The SAFE Act. What's Plocher Doing?

The SAFE Act. What's Plocher Doing?

holding kids hostage

Dean Plocher is the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives.   
A more appropriate title might be "King of the House."

The Speaker controls EVERYTHING.  

We've talked about the House Rules before and why this matters, but if you need a refresher take a look at this blog I wrote earlier.

Because the Speaker controls everything, including when bills come to the floor for debate, it gives the Speaker the ability to hold bills hostage until his personal priority bills are passed.  Technically, it's the Majority Floor Leader who brings bills to the floor, but it's done so in this case only at the direction of the Speaker.

That's what is happening to The SAFE Act currently.  

Dean Plocher is holding the safety of MISSOURI KIDS hostage because he wants his Initiative Petition (HJR 43) bill passed.

The IP bill = abortion & rank choice voting

Let's talk about what Dean wants.  He wants HJR 43 passed in its current form.  

That current form would do a couple of crappy things that conservative Missourians truly do not want.

  1. It would allow our Missouri constitution to be changed based on a 57% majority of the popular vote WHEN the ballot measure has been brought BY THE PEOPLE through the IP process.  When ballot measures are brought through the legislature, they would pass with a simple majority of the popular vote - 50% + 1 vote.  In essence, it elevates the legislature's ability to change the constitution over the people's ability.  Can we say double standard??  
  2. With either a 50% or a 57% majority requirement, STILL the urban voters of Kansas City, St Louis, Springfield & Columbia will override the rural voters across the state.  THIS means that ABORTION & RANK CHOICE VOTING will be easy amendments to add, enshrining both into our constitution.  You can probably expect those on your ballot in November of '24.
Dean Plocher wants this.  This is his PRIORITY.  Why?  

Well that's a great question.  He's running for Lt. Governor in '24 and I highly suspect his PAC will be getting generous donations from supporters of rank choice voting and possibly also Washington University - the abortion training ground in Missouri who happens to be represented by Missouri's largest lobbying firm.   Time & MEC reports will tell.

plocher for lt governor?  I think not!

what can you do?

1.  Call & email Plocher.  Tell him you want The SAFE ACT (SB 49) on the House floor NOW.  It should've been done weeks ago.  We have 4 days left of session and the bill needs to pass in the House without any amendments or changes.  If the House passes the bill, it will be on its way to the Governor's desk.

Use your own words and fill the email & voicemail inboxes over and over.  He likely won't see the emails but his staff is required to track them.  Don't let them rest.

Phone:  573.751.1544

2.  Call & email Jon Patterson, Majority Floor Leader.  Give him the same message. 
Phone:  573.751.0907

The SAFE Act Finally Passes the MO Senate

The SAFE Act Finally Passes the MO Senate

victory!

Tuesday morning around 7:30 am I would've been like Martha and the Vandellas' Dancing In The Street as I headed to my vehicle if I hadn't been so exhausted from being awake all night through the democrat filibuster on The SAFE Act, SB 49.

After a long night of listening to the litany of stories about pets, vacations and all manner of things as democrats held the floor and republicans negotiated with, most likely, Washington University's lobbyist, The SAFE Act was perfected with 23 of 24 republican senators voting yes.  It even had 18 senators sign on as co-sponsors just after the perfected version was agreed up and before the vote.

The Third Read & Pass vote in the Senate AND it was first read in the House on Thursday, March 23rd.  

What an answer to prayer!  God showed up in such miraculous ways throughout this process.  HE IS SO GOOD!

thank you!

Before we go any further I want to be sure to say a big heartfelt "Thank You" to our republican senators who each played a role in the passing of the bill.

Senator Mike Moon championed this bill and has been carrying it for the last 3 years.  Senators Hoskins & Carter joined him in filing this session.  Four others were truly fighting for this bill even before Spring Break, but we couldn't have gotten through the fight without the rest.  They all played a part in the victory and they deserve a big pat on the back!  It was truly a team effort.

thank you, sponsors!

mike moon

Senator Moon is the CHAMPION of this legislation.  He has sponsored this bill for three years.  He had a heart for this bill when no one else was even looking and he has consistently stood in the gap for Missouri's kids.   We couldn't be more thankful for his heart and persaverence to stand even when he was standing alone.


