized to testify against Marcellus. Recent testing from 2016 of evidence from the crime scene entirely excluded Marcellus, thereby wholly contradicting the testimony used to secure his conviction, yet he is still imminently at risk of execution in Missouri. Main concerns with Marcellus' case (From the Innocence Project): Marcellus has been excluded as the source of DNA evidence found on the murder weapon. No court has reviewed the exculpatory DNA evidence. The prosecution's case against Marcellus was entirely based on unreliable testimony from 2 incentivized witnesses. No scientific or eyewitness evidence connects Marcellus to the crime. Former Gov. Greitens stayed Marcellus' 2017 execution based on powerful DNA evidence. To read more about Marcellus' case, please visit the Innocence Project and Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty.

[batboyblog]

funding of libraries is in the Missouri state constitution, not that the Republicans care. They're trying to punish the librarians for suing over a poorly thought out censorship law that they pushed through to ban books (of course)

The Missouri House debated for over eight hours last Tuesday on a budget that is roughly $2 billion less than the one Gov. Mike Parson (R) proposed last January, cutting not only the $4.5 million Parson had slated for libraries, but also costs for diversity initiatives, childcare and pre-kindergarten programs.

because we don't want to be funding pre-K right?

any ways please make sure to donate to the ACLU of Missouri, the Missouri Library Association and/or the Missouri Democratic Party

[idvoteforthatdaddy]

Gov. Mike Parson and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe

Today on ’Mike & Mike of Missouri‘… The Mikes attend the 2023 Missouri State Fair.