Archive for April 2021

The We Live Here team balances deep dives into systemic issues with inspiring stories about people working to make a difference in their own communities. So when a listener reached out and introduced us to the work of Jeffrey “JD” Dixon, an activist organizing cleanups and coalitions in East St. Louis, a predominantly Black city in Illinois, we knew that we’d have to drive across the river to share his story. In this episode, we’ll learn about JD’s demand for legislative reform, hear from a political science professor about the legacy of industrial suburbs, and talk to a reporter about how JD is one of many Black residents in the Metro East area of Illinois who are pushing back against environmental racism.

State Rep. Dan Shaul is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Imperial Republican talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about a host of issues around Missouri elections — and expectations for congressional redistricting later this year.

Shaul is the chairman of the House Elections Committee, as well as a special House committee overseeing congressional redistricting. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and will be barred from running again after 2022 by term limits. He is one of several Republicans who announced their bids for a Jefferson County-based Senate seat.

Here’s what Shaul talked about during the show:

• Why lawmakers want to pursue a three-week period when voters could cast absentee ballots in person with no excuse. Currently, Missourians have to provide one of a number of excuses in order to vote absentee — including being out of town or being physically incapacitated.
• Why the legislature was trying to reenact Missouri’s photo identification requirement to vote. That measure was effectively made inactive by a Missouri Supreme Court decision.
• Other election-related ideas, including increasing the number of signatures required to get something on the statewide ballot and increasing the percentage of the vote needed to pass a constitutional amendment.
• With lawmakers expected to convene this winter to vote on congressional redistricting, Shaul provided his take about the expectations and priorities for Republicans who will control the process. This is the first time in modern Missouri history that Democrats haven’t controlled either a legislative branch or the governorship during a redistricting year.

When Shaul was first elected to the Missouri House, a slew of Republicans managed to win seats in Jefferson County. Since his first win, Shaul has won reelection by increasingly wider margins as the county gravitated more to the Republican Party.

In addition to his legislative duties, Shaul is the executive director of the Missouri Grocers Association. Before he started working in the grocery industry, Shaul served in the Air Force.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz returns to Politically Speaking to talk with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about a host of issues the Missouri General Assembly could take up in the second half of the 2021 session.

Schatz is a Republican from Sullivan who was elected to represent Missouri’s 26th District in 2014. He was reelected in 2018 and was picked by his caucus as the president pro tem after the 2018 election season. Schatz will be barred by term limits from running for the Senate after 2022.

Here’s what Schatz talked about during the show:

• Whether the Senate may add funding for Medicaid expansion to the state budget. The Missouri House declined to expand the health care program last week — and a failure of the Senate to act could mean the issue is heading to court.
• His bid to increase Missouri’s gas tax, a measure that passed out of the Senate but faces an uncertain fate in the House.
• Whether lawmakers could institute a period of time for voters to cast absentee ballots in person without an excuse. He also discussed why he would be in favor of requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote absentee in person.
• Whether Missouri’s candidate filing deadline could have to be pushed back — and whether he could be a candidate for the U.S. Senate next year.

Schatz represents all of Franklin County and most of western St. Louis County. As pro tem, he is responsible for appointing committee chairs and directing legislation to committees.

Schatz’s family owns a utility contracting business.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Dave Schatz: @DaveSchatz26

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, House Budget Chairman Cody Smith talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll about this year’s budget process — which has drawn more attention than usual because of the battle over expanding Medicaid.

Smith represents Missouri’s 163rd District, which takes in parts of Jasper County. The Carthage Republican has served as chairman of the powerful Budget Committee since the 2019 legislative session.

Here’s what Smith talked about on the show:

• Why his GOP colleagues declined to expand Medicaid under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act. He answered questions about whether the move runs counter to a constitutional amendment that passed last year expanding the health care program.
• Whether the state portion of Medicaid expansion could essentially be paid for a lengthy period of time through federal American Rescue Plan funding.
• Whether a direct funding source could be found to pay for Medicaid expansion if cost savings don’t materialize and after American Rescue Plan funding runs out.
• A measure he’s handling that would tie Missouri’s minimum wage to the federal minimum wage.

Smith was first elected to the Missouri House in 2016, and reelected to his post in 2018 and 2020. His GOP-leaning district includes Carthage, Carl Junction, Oronogo and Webb City.

In addition to his legislative duties, Smith is the owner of a company that seeks to prevent disease from spreading in health care facilities.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Cody Smith on Twitter: @cody4mo