denny hoskins

Senator Hoskins filed his own version of the bill which was combined with SB 49 through the committee process.  Although this was his first year filing it, he was committed and stood strong to fight for what is right throughout this bill's journey through the senate.


jill carter

Senator Carter also filed her own bill as a freshman senator.  We are proud that she took a risk in filing such controversial legislation in her first year and we are looking forward to what's to come from her.  Her bill was combined with Senator Moon's as well.


thank you for always standing

There were a group of senators who were always fighting for this bill to move forward.  They readily answered questions regarding their support and they signed Senator Moon's letter to prioritize this bill after Spring Break.  We appreciate their strong commitment to fight for this bill and for never wavering.

bill eigel

Senator Bill Eigel was a strong force for The SAFE Act from the very beginning.  He fought at every step for the success of SB 49, including standing and speaking against the ANTIFA anti-protestors at the Missouri Kids FIRST Rally.  


rick brattin

Senator Rick Brattin never wavered in his support.  He took every opportunity he had to support and move this bill forward. 


ben brown

Senator Ben Brown is a freshman senator and he's doing a great job!  We are thrilled with his willingness to stand strong on hard issues.  He added his signature to commit to make this a priority after spring break and took every opportunity to support the bill throughout the process.

andrew koenig

Senator Koenig made a strong statement over spring break when he committed publicly by signing Senator Moon's letter, that he would commit to make this a priority upon their return from the break.  We appreciate your stand, Senator Koenig!



nick schroer

Senator Schroer stood with the other 6 senators in prioritizing this bill after the break.  His office was QUICK to respond to our inquiry in the weeks before the bill came to the floor when we asked if he would support the original bill, including puberty blockers and hormones. 


thank you, co-sponsors!

After the bill had been negotiated and agreed to, these senators signed on as co-sponsors before the perfection vote.  We appreciate their commitment to add their names to the list of supporters & vote for the perfection of the bill early Tuesday morning.













thank you for voting yes

The final vote for passage through the senate was taken mid-morning on Thursday, March 23rd.   In addition to all previous senators mentioned, and although the 18 shown above could have passed the bill without additional support, these senators listed below did contribute a yes vote in the final passage.

Senator caleb rowden

senator justin brown

senator lincoln hough

senator mike bernskoetter 

senator mike cierpiot

it's not ideal

I'm so thrilled this passed the Senate I can hardly stand still but I don't want to lead you to believe this is a perfect situation. It's not.  

Through the perfection process, the bill was changed significantly.  The original bill did three things:

  1. Banned puberty blockers from children under 18 years of age.
  2. Banned cross-sex hormones from children under 18 years of age.
  3. Banned gender transition surgeries from children under 18 years of age.
  4. Consequences for breaking the law considered unprofessional conduct & license to practice is revoked.
The negotiations during the filibuster produced these three additions:

  1. Four year sunset clause pertaining to the puberty blockers & hormones was added.  This means that on August 28, 2027, this provision of the ban will expire UNLESS the legislators in the 2027 session make it permanent. This isn't good.  It means we'll have to fight this battle again in the 2027 legislature and if we lose, these drugs become legal again for kids.
  2. Grandfather clause was added.  This allows children who were already on the prescriptions to continue them if they were already using them at the time this law is passed.  This isn't too bad and in some cases, is necessary for the safety of the kids.  Some of these drugs are very dangerous they are abruptly stopped.
  3. Cause of action for patients to bring suit against medical professionals if they are sterilized or suffer harm by any of these medical procedures.  Patients would be able to sue for unlimited amounts.  They would be allowed to bring a suit against a medical professional until age 37 or 15 years after the treatment has ceased if they are found to be sterile. 

it's not over

Although I am so very thankful that this has passed, the battle is not over with this bill.  It still has to go through the House process, including two committees.

Representative Brad Hudson will be the House handler of this issue and there may be challenges ahead.  

We may need your help as this legislation moves forward, so please share this information with your pastor & church friends, your family, neighbors and others who are like-minded in wanting to protect Missouri kids.  Ask them to subscribe to the blog or join the FB Group.

thank you!   THANK YOU!   THAnK YOU!

There aren't words to say enough about what YOU have done by speaking up and showing up when we needed you.  We couldn't have accomplished this in this timeframe without your help. 

Thank you so very much for joining the battle for our kids with me!



