320 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY… 229 DAYS UNTIL THE AUGUST PRIMARY 

FIRST IN POLITICMO RUNDOWN — 2012 LEGISLATING: Lawmakers met over the weekend in Jeff City, and leadership presented rank and file members with this year’s legislative agenda entitled “Blueprint for Missouri.” Leader Tim Jones described the four pillared proposal on Twitter, regarding taxes, the economy, education, and social issues. Thanks to a great PoliticMo tipster, here are some details from leadership’s presentation: 

— The first pillar is called “Missouri Taxpayers,” in which Republicans pledge to support no new taxes and maintain a balanced budget. Rep. Eric Burlison will support a constitutional amendment that would limit the amount of money the state can collect based on population growth rates and inflation. Rep. Joe Smith will support legislation that would require counties to disclose the amount of debt they owe. Legislators will also support criminal justice reform to save money on corrections.

— The second pillar is called “Missouri Jobs,” essentially a group of policies Republicans hope will encourage economic growth in the state. The caucus will support major parts of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce’s legislative agenda, including reform of workers compensation, a fix to the state’s second injury fund, changes to employment law, and tort reform. In addition, the caucus will consider changes to Missouri’s current prevailing wage laws.

— The third pillar, focused on education, is called “Missouri Schools.” Republicans plan to push tuition tax credits in unaccredited school districts, expanding charter schools, a “fix” to the school foundation formula, and legislation called the “Teacher Quality Act.”

— The fourth pillar entitled “Missouri Values” may contain some of the most controversial provisions of the House Republican caucus’s legislative agenda. For example, Republicans plan to introduce legislation to require voter identification, a policy that was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon last year. Rep. Mark Parkinson will support legislation that requires drivers license tests to be administered in English, and Rep. Tim Jones will introduce anti-abortion legislation similar to failed House Bill 28 from 2011.

FACTS OF LIFE —If special session was any indication, the combination of election year politics, an unpredictable senate, and an outgoing Speaker of the House will be a challenge for the caucus as they try to pass their wide ranging agenda.

CAMANS FOR THE HOLIDAYS — ‘Brunner to spend holiday at home in the Caymans,’ Jake Wagman: “In an attempt to entice some small donors, Republican Senate hopeful John Brunner is offering a winter trinket — either a coffee mug or campaign ear warmers — to anyone who donates $25 or more. … Brunner, however, has his own solution to beating the Midwest chill. The former head of the company that produces Germ-X hand sanitizer is spending Christmas at his family retreat in the Cayman Islands, the campaign confirmed. … Campaign spokesman John Hancock said the ‘long planned’ family trip is the first time the whole Brunner brood has been together since the addition of two new grandchildren. Hancock said that Brunner… owns a condo in the Caymans.” http://bit.ly/sPvJKH

STATE VISIT — ‘Obama administration to announce St. Louis transportation grant,’ PoliticMo: “Sen. Claire McCaskill, Gov. Jay Nixon, and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay will be joined by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Dept. of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to announce a $20 million TIGER III grant for road improvements near the Arch. … Last year, Lahood and Salazar joined Mccaskill in St. Louis to discuss efforts to revitalize the area. The Arch project is one of 46 transportation projects in 33 states the Dept. of Transportation is funding with TIGER III funding, totaling $511 million.” http://bit.ly/uMtnqy

— Rep.’s Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay are also expected to be in attendance. The event takes place at 1 PM at the Old Courthouse. Have fun, St. Louis journos. 

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, and welcome to this edition of PoliticMo Rundown. Send your tips, comments, and scoops to eli@politicmo.com. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN COMBEST… State Rep. Andrew Koenig… Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr…. (and yesterday) Former Sen. Jean Carnahan. 

KEEP SENDING your Top Stories of the Year ideas. Great ones so far. Eli@PoliticMo.com, and we’ll publish our list next week! 

GOV. JAY NIXON will be on hand to announce a new state Homeland Security Coordinator at an event this morning in Jefferson City at the State Emergency Operations Center.

