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Volume 3, Issue 6 – April 2, 2021
Build Back Better
President Joe Biden announced his $2 trillion infrastructure plan Wednesday, a sweeping proposal that would rebuild 20,000 miles of roads, expand access to clean water and broadband and invest in care for the elderly. Read more about his plan here.
Municipal Elections
April 6th Municipal Elections will take place across Missouri. Polls are open from 6:00am – 7:00pm on Election Day. If you are in line before 7:00pm you must be allowed to vote. To learn where your polling location is and or what will be on your ballot you can use this link. https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/PRD/VoterOutreach/VOSearch.aspx
REPUBLICANS REALLY DON’T CARE
Republican Representative Justin Hill who attended the Janurary 6th insurrection in DC instead of being sworn in stated “I am proud to stand against the will of the people” as he spoke in opposition of Medicaide expansion which was passed by the voters in 2020. Democratic House members stated “We are playing games with people’s lives,” Rep. Peter Merideth of St. Louis. “Lives are on the line,” added state Rep. Patty Lewis, a nurse. It is unfathomable that an elected official would gloat about standing against the will of the people but the Republican party and shown they don’t care about Missouri voters by doing this time and time again.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS GUT MEDICAID IN FY 2022 STATE BUDGET
The Missouri House of Representatives on April 1 passed a $32 billion state operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year that defunds Medicaid in a last-ditch Republican attempt to block a constitutionally mandated expansion of the program’s eligibility threshold. House Democrats made multiple attempts to restore the funding during debate on March 30, but all but a handful of majority Republicans opposed their efforts.
Because the state constitution now requires Medicaid to cover adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, an estimated 275,000 additional Missourians will be eligible for the program starting July 1, and Republican opponents can do nothing at this point to stop it. But by refusing to authorize the necessary spending authority for the expansion, it could cause the program to exhaust its funding partway through the 2022 fiscal year, which starts July 1.
Under the federal Affordable Care Act, the federal government will pay 90 percent of the cost of expansion, or about $1.4 billion for FY 2022. In addition, Missouri would receive an additional $1.5 billion under the most recently passed COVID-19 relief bill for implementing expansion. Prominent business organizations, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, support accepting the funding because of the massive economic boost and job creation that would result from infusing that much new revenue into the state’s economy.
Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, included the additional Medicaid funding in his state budget proposal and acknowledged that health care savings resulting from expansion and increased the increased economic activity from the infusion of federal funds would be more than sufficient to cover the state’s share. If the Senate, also controlled by Republicans, doesn’t restore the funding and it isn’t in the final budget, a lawsuit to enforce the constitutional requirement is considered guaranteed.
The House’s version of the budget includes $2.27 billion less in spending authority than Parson requested, with the missing Medicaid funding accounting for most of it. The House also failed to include a number of other items requested by the governor, trimming about $32.5 million in spending for mental health services and more than $23 million for various education program.
The House budget does provide sufficient spending authority to claim full funding of the statutory formula for distributing state money to local public school districts. However, the budget underfunds K-12 school transportation funding by nearly $183 million from what state law says it should be.
The Senate will craft its own versions of the 13 appropriations bills that make up the operating budget in the coming weeks and is expected to be much more generous is allocating federal coronavirus relief funding that the House left unused. House and Senate negotiators must then hammer out a compromise budget for the two chambers to agree to by the May 7 deadline.
HDCC NEWS – DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE NETWORK
The Democratic Legislative Network (DLN) is a sustainable, ground-up, year-round, volunteer messaging program with a presence in every county and every house district across the state.The purpose of this network is to build coalitions and volunteer infrastructure centered around issue advocacy, in order to align our allies, and engage voters prior to an election year. The DLN will allow us to streamline Democratic messaging, making sure that Democrats from every corner of the state know what is happening in Jefferson City.To join the network, Click Here.
Need to Track Your Stimulus Check?
NEW IDEAS FOR MDP?
Do you have ideas for the Missouri Democratic Party? Want to join our new Ideas Committee? Head to http://missouridemocrats.org/ideas and fill out our form.
TRAININGS & TRAINING RESOURCES – NEW INFO THIS WEEK!
