Sen. Denny Hoskins is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast, where the Warrensburg Republican talked about some of the legislation he’s sponsoring during the 2019 session.
Hoskins was elected to the 21st Senatorial district in 2016. That seat includes Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline counties.
Before running for the Senate, Hoskins served for eight years in the Missouri House. The certified public accountant was elected as House speaker pro tem, which is the second-highest-ranking position in the General Assembly’s lower chamber.
Generally, Hoskins has won his elections by wide margins — except his first one in 2008. That’s when he defeated Warrensburg Mayor Jim Jackson by 122 votes.
This session, Hoskins is sponsoring legislation legalizing video-lottery terminals and sports betting. He’s also handling legislation that would expand Missouri’s autism-insurance mandate to include other developmental disabilities.
Here’s what Hoskins had to say during the show:
- He estimated that legalizing video-lottery terminals will bring in about $126 million in new revenue for the state. Most of that money will go toward education programs.
- Hoskins said some casinos has spoken out against his sports betting and video-lottery legislation, contending it would lead to people spending less money at those facilities. His sports-betting legislation would open the door for Missourians to place bets with a cell-phone application.
- Along with other GOP senators, Hoskins is an opponent of setting up a prescription-drug-monitoring database. He doesn’t like that the state government would have a centralized clearinghouse of Missourians’ prescription-drug information.
- Hoskins isn’t sure if opponents of that program will try to find a compromise. “If and when that bill gets brought up on the Senate floor, there will be a lot of discussion on that,” he said. “And whether or not there’s a compromise there, I don’t know yet.”
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbuam
Follow Denny Hoskins on Twitter: @DLHoskins
Music: “Buffalo Stance” by Michael Hedges
