Missouri’s transportation director says more than 600 of his employees currently have the coronavirus. State Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director Patrick McKenna testified before the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight on Monday in Jefferson City, delivering MoDOT’s annual report. “As of this moment (Monday afternoon), we’re at about 645 cases of COVID within MoDOT, MoDOT alone,” McKenna […]
Category: State News
Audio: Missouri bill would boost gas tax but offer rebates to drivers
A proposed fuel tax increase could come with a rebate option for drivers who fill up in Missouri. State Representative Becky Ruth, R-Festus, has filed legislation that would increase the fee by two cents annually for five years to help to pay for Missouri’s underfunded highway system. She tells Missourinet if drivers turn in their […]
State launches Missouri COVID-19 Vaccine Navigator
Governor Mike Parson announced the launch of the Missouri Vaccine Navigator, a secure registry tool to assist Missourians in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. “Although vaccine supply nationwide is still quite limited, this registration process will help connect Missourians with more avenues to receive a vaccine,” Governor Parson said. “This will not only provide support for […]
Audio: Former Missouri State Senator launches bid for Blunt’s U.S. Senate seat
Former Missouri State Senator Scott Sifton has announced today his bid for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Senator Roy Blunt. Sifton unveiled his decision today in a launch video critical of both Missouri U.S. Senators. “Our country is at a critical point in its history,” Sifton says in a press release. “We just […]
Missouri woman charged in federal court with bank robbery
A Missouri woman was charged in federal court with the armed robbery of a Capitol Federal Savings Bank located in Liberty, Missouri. Sarah Theresa Watkins, 41, of Kansas City, was charged with one count of armed bank robbery in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. The criminal complaint […]
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports almost 700K vaccinated, 160K with both doses
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports 690,072 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the state through February 6th. Five hundred twenty-nine thousand seven hundred four persons had received at least one dose. One hundred sixty thousand three hundred sixty-eight persons had received both doses. Eight point seven percent of […]
Audio: Missouri House Committee to hear testimony on gun bill involving places of worship
Legislation that would allow the concealed carrying of guns in churches and other places of worship with a concealed carry permit will be heard this (Monday) evening by a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City. The House General Laws Committee will hear testimony from Neosho GOP State Representative Ben Baker tonight at 6. […]
Audio: Missouri congresswoman wants $2,000 monthly coronavirus payments for Americans
Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush wants Congress to give Americans monthly checks of $2,000 until the pandemic is over with. Bush, a Democrat from St. Louis, says the payments should be retroactive – from the beginning of the pandemic. During an appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, she says she wants people to get […]
Audio: Missouri prison system experiences significant drop in COVID-19 cases
In early December, the Missouri Department of Corrections began installing 1,400 air purifying devices and using disinfectant sprayers within the prison system. Since then, department spokesperson Karen Pojmann tells Missourinet the number of coronavirus cases has fallen by 80%. The agency reports 7,612 staff and inmates have been infected with the virus since last spring – 147, or […]
Audio: Resident of Northeast Missouri has state’s first confirmed case of UK Coronavirus variant
The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says an adult in northeast Missouri’s Marion County has the state’s first confirmed case of a COVID-19 variation initially detected in the United Kingdom. A press release from DHSS says the version, known as B.1.1.7, was identified in a sample from the individual. The […]
Audio: Missouri House Transportation Committee Chair files gas tax legislation, modeled after South Carolina
The Missouri House Transportation Committee chairwoman has filed gas tax legislation that has a new aspect: a possible rebate. Festus GOP State Representative Becky Ruth has filed a bill to raise Missouri’s gas tax by two cents annually for five years. Missouri’s 17-cent gasoline tax has stayed the same since 1996. Under her […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor discusses unemployment overpayments and issues with House Speaker
Missouri’s governor is downplaying news reports of tension between him and House Speaker Rob Vescovo, saying there’s been hype in the media. Governor Mike Parson says he’ll move forward with the House and the Senate. The governor wrote a recent three-page letter, criticizing House GOP leaders for disrupting last week’s plans to hold the State […]
Audio: Federal gun law nullification bill passes Missouri House
A gun law bill that passed the Missouri House Wednesday would punish a police department through civil lawsuits if an officer enforces federal gun laws. A twin of the bill is also moving through the Senate. The “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, is aimed at disregarding any federal firearms actions by the […]
Audio: Missouri’s Governor and Health Director say there have been issues with COVID vaccine distribution process
Missouri’s governor announced Thursday in Jefferson City that there have been issues with the COVID vaccine distribution process, and warns that there will be consequences for vaccinators that allow people to jump the line. Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters during a Statehouse press conference, emphasizing that his administration will vaccinate the most vulnerable and […]
Missouri Attorney General reaches settlement with McKinsey & Company for role in opioid epidemic
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his Office and a coalition of attorneys general from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories have reached a $573 million settlement with one of the world’s largest consulting firms, McKinsey & Company. The settlement resolves investigations into the company’s role in working for opioid […]
Hawley introduces amendment to transfer federal funds from Planned Parenthood to adoption program
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced an amendment to Congress’s proposed budget resolution that would transfer federal dollars given to Planned Parenthood to federal adoption and maternal health programs. Senator Hawley said, “Instead of abusing obscure Senate rules and procedures to give handouts to their favored constituents, why don’t Democrats work across the aisle to help mothers […]
VITA program offers free tax preparation services
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites offering eligible Missourians free assistance with tax return preparation are open at University of Missouri Extension sites throughout the state through April 14. “During such an extraordinary time, people will certainly have questions about their taxes,” said Andrew Zumwalt, an associate extension professor of personal financial planning. Volunteers have […]
Hawley and colleagues demand answers on Biden’s Department of Homeland Security deportation moratorium
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and eleven Senate colleagues pushed back on a deportation moratorium proposed by President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security, which will prevent the removal of the vast majority of illegal immigrants with final orders of removal–including dangerous criminals–from the United States. The moratorium was proposed in a January 21 memorandum issued […]
Audio: Southwest Missouri lawmaker proposes property tax delinquency date changes
Legislation changing the delinquency date of real and personal property taxes from January 1 to March 1 has been heard today (Wednesday) by a Missouri House committee. O’Fallon GOP State Representative Tony Lovasco supports the bill. The Missouri Association of School Administrators has testified against legislation changing the delinquency date of real and […]
Audio: Missouri House Speaker is asking state lawmaker under federal indictment to resign
The Missouri House Speaker is asking a fellow GOP House member to resign her seat after she was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield for an alleged stem cell fraud scheme. The indictment was unsealed and made public on Monday. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, announced Wednesday that he’s removed State Rep. Tricia Derges, […]