(Missouri Independent) – The 2022 legislative session ended last week the same way it began back in January: With the Missouri Senate bogged down and barely able to function thanks to bitter divisions within the Republican majority. Over the course of five months, there were filibusters, procedural hijinks, and ugly back-and-forths between members of the Senate’s conservative […]
Category: State News
Appeals court hears arguments over Greitens’ use of self-destructing text message app
(Missouri Independent) – A panel of state appeals court judges heard arguments last week over whether former Gov. Eric Greitens and his staff used self-destructing text-message apps in 2017 to illegally circumvent Missouri’s transparency laws. While Greitens was still serving as governor, it was revealed he and his staff were using a text-messaging app called Confide. […]
Governor Parson announces launch of website for Missouri’s American Rescue Plan Act funds
Governor Mike Parson announced the launch of a public website to help guide access to Missouri’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The website, moarpa.mo.gov, enables visitors to learn about how ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds are being spent in Missouri. The website will also provide information on how Missouri organizations, non-profits, municipalities, businesses, communities, […]
Audio: Farm interests applaud new eminent domain restrictions in Missouri
Missouri lawmakers ended the session with changes to eminent domain laws. House Bill 2005 sponsor Mike Haffner led the effort – triggered when a private electric transmission line project was permitted to cross the state. The bill now limits eminent domain use by private companies to acquire land, but Missouri Cattlemen’s Executive Vice […]
‘Seclusion kills’: Missouri lawmakers pass limits on hospital COVID visitor restrictions
(Missouri Independent) – Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, Missouri lawmakers sent to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk legislation that aims to ensure residents can access their family members in the face of visitor restrictions at hospitals. A House bill unanimously passed on the final day of the legislative session with 129 votes in support, and shortly after […]
Bill to create prison nursery clears Missouri legislature on final day of session
(Missouri Independent) – Infants born to women in prison may soon get to remain with their mothers for their first 18 months, under a bill on its way to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. The bill would direct the Missouri Department of Corrections to establish a nursery within a women’s correctional facility by July 2025. It […]
Missouri joins other states in lawsuit against Biden administration for reinstating California exemption in Clean Air Act
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office joined a lawsuit challenging the Biden Administration’s decision to allow California to set burdensome and oppressive emissions standards in the manufacturing of motor vehicles as an exemption under the Clean Air Act. “Over 40 percent of the nation’s motor vehicles are manufactured in California and the […]
Battle lines remain fixed in Missouri Senate, Republican factional fights as session ends
(Missouri Independent) – In chess, a defensive move that swaps positions of the rook and the king is called castling. The move that ends the game, of course, is the checkmate. Early Thursday morning, the Missouri Senate leadership castled the congressional redistricting bill by recessing, instead of adjourning, the Wednesday session. That meant that when […]
Missouri legislators weaken regulations for hazardous waste, ‘advanced recycling’
(Missouri Independent) – Legislation weakening Missouri’s hazardous waste regulations and opening the door for “advanced recycling” will soon be on Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. With just hours left before Friday’s mandated end to the Missouri legislative session, the House took up and passed a bill stuck in conference committee negotiations that was vehemently opposed by environmentalists and pushed by […]
Seven features of the Missouri voter ID bill that are designed to safeguard elections
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft applauded the Missouri legislature for the passage of House Bill 1878 which expands voter ID and further safeguards elections in the state. Improving election integrity was a major priority for Ashcroft’s office during the legislative session. “I would like to thank the legislature for their work this session to prioritize […]
Sam Hunt with Sean Stemaly to peform August 13 at Missouri State Fair
Country music star Sam Hunt will take the State Fair Grandstand stage, presented by CFM Insurance, on Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Missouri State Fair. Opening for Hunt is Sean Stemaly. Multi-platinum selling, award-winning hitmaker Sam Hunt has accumulated over 11 billion global streams. His debut album Montevallo produced four No. 1 singles including […]
Audio: Missouri Legislature passes wide-ranging K-12 public education package
A wide-ranging K-12 public education package is headed to Missouri’s governor for action. The state Legislature has passed the bill that includes several reading interventions, methods to get lead out of school drinking water, and Holocaust Education initiatives, among several other items. During final work on the plan, state Representative Paula Brown, a Democrat and […]
Voter ID bill clears Missouri legislature despite fierce criticism from black Democrats
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri voters will be required to present a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot under a wide-ranging elections bill headed to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. The bill includes several other provisions — such as prohibiting touchscreen voting machines and requiring a number of cybersecurity checks — that came out of hearings last summer, […]
Missouri Senate adjourns early after passing congressional redistricting map
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Senate passed a congressional redistricting map Thursday and then adjourned for the year. The 22-11 vote came after Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden invoked a rarely-used rule to bring a bill from the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting to the floor. The adjournment came a day before the constitutionally mandated […]
Missouri public high schools awarded for FAFSA completion efforts
Eleven public high schools in Missouri are being recognized for helping students plan financially for postsecondary education. In an effort to promote completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) among high school seniors, the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) launched the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge in October 2020. This […]
Tesla to perform with Fuel on August 12 at Missouri State Fair
rock bands Tesla and Fuel will perform on the State Fair Grandstand stage, presented by CFM Insurance, on Friday, Aug. 12, at the Missouri State Fair. Tesla’s legacy is alive and well as they continue to record and perform at venues all over the world. Their list of hits, starting with their album Mechanical […]
Memorial ceremonies this weekend will honor Missouri’s fallen firefighters
The Missouri Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation Board has approved additions to the Wall of Honor at the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri in Kingdom City. The address of the Fire Fighters Memorial is 5599 Angel Dr #5409, Kingdom City, MO 65262. One of the additions is Firefighter George Shoemaker from the Brookfield Fire Department who […]
Audio: Missouri medical cannabis industry sets monthly sales record in April
Missouri’s medical cannabis industry is reporting another monthly retail sales record. The state’s dispensaries sold nearly $37,00,000 worth of medication and products in April 2022. There was a one-day sales record of two-point-eight-million dollars on April 20th, which is considered a cannabis national holiday. Many facilities had specialty prices, educational events, and celebrations […]
Audio: Congressional redistricting plan hits a wall in the Missouri Senate
The Missouri House passed a new Congressional redistricting plan on Monday, but the bill has hit a wall in the Senate. The relationship status between Missouri Republican Senators this session – it’s complicated. Work on a Congressional redistricting plan is a major part of the rift among members in the upper chamber. A […]
Renewable energy experts in Missouri say reducing barriers to solar is key
Groups that advocate for renewables in Missouri are urging Gov. Mike Parson to sign a utility-focused bill that would reduce barriers for businesses and individuals to access solar arrays. It’s been passed by both chambers of the Legislature – and among other measures, it would prevent Homeowners Associations from banning solar panels in their covenants, implement a […]