Kill the Fill PAC hosted a townhall event this evening for Senator Rick Brattin. Also, in attendance were State Representatives Mike Haffner and Sherri Gallick. HB 909 was written by State Representative Mike Haffner and passed in the House 139-16 before being sent to the Senate.

In the meeting Senator Brattin described the events that happened surrounding HB 909 and the filibusters. According to Brattin, he was given a 2-hour window to introduce the bill and have it voted on; two hours that were filibustered by Senator Coleman. By chance he was given an additional two hours due to an unrelated paperwork snafu but then that time was filibustered by Senator Trent and Senator McCreery.

The following day Senator Brattin delayed the state budget by filibustering for 9 hours with the help of Senator Eigel and Senator Carter. The state budget, he explained, is a constitutional requirement that was due the following day by 6pm. This forced the other senators to come to the table and form an agreement to end Brattin's filibuster. Unfortunately, HB 909 didn't have the support in the Senate, so Senator Brattin was force to capitulate. One of the agreements made was to have a first agenda spot in the next legislative session. It will take a lot more resources and energy for the Monheisers to fight the bill around the clock for the entire session. So, while we didn't get the win we wanted, we did get something that will work in our favor.

Some Q&A from the event:

Q: What if they jump across 150 for the landfill?

A: This has now become a regional issue and MARC may have a role in future alternative location choices. MARC has not been very cooperative historically however.

Q: What can individuals do to help?

A: Stay involved. Stay active. Stay concerned. Write or email if you can.  

(Not mentioned in the meeting, but this is where Kill the Fill PAC comes in. Get involved with the PAC by contributing and/or volunteering)

Q: Who is financing this if Monheisers weren't millionaires like she said? 

A: There is no hard evidence yet, but Scott Higgs is who Jennifer Monheiser initially identified as an investor even though they both deny it now.

Q: Can Jennifer be held in contempt for lying to the house and senate? 

A: No. There is no swearing in for those testimonies. 

Q: MARC is involved in solid waste management. Their only stated concern is the cost of moving the trash. How do we get involved in studies or in the language of how legislation is written?

A: Hopefully the study will bring other concerns and yes there is a need for a bigger picture with legislation regarding solid waste. I'm not certain about how or if to get involved before the study begins. You can email them.  

Q: What about the lakes? EPA has rules about water and heavy metals that affect fish, animals, and the water itself. 

A: Yes, the EPA has rules but has not been involved in any way yet. 

Q: There are rules about the height of a junk yard. This location will not be easy to hide the height of the landfill. Also, junkyards have a 1,000 ft (about 304.8 m) set back requirement for visibility. Could we use that?

A: I'm not sure if a junk yard and landfill would be seen the same but yes if they violate that requirement the state could lose federal funds. That we can use as motivation. 

Q: Do you know of the RFP for I-49 and widening it? The Dussiliers and Monheisers are working with KC. How concerned are we about the KC city council working with them to undercut the bid for these projects, giving them more power and control? 

A: Boards and commissions including the highway commission will be involved as well as MODOT.