The Daily Dose -- Harris Hits Koster

Rep. Jeff Harris lambasted rival Sen. Chris Koster Monday for voting in favor of a bill Harris claims would "make it easier for telephone companies to raise rates on consumers."

The bill in question is House Bill 1779.

The Harris release claims that consumer advocates, the AARP and Missouri Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility cases, oppose HB 1779. Harris also quotes coverage from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, which reported the bill “explicitly authorizes a rate increase for residential customers, an increase of up to $30 per year.”

“At a time when our economy is hurting, gas prices are at record highs, and the cost of everything seems to be rising, the last thing Missourians need is to take another punch in the pocketbook. As Missouri’s next Attorney General, I will always side with consumers and taxpayers first. You can count on that," Harris said in a release.

"In addition to voting with the telephone companies, Koster has sponsored legislation that would eliminate local control over corporate farms, and he authored an industry-friendly energy bill that would have allowed electric companies to meet voluntary guidelines for renewable energy rather than requiring them to produce more clean energy. Jeff Harris is the only candidate for Attorney General to vote against HB 1779," reads the Harris release.

The Notebook has requested a response from the Koster campaign and will publish it when it receives it.