Perfect Timing


Don’t think for a moment that the Missouri news outlets aren’t directly connected to the inside of the Capitol here in Jefferson City.   Just like you know it to be nationally, so it is here in the Show Me State.

The news, often fed by political agendas, will show you exactly what they want at just the right time for their own purposes.

The Hot Topic Issues

  1. Gender Transition in Kids - SB 49 aka The SAFE Act
  2. Potential Abortion Amendments to the MO Constitution - HJR 43 aka “IP Reform”

Current Situation

MO Senate Republicans voted 14-10 to adjourn for spring break early on Wednesday, in the middle of a democrat filibuster over The SAFE Act, because the conservatives wouldn’t compromise by agreeing to a Washington University approved version of the bill.  

Bev Ehlen, a veteran and trusted citizen activist inside the Capitol posted the following: 



The conservatives, I think today I’ll call them the The Guardians, want a strong bill that would ban puberty blockers, cross sex hormones & gender transition surgery for children under 18.  The establishment republicans want a trophy to bring home to you for passing anything that will make it across the line & the democrats actually agree with Wash U, of course.

We are awaiting the return of the Senate on Monday, March 20th, from the extended spring break they gave themselves when they decided their vacation was more important than our kids.

Senator O’Laughlin has said they will take up the bill again when they reconvene. 

GAGA Republicans Compromising Missouri’s Kids


“Go Along to Get Along” establishment republicans are negotiating with terrorists who are literally destroying the lives of Missouri’s most vulnerable people - our kids, many of which are already “at risk.”

Washington University, which happens to be a partner in the gender clinic where the St. Louis whistleblower worked, is one of the largest donors to Senate President Pro Tem, Caleb Rowden. In fact, the Wash U related PACS are pouring money into our office holders’ PACS like a bartender pours liquor into glasses.

Check out some of these MEC reports on the RightPath PAC. I'll write another article and piece together those details, but this will get you started. 

Andrew Bailey, Missouri Attorney General, sent this letter to Washington University and St Louis Children's Hospital.


When I tell you that the establishment Republicans want to “compromise” by eliminating the puberty blockers and cross sex hormones from the ban proposed in The SAFE Act…. Do you wonder why?   It seems pretty clear to me.

Who else might benefit from a nothing-burger version of The SAFE Act passing?   You know - the version where we still allow kids to take things like Lupron, which is being used off-label to treat gender dysphoria? 

  • Planned Parenthood
  • Big pharma
  • Hospitals
  • Gender clinics
  • Counselors
Wonder how much money we’d find laundered through the Senate Campaign Committee from those sources?


“We Have Other Things To Do”


The GAGA Republicans are parroting talking points that say we just don’t have time to get bogged down in this mess right now.  

They have other important things to do & can’t risk “sacrificing” the budget or things like IP Reform for our kids' sake.  

I was even told a couple days ago that you know, this gender thing doesn’t really affect many kids and our “team” needs to look unified.  After all, we shouldn’t be attacking people who are wearing our jersey, should we?

Here’s how I feel about that.  IF YOU CAN’T PROTECT KIDS FROM PHYSICAL HARM,  YOU AREN’T MY TEAM AND I DON’T GIVE TWO CENTS WHAT JERSEY YOU ARE WEARING!!

For those of you concerned about the budget - it isn’t going to be left undone.  Worse case scenario - if they blow up the entire session with this issue - the Governor calls them back the next week and they pass a budget.  The State isn’t going bankrupt.  They just want to scare you because they know you don’t know the truth.

Worried about IP Reform?  Well, let me tell you the scoop about that…

The Big News on Friday

News broke on Friday that 11 initiative petitions (IP) have been filed to add legalized abortion to our Missouri Constitution.  We have known this was coming since Roe was overturned.  No one is surprised.  

However, the news broke yesterday.  Big headlines for those who are paying attention.

The IP bill the legislature is pushing is HJR 43.  It’s a HARMFUL bill and if it passes as it's written, an abortion amendment is STILL a shew-in.  It will pass, because there is no concurrent majority provision in it.

Speaker of the House Dean Plocher wants HJR 43 and he’s willing to let it pass with just a 3-5% increase in popular vote requirement for passing an amendment.  This would mean that it would require something around a 53% majority vote vs a 50% + 1 majority vote.  That’s a nothing burger.  

