Governor candidates (left-to-right) Kenny Hulshof, Sarah Steelman and Jay Nixon.

The Columbia Tribune’s Politics Blog reported Thursday that the talk of the governor’s race is taxes.

Both Republican candidates are promising not to raise taxes.

State Treasurer Sarah Steelman’s campaign sent out a press release today announced the first-term statewide official had signed Grover Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge from Americans for Tax Reform.

Steelman called on U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, to sign the pledge as well. Scott Baker, a spokesman for the six-term congressman, noted that Hulshof signed the pledge in the past and would sign the pledge again. That, he said, means that he would also promise not to raise taxes if elected governor.

Even lone Democrat candidate Jay Nixon got in on the action.

“Jay won’t raise taxes. During these difficult economic times, when Missouri families are feeling squeezed, that’s the last thing we should be doing,” said Nixon spokesman Oren Shur. “We can change the direction of Missouri, not with new taxes, but with a new Governor who will spend the money available in a more responsible way. That means tax relief for people who need it, such as property tax cuts for seniors and by making college tuition tax deductible.”

Gov. Matt Blunt nominated Michael J. Schmid (D) to serve on the Missouri Ethics Committee Wednesday.

According to a release from the governor’s office, Schmid is a Jefferson City attorney serving the Fourth Congressional District. He was previously an assistant attorney general in the Missouri Attorney General’s office.

His appointment needs to be confirmed by the senate before he can serve a four-year term ending on March 15, 2012.

Schmid will be replacing Michael Dunard whose term expired.

The state Senate passed a bill yesterday that seeks to make Missouri less attractive for people living and working in America without the correct paperwork.

Gov. Matt Blunt praised the passage of Senate Bill 858.

“Illegal immigration is a serious problem in our country and state,” said Blunt in a written statement. “It is not only an assault on the sanctity of our laws but a potential threat to the safety and security of Missouri families.”

St. Louis Senator Harry Kennedy disagrees.

“I’m worried that this bill amounts to an unfunded mandate on our city and county governments, especially our courts and prison systems,” Kennedy said.

“The mandatory jailing of people whose identities cannot be immediately established will lead to overcrowding in our city and county jails and could lead to the release of offenders who have done much worse than overstayed their visa.”

SB 858, sponsored by Sen. Scott Rupp (R-Wentzville), prohibits the creation of so-called “sanctuary cities” in the state; requires verification of legal employment status of every public employee; allows for cancellation of state contracts for contractors if they hire illegal immigrants; requires public agencies to verify the legal status of applicants before providing welfare benefits; further criminalizes the transportation of illegal immigrants for purposes of human trafficking, drug trafficking, prostitution or illegal labor; and prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining driver licenses.

The bill also prohibits employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

“I am very opposed to illegal immigration, but with the current economic downturn, I’m worried about imposing another unfunded mandate on our businesses and local governments,” Sen. Kennedy said.

Gov. Matt Blunt is putting more money in the pot to fight underage drinking.

The announcement came today that the Department of Public Safety was awarded more than $188,000 to combat underage drinking across Missouri.

According to a press release from Blunt’s office today, the grants would go to local Missouri law enforcement as part of the federal Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Program, utilized by police, sheriffs and university safety departments augmenting officers’ regular pay for doing compliance checks at places that sell alcohol, conducting parent and community education on the “consequences of hosting alcohol parties,” safe party dispersals, driving-while-intoxicated checkpoints that target youths and working special events like county fairs or festivals.

Proponents of the measure say this will “boost the effectiveness” of field training on methods combating underage drinking.

EUDL funds are appropriated by Congress and awarded to states by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). In Missouri, the Department of Public Safety is the designated state agency to receive and administer EUDL funding.

Gov. Matt Blunt is still feeling good about China and the Beijing Olympics.

Blunt is in China this week along with several other Missouri politicians and business leaders working on forging business ties with the country.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Political Fix Blog is reporting Blunt was asked about calls to boycott the Beijing Olympics this summer in a conference cal with the press.

Blunt is cool with the Olympics despite the controversy surrounding China’s crackdown on protesters in Tibet.

“I have not seen anything that has given me pause - obviously, Beijing is a long way from Tibet,” Blunt said.

While Blunt said the Olympics should be treated separately from the political, he gave one exception, citing if Americans had known about Germany’s actions, the U.S. might have skipped out on the 1936 Olympics in Munich which were hosted by the Nazis.

