After negotiations between the House and Senate were completed, the final Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (S. 1811) was approved by the House of Representatives. S. 1811 represents an agreement between House and Senate committees on final WRDA language, based in part on H.R. 7575, which passed the House by voice vote in July […]
State Senator Cindy O’Laughlin of northern Missouri’s Shelbina wants to limit pay for Missouri’s K-12 public school superintendents. Under a bill she has pre-filed, total compensation could not exceed 3.5 times the average total compensation provided to all certified, full-time teachers employed by the district. Missouri has about 551 public and charter schools. The Missouri […]
Current Missouri law requires preventative HIV medication to be prescribed by a doctor. Newly-elected Kansas City State Senator Greg Razer plans to pre-file a Bill that would allow pharmacists to give an emergency dose over the counter to those exposed to the virus. Razer calls the bill the last piece to end the AIDS epidemic. […]
The Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has voted largely along party lines in favor of decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level. Missouri’s Democratic members voted in support and Republicans voted against the plan. GOP Congresswoman Ann Wagner did not vote on the measure. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, would remove […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released an audit of the Clay County Collector’s office. The report, which gave an overall rating of “good,” is the fourth released as part of an ongoing audit of Clay County that was initiated through a citizen petition. Previously released audits of the County Clerk, Recorder, and Public Administrator gave the […]
A project manager employed by a major retailer was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for fraudulently seeking more than $8 million in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. […]
About $76 million in federal money will be heading to Missouri’s k-12 schools, once Governor Mike Parson signs the supplemental budget bill. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, says the $1.27 billion supplemental budget includes $75.6 million for school nutrition services. “i.e., paying for meals in k-12 education,” Smith says. “So this […]
Utility bills will not be sent out this month in Gilman City. Mayor Linda Robertson reports the city clerk sends out the payments, she is sick, and there is no backup system. Robertson says residents can pay the October amount at the Gilman City City Hall for the November utilities, and the amount will be […]
The community group, Five Points Alive, played a role in providing Christmas lights and decorations for the downtown Trenton vicinity. A spokesperson for the group, Cindy Jennings, recognized the work of Billy Wilson of Trenton who put up the energy-efficient Christmas lights. Mrs. Jennings also recognized the work of Kathy Brewer and Venna […]
The Missouri Legislature will be asked to change part of Missouri’s voter ID law. State Senator Bob Onder wants to put an end to a provision in state law allowing voters without certain identification to still vote by signing a statement saying they are who they say they are. Onder, a Republican from Lake St. […]
Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley plans to vote against the annual bill that authorizes funding for the U.S. military. The Kansas City Star reports that Hawley announced his intention on Wednesday to vote against the $740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) following a veto threat from President Donald Trump. Hawley said he […]
Evergy Missouri West and Evergy Missouri Metro have filed applications with the Missouri Public Service Commission seeking to adjust the demand side investment mechanism charge on customer bills. The charge appears as a separate line item on customer bills and allows the companies to recover demand-side management program costs and incentives under the Missouri Energy […]
The U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and six other federal law enforcement agencies announced the completion of the third annual Money Mule Initiative, a coordinated operation to disrupt the networks through which transnational fraudsters move the proceeds of their crimes. Money mules are individuals who assist fraudsters by receiving […]
State Senator Andrew Koenig (KAY-nig) wants to limit Missouri’s local leaders on their power to mandate and enforce county-wide shutdowns. On the Missouri Senate floor, Koenig, a Republican from the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, says he has pre-filed legislation in response to restrictions issued last month by St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. The […]
Governor Parson has asked the Legislature to wait until the next session to take up a bill that would protect Missouri businesses and other organizations from COVID-19 liability lawsuits. News of the request hit as a Missouri Senate committee held a hearing Tuesday about a bill to address such legal claims. During the hearing, Mark […]
Nineteen defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $1.2 million insurance fraud conspiracy that involved false claims of injuries suffered in car accidents. Lawrence Courtney Lawhorn, 32, and Latoya Marie Brown, 35, who resided in Columbia and in the Kansas City area; Lauren Courtney Luque, 34, Michael Jadon […]
The Missouri Senate