It likely won’t pass on the ballot anyway - which means nothing changes at all.  And even if it did pass - it’s not a significant change.

SO… do you think Plocher really wants to keep abortion rights from being added to the constitution?  If he did, he'd be pushing Concurrent Majority Ratification.

Who would want abortion to be in the Missouri Constitution?   Hmm….  

  • Planned Parenthood
  • Washington University
  • Big Pharma
  • Hospitals
  • Abortion doctors & clinics
  • Counselors
Does that list sound familiar??   The SAME BIG MONEY pushing for kids to be able to medically transition is also pushing for EASY passage of constitutional amendments!

So guess what?  If they shift the focus to IP Reform from our kids and pass HJR 43 as it is - you are going to get abortion!  But they'll still take credit and the trophy for passing the bill.  This is Missouri politics folks!

Who Is Getting All That Money From Those Sources????  

Who Benefits From The SAFE Act Being Stalled or Not Passed At All???

Republicans Run on the Pro-Life Issue.  Do you think that scary headline will help stall The SAFE Act??   Yes.  It could.

They want to scare you into thinking that abortion rights are flying into the constitution if they don’t get IP reform passed and that it can’t happen if they deal with The SAFE Act right now.   

But…. They are fooling you.  They think you’re uninformed, ignorant constituents.  They think you don’t understand the process.   They are counting on you forgetting all this when it comes election time anyway.

The IP Reform they are trying to sell isn’t going to keep abortion out of the constitution at all!  It will usher it right in & cause us even more problems down the road.  

If they pass HJR 43 as it is written without making major changes - who wins?  

Politicians & Washington University....and the others on those lists above.

Who wins if they don't pass the strong SAFE Act?   

Politicians & Washington University...and the others on those lists above.

Who loses?  Missouri's children.



The Safe Act - SB 49

The Safe Act - SB 49

The Safe Act bans puberty blockers, hormones & transgender surgery in Missouri kids under 18.  

It's pretty straightforward in my mind.   You?  

A couple weeks ago there was a whistleblower that came out with information about the Washington University transgender clinic.  It's horrific. 


If you aren't familiar with the details of this issue, I truly encourage you to click on the links and learn more about these precious people and the issues our children are facing.  

o'laughlin lays it over

Yesterday, Monday, February 28th, SB 49 came up on the Senate floor for debate and perfection.  However, the Majority Floor Leader, Cindy O'Laughlin, and President Pro Tem, Caleb Rowden, don't want to deal with the bill.   Honestly, I don't think Rowden wants the bill to pass at all.  Maybe Cindy does, but she seems to be cow-towing to Rowden so it doesn't really matter. She's not helping.

Of course, Washington University doesn't want it to pass.  Big pharma doesn't want it to pass.  The medical lobby doesn't want it to pass. We know that.  And they have the dollars to back it up.  

The trustees and heavy hitters from Wash U have been gunning for the conservatives for a while now.  It was about this time last year that they created a PAC called RightPath and raised over $2 million to fight senate conservatives.   That's in addition to the other two PACS Wash U funds.  There are too many PACs from the medical and big pharm industries to name.  

Caleb has tons of donations from all these special interests and I'm sure he's got more on the way.  Probably, Cindy does, too, and my guess is these senators who won't commit to a yes have taken more than a few dollars as well.  Maybe I'll take some time to find those MEC reports later on.

One of her jobs is to bring bills up to the floor but she just doesn't think it's a good time to bring The Safe Act forward.  Hmm....I'm wondering why.

Other than special interest dark money influence, leadership often likes to hold bills hostage as leverage to get the things they want.  And then....at the end of session when they accomplish their disgusting priority, things like the gas tax or PDMP, they'll give you a tiny token of something you want and carry it home like a 1st place trophy.    You'll sing their praises and they won't tell you the whole truth about the way they sold you down the river a thousand different times.

I guess it could be that they know this bill might be divisive among the body because things might be uncomfortable in the hallways and office relations may be tense for a bit.  As far as I'm concerned, suck it up buttercup.  That's part of the job description.  

I'm honestly not sure why she doesn't want to deal with it right now.  But she doesn't.

Back to The Safe Act.  

SENATE LEADERSHIP 

Rumor has it that Senator O'Laughlin has promised that SB 49 will come up for perfection next Tuesday.  We'll see.  But why next Tuesday?  I have no idea.  Why not today?  Why not yesterday?  It's all such a dog & pony show.   