MDP VAN Training (updated info): If you need to get set up with VAN, email VANsupport@missouridems.org and be sure to check out our VAN and data resources webpage at www.missouridemocrats.org/data-resources for training materials, VAN user agreements, pricing and policies, etc.
MDP Training Resource – Portal: The “Portal” is the MDP’s online library of resources where you’ll find training docs, guides, and best practices for candidates, county committee members, volunteers, and staff. Get trained up today and make an impact in your community!
Access the portal here but please allow a couple of days for approval as MDP staff vets all requests to make sure everyone accessing our materials is a Democrat in good standing.
Within the Portal, a great resource you’ll find is the MDP’s County Committee Manual – a 60-page comprehensive guide for Central Committees and Clubs. Topics include: goal-setting, how to organize and run meetings, manage conflicts, how to run phone banks, how to recruit volunteers, how to be active online, and tons more.
DNC Training Newsletter: Sign-up for the monthly DNC/ASDC BPI Newsletter to stay updated on training opportunities available to activists, volunteers, candidates, and more.
DNC Training Resources: Sign-up for the DNC/ASDC BPI Victory Vault for on-demand training resources, tailored towards activists, volunteers, entry-level staff, and candidates! New members added each Wednesday.
Bookmark and check out the new training calendar made available by our friends at GAIN Power, to share public training events and stay updated on training opportunities from our allies and partners.
NDTC Local Leaders On-Demand Courses: NDTC’s curriculum team has been working nonstop to develop on-demand trainings for our local leaders (county party chairs, caucus leaders, etc). We believe these trainings are critical in a year like 2021 to strengthen and grow our local level infrastructure after a long presidential election. Already launched courses I want to highlight include:
- Member Recruitment and Retention for your Local Democratic Parties
- Fundraising for your Local Democratic Party’s Future
- Strategic Planning and Goal Setting
- Mobilizing your Membership, Digital, and Communications for local parties are coming soon!
REMINDERS & ALWAYS HELPFUL ITEMS
Political Job Resources: The DNC Talent Bank is a resource to help state parties and campaigns find the best applicants for a wide range of positions, from field organizers to digital directors to communications staff, and more.
If you are interested in pursuing a campaign position, please sign up for the DNC Talent Bank in order to receive information on available positions and other career opportunities. All levels of experience and fields of interest are encouraged to apply.
Also check out LeadMO and HiredUpMissouri.
Membership Dues
U.S. Congress & Statewide Offices: $1,000
Executive Committee Member: $500
DNC Member: $500
State Committee Member: $200
State Representatives & State Senators: $100
County and City Elected Officials: $50
General Party Members: $35
General Party Members Youth (35 & under) & Senior Rate (65+): $25
You may pay online here or by mail to: Missouri Democratic Party, 4218 Roanoke Rd., Suite 306, Kansas City, MO 64111
Find Your Local Democratic Club! We all know politics is local, so if you haven’t gotten involved with your local-level Democratic club, check out our new Local Clubs page on our website to get connected! If your active club isn’t on our page yet, shoot us an email with your contact info, name of president, and website or social media accounts to info@missouridems.org and we’ll make sure supporters can find you!
Merchandise! Stay cozy, show off your politics, and support the Missouri Democratic Party all winter long! Check out our merch store today!
Submit Your Event! Is your club, committee, or allied group hosting an event? Let us know so we can publicize it on our website. A sense of community is even more important these days as we’re staying home and not gathering together in person. Submit your event here!
Stay in Touch! Don’t forget to follow the Missouri Democratic Party on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Know folks who might want to receive this newsletter? Get them signed up here!
IMPORTANT DATES & EVENTS
- March 27: March Missouri Democratic State Committee Meeting
- April 6: Municipal elections & HD45 special election
- May 22: May Missouri Democratic State Committee Meeting
- July 24: July Missouri Democratic State Committee Meeting
- September 18: September Missouri Democratic State Committee Meeting
- November 20: November Missouri Democratic State Committee Meeting
Respectfully,
Randy Dunn
Executive Director
Missouri Democratic Party
| Paid for by the Missouri Democratic State Committee, Cydney Mayfield, Treasurer.Missouri Democratic Party 4218 Roanoke Rd. Suite 304 Kansas City, MO 64111 United States |