WASHINGTON GRIDLOCK — ‘U.S. House votes down payroll tax cut extension,’ PoliticMo: “With unanimous support from Missouri Republican members, the U.S. House voted 229-193 Tuesday to reject Senate legislation that would extend a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans for the next two months. All six Missouri Republicans voted with the majority in opposition to the Senate bill, and all three Democrats voted for it. Democrats argue the best option, given the circumstances, is to pass the Senate bill, and come back to the issue after the holidays. … Republicans, however, contend that businesses need certainty regarding and that the tax cut should be extended for the entire year. … The two chambers have until December 31 to reach an agreement, or taxes will go up on an average of $1,000 on working Americans. Republicans, led by House Speaker John Boehner, have called on Senators to return to Washington to meet in a conference committee to negotiate over the differences between the Senate and House proposals.” http://bit.ly/v2eSAR

—  Bold headline of the day, from KCTV 5: “House decision would raise your taxes” 

— #MOSen candidate Sarah Steelman weighed in last night: “I applaud the House for taking the right stance to help ensure that Americans receive tax relief for the next year. With just 11 days before 160 million Americans face a payroll tax increase, the Democrat-led Senate, under Harry Reid and his supporter, Claire McCaskill, would rather waste your tax dollars over the next two months in more discussion. And, as of today, they refuse to even return to Washington and negotiate. … Senate Democrats choose to spend their time bickering over short-term solutions instead of working on permanent tax reform, cutting spending, reducing regulations and balancing the budget. Everything is pushed further down the road because they are too worried about their own re-elections. … Harry Reid and Claire McCaskill need to call on their members to come back to town and work until the job is done.” 

REDISTRICTING FALLOUT — ‘Announcement suggests Nasheed leaning towards Senate run,’ Post Dispatch: “State Rep. Jamilah Nasheed appears poised to make the most out of the political hand dealt to her in the redistricting process. Nasheed has been drawn into the same district as fellow north St. Louis Democratic State Rep. Chris Carter. But, on Monday, Nasheed said she is planning an announcement that could prevent two incumbents from battling for the same seat. Two House incumbents, at least. Nasheed said in a media advisory that she will hold a press conference after the holiday season ‘to address the growing speculation’ she will make a jump to the State Senate. … 

“The current state senator in the Fifth is Robin Wright-Jones, who has attracted unwanted attention for using her campaign funds to buy clothes and shoes, among other expenses that do not seem germane to her re-election effort. Wright-Jones has, as of her last report, just under $700 cash on hand. Nasheed, meanwhile, has nearly $29,000 in her campaign account. Other potential candidates to take on Wright-Jones in a primary will appear elsewhere on the 2012 ballot: State Rep. Mike Colona will attempt to stay in the House, while State Rep. Tishaura Jones is running for city treasurer.” http://bit.ly/uehD2p

FLOODING RECOVERY — ‘U.S. agency did best it could on Missouri River floods: Report,’ Reuters: “There was little the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could have done differently to prevent the worst of the Missouri River flooding over the summer, an independent panel of experts said on Tuesday. The panel, which included hydrologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service, said the flood disaster in the Upper Midwest was “clearly an extreme event with the largest volume of annual runoff on record,” according to the report. Decisions by the Corps’ reservoir managers were in line with the agency’s Master Manual, its water-control guide, the panel found. … 

“The Panel recommended support for a program of ‘infrastructure enhancement’ to ensure all flood release spillways are ready for service and all levees are in good condition for future floods. The panel also recommended a review of the system’s ability to store water, and improved future cooperation and collaboration with forecasters. The report noted that while climate change is not fully understood, given that more extreme runoff events have occurred in recent decades compared to the data on record, the panel recommends reexamining Missouri River System planning based on the entire historical record dating back to 1898. The report also recommending studying whether the Corps could have greater flexibility “to adapt to varying climatic extremes.” http://reut.rs/vm4svg

