Author: Mark Holguin

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Sen. Brian Williams discusses the Missouri budget process and 2024 election cycle.

Williams represents the 14th District, which takes in several dozen municipalities in St. Louis County. Williams was first elected in 2018 and was reelected with no opposition in 2022.

Here’s what Williams talked about on the show:

• Williams expects major changes to the state budget when the Senate Appropriations Committee starts going over the individual bills in the coming days. Williams is seeking to steer more money to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which is in his district.
• He wants his colleagues to be “adults” over reauthorizing the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, a critical tax on hospitals to help pay for the state’s Medicaid program.
• His criminal justice legislation, including the Clean Slate bill that would provide automatic expungement for certain offenses. He noted the bill has support from several key GOP legislators.
• Not running for anything this election cycle, including in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District primary. He talked about how that race could shake out, including whether the Israel-Hamas war may determine the outcome.

Williams is a Ferguson native who worked many years for former U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-University City. Among other tasks, Williams was responsible for communicating with local and state legislative officials on issues that Clay was working on — such as moving the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to north St. Louis.

He won a crowded Democratic primary for the 14th District seat in 2018, which was tantamount to election. Since he joined the Senate, Williams has spent much of his time focusing on budgetary and criminal justice matters. He is barred by term limits from running again for the Senate after 2026.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Sen. Denny Hoskins talks about his bid for Missouri Secretary of State.

Hoskins is a Republican from Warrensburg who has served in the Missouri Senate since 2017. He’s barred from running against due to term limits, and announced months ago he would try to succeed Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

When filing closed, Hoskins was one of eight GOP candidates to run for secretary of state.

Here’s what Hoskins talked about during the show:

• His support of hand counting ballots, an idea that he says would engender more confidence in elections. 
• Being opposed to absentee balloting, with the exceptions of people serving overseas in the military and Missourians with disabilities. Instead, he’d like to make Election Day a holiday, so people could get off work to go vote.
• Efforts to make the Missouri Constitution more difficult to amend.
• Whether sports betting will be legalized. Hoskins has sought to link legalization of sports gaming with creating a regulatory framework for the video terminals.

Before running for the Senate, Hoskins served eight years in the Missouri House. The certified public accountant was elected House Speaker Pro Tem, which is the second-highest position in the chamber.
Generally, Hoskins has won his elections by wide margins, except his first one in 2008. That’s when he defeated Warrensburg Mayor Jim Jackson by 122 votes.

The other Republican candidates for secretary of state are: state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, state Rep. Adam Schwadron, R-St. Charles County, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, Wentzville Municipal Judge Mike Carter, St. Louis County political organizer Jamie Corley and St. Louis real estate investor Valentina Gomez.