In other non-Human Rights abuses in China news, the Missouri delegation in China is closer to making St. Louis a business hub for freight and passenger flights from China. Blunt, et al, were able to warm the Chinese up to the idea because of St. Louis’ central location with the United States.

Currently China routes its cargo through West Coast airports like LAX.

The Political Fix says the U.S. envoy and the Chinese are promising to set up a joint study within the next six months to look at the possibilities.

This comes after Blunt signed a separate agreement with Chinese officials regarding St. Louis as a trade hub with China.

They’re China bound!

Gov. Matt Blunt, along with U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill, are going on a bipartisan trade mission to China this week. The politicians will work on “creating new economic development opportunities between China and Missouri.” They will be heading to the People’s Republic of China with high-level members of government, business and civic leaders from the St. Louis area.

“Missouri businesses have shattered export records every year since I took office in 2005,” Gov. Blunt said in a press release Monday. “This bipartisan trade mission to China, one of our most important trading partners, will help strengthen business relations and help continue Missouri’s outstanding job growth.”

A who’s who of state and St. Louis politics are making the trip including: U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, former Gov. Bob Holden who serves as the vice chairman of the Midwest U.S.-China Association.

Business leaders making the trek include Richard C. D. Fleming, president and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA); David L. Steward, chairman and CEO of World Wide Technology; and executives with Pfizer, Peabody Energy, Unigroup, McEagle Properties, the World Trade Center St. Louis, and Lambert St. Louis International Airport.

Taking a crack at cronyism, gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) has a proposal that would end the patronage system in Missouri’s fee offices.

The old, controversial system involved about 183 privately run offices that collected vehicle sales taxes, drivers’ license fees and other fees on the state’s behalf. State contractors get to keep a fee for each transaction and were used by past governors of both parties to reward loyal supporters.

Hulshof, who is currently representing the 9^th district in Washington, D.C., is running as a Republican candidate for governor. He is pushing for a more transparent system with an emphasis on customer service, performance and accountability.

“These offices should be awarded in the same manner as every other government contract – in an open and objective way,” Hulshof said in a written release distributed Thursday. “Customer service should be the top consideration when determining who runs these offices, not who offers the most political support.”

The fee offices were a matter of controversy under current Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration. The federal government was questioning former state contractors about the way vehicle license offices were managed under Blunt’s administration. The investigating hinged on irregularities during the transition between former Gov. Bob Holden and Blunt, said the Associated Press.

Then the fee office investigation became tied to larger US Attorney firings scandal when US Attorney Bud Cummins, who was investigating the fee office irregularities, was dismissed from the Department of Justice.

Hulshof’s new proposal requires every fee office be up for an open bid. There will also be a point system to rate the bids, created by the Department of Revenue and Office of Administration.

These points would be based on charitable considerations, customer service initiatives, past performance where appropriate and personnel qualifications.

Hulshof said he would eschew looking at who contributed the most to campaigns, and instead focus on performance and business plans. Hulshof said this will result “in better customer service, taxpayer savings and more confidence in the system.”

Current fee office agents could submit a proposal to continue using their offices. The plan also calls for charities and minority-owned business to submit proposals.

All of these proposals would be up for public scrutiny.

Gov. Matt Blunt nominated two state representatives to the Missouri Ethics Commission Wednesday.

Jeff B. Davidson, 51, of the 6th Congressional District and Jim R. Wright, 54, of the 2nd Congressional District were appointed to the commission. The governor called them “great additions” to the group and said he expects “them to hold themselves and the commission to the highest standards.”

Davison is an attorney with Liles & Davison in Savannah and has a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University with a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Wright is president and CEO of the Kirkwood/Des Peres Area Chamber of Commerce and is from Ballwin. He has a bachelor’s degree from National Louis University.

Both men are replacing representatives whose terms are expiring this Saturday.

Davison is replacing Robert Simpson, a Republican and Wright is replacing Warren Neiburg, also a Republican.

Both positions are subject to Senate confirmation for a term that will last until March 15, 2012.

Because this is a position for the ethics commission, state law requires a more complex process for filling vacancies. Law requires that they produce financial disclosure statements including four years worth of background and history on their campaign donations.

The commission handles complaints regarding conflicts of interest and violation of lobby statutes. They look at possible violates of the campaign finance disclosure law. They also review and audit reports as required under the campaign finance disclosure law.