EDUCATION — ‘House school bullying bill back for 2012,’ MissouriNet: “A state legislator who in the last regular session sponsored school bullying legislation has pre-filed that bill for the coming session. Representative Sue Allen’s (R-Town and Country) proposal would expand on current state statute. It would add discrimination to the definition of “bullying.” In doing that, she wanted to avoid categorizing students who are targeted based on factors such as race, sexual orientation or religion. Allen says it would protect all students.  … 

“Current statute already requires schools to have an anti-bullying policy in place. Allen’s bill would require a number of components be a part of that. That includes: A statement prohibiting bullying; A procedure for investigating reports of bullying; A statement prohibiting reprisal or retaliation against a person reporting bullying; [And a] statement of how the policy will be publicized.” http://bit.ly/tqy2zK

CHRISTMAS —  ‘Hartzler fights House rule prohibiting use of congressional resources to send specific holiday greetings,’ Gannett: “Rep. Vicky Hartzler is no Grinch. The Harrisonville Republican plans on wishing her constituents a very Merry Christmas in an upcoming message, even though House officials have said that’s against the rules. Earlier this month, the House Franking Commission staff sent out a memo telling lawmakers they are not allowed to use official congressional resources to send out specific holiday greetings, such as ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah.’ The commission is a bipartisan body made up of three Democrats and three Republicans that issues guidance to lawmakers on what kind of official communications they can send out to constituents at taxpayers’ expense. For example, the commission nixes emails or newsletters that might sound too much like a campaign pitch. … Hartzler says the limits are a violation of her free speech rights. She and others have signed a letter to the Franking Commission, objecting to the rule and asking them to reconsider what they called a ‘political correctness’ policy. … 

“She said she typically sends out a weekly email to constituents, explaining her most recent votes and highlighting current issues. And if a holiday is coming up, she’ll note that too, whether it’s Thanksgiving or the 4th of July. She’s getting ready to do the same now for Christmas.” http://sgfnow.co/tJc34Z

REAL PROBLEMS — ‘Missouri grapples with one of the USA’s worst meth problems,’ USA Today: “For more than a dozen years, the wooded hills and valleys of Jefferson County have hidden a dark side of life here: a drug problem so pervasive that some people call this rural area ‘Metherson County.’ … Through Nov. 28, there were 6,915 seizures of meth labs, equipment and dumpsites nationwide; Missouri led all states with 1,744. So far this year, there have been 234 seizures in Jefferson County. … 

“Jefferson County was the first in Missouri to end over-the-counter sales of cold and allergy remedies containing pseudoephedrine, a key meth ingredient, but neighboring St. Louis County has no restrictions. Under state law, people can buy up to 9 grams of pseudoephedrine every 30 days. Until there’s a statewide requirement that those medicines can be sold only with a prescription, [Cpl. Timothy] Whitney [of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept.] says, the battle against meth labs won’t be won.” http://usat.ly/vkLpFq

SPORTZZZ — ‘Missouri tries to reverse its fortunes in bowl games,’ KC Star: “Jerrell Jackson and the Missouri football team will arrive today in Shreveport, La., having learned a few hard facts about mid-tier bowl games like the Tigers’ Independence Bowl matchup against North Carolina. Whereas the BCS bowls deal in the here and now of the current season — bids are determined by placement in the nation’s top 10 in the final polls — the lesser bowls are more about next season and the future of the program. … And if these 7-5 Tigers should lose a third straight bowl game — Monday afternoon’s Independence Bowl against 7-5 North Carolina? Well, the references to another bowl loss will be duly noted in assessing an unranked Missouri beginning play next season in the Southeastern Conference. … Pinkel contends the difference between finishing 7-6 and 8-5 defies simple mathematics. It could be the difference between opening 2012 as an acknowledged contender for the national elite coming off four straight victories to end 2011, and being not so much as a blip on the preseason national radar in 2012.” http://bit.ly/t0zb0E