Get it done, Cindy.  GET. IT. DONE.  

If you are holding our kids ransom for GOP establishment priorities - then just stop.  Your voters are sick of these games you all play with our lives & the lives of our children.

If you're worried about upsetting your Senate buddies just suck it up.  From what I understand, we've even got some democrat support on this bill so even if they vote no, there's a fair chance they actually agree with the bill at heart.

CALL TO ACTION:  Call and email leadership to let them know that protecting Missouri kids is your priority and you want to see SB 49 on the floor, perfected AND passed BEFORE spring break.

Senate President & Lt Governor, Mike Kehoe.   573.751.4727
Senate President Pro Tem, Caleb Rowden.    caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov.   573.751.1141
Senate Majority Floor Leader, Cindy O'Laughlin. cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.7985


yes, no or undecided?

Today, I was in every Republican senate office in the building with a friend of mine.  We asked the question, "Is the senator a yes, no or undecided on The Safe Act?"  Here are the answers we got and the contact information you need to reach out to these so-called Republicans. 

Of course, no Republican would say they are a no.  But we did get a surprising amount of 'Undecided' responses that were, frankly, mostly rude and condescending staffers who were giving us their token response.   Frankly, on this issue, if you are undecided - you're a no.  If you can't commit to a yes on this issue - you're a problem.

And just so you know, this bill has been on the informal calendar for over week.  It has been a hot topic in the press and in the building.  There is no excuse for ANY staffer or senator to NOT know their position at this point.  It was literally supposed to be perfected on the floor yesterday.   They should've already read the bill - not acted like they hadn't even seen it before.  

The question stated was, "If SB 49 came to the floor TODAY as it is TODAY are you a yes or a no?"

Their excuses are just that.  EXCUSES.  Even the excuse regarding possible amendments is a joke.  If you are undecided - that means you aren't committing to a yes and that's a no as far as I'm concerned.

list of "undecided" votes on the safe act

ACTION:  Please call this list of senators and let them know what you think.  If I hear that their position changes, I'll update the list and let you know.  These are all Republican senators.

Senator Rusty Black - rusty.black@senate.mo.gov    573.751.1415 
Senator Karla Eslinger - karla.eslinger@senate.mo.gov.  573.751.1882
Senator Jason Bean - jason.bean@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.4843
Senator Caleb Rowden - caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.3931
Senator Elaine Gannon - elaine.gannon@senate.mo.gov.  573.751.4008
Senator Tony Luetkemeyer - tony.luetkemeyer@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2183 
Senator Mike Bernskoetter - mike.bernskoetter@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2076
Senator Lincoln Hough - lincoln.hough@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1311
Senator Justin Brown - justin.brown@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.5713
Senator Holly Rehder - holly.rehder@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2459
Senator Mike Cierpiot - mike.cierpiot@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1464

Note:  Senator Sandy Crawford is absent this week.  We were unable to get a response from her office.

Safe act champions

These senators have committed to a yes on SB 49.  Simple as that.  We asked the question and they immediately responded, "Yes!"   In a lot of cases, they said things like, "Is that a real question?"  or "You have to ask?"  They had zero hesitation in committing to protecting our kids and supporting SB 49.

ACTION:  Please call them and let them know you appreciate their support of SB 49 and request them to use every ounce of their influence with leadership to get SB 49 to the floor for perfection and a vote for passage BEFORE spring break.

Senator Mike Moon, Bill Sponsor.   mike.moon@senate.mo.gov  573.751.1480
Senator Jill Carter,  jill.carter@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2173
Senator Rick Brattin, rick.brattin@senate.mo.gov 573.751.2108
Senator Bill Eigel,  bill.eigel@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1141
Senator Ben Brown,  ben.brown@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.3678
Senator Andrew Koenig, andrew.koenig@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.5568
Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, maryelizabeth.coleman@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2459
Senator Curtis Trent, curtis.trent@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1503
Senator Nick Schroer, nick.schroer@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.1282
Senator Denny Hoskins, denny.hoskins@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.4302
Senator Travis Fitzwater, travis.fitzwater@senate.mo.gov. 573.751.2757

Be sure to subscribe to the blog and I'll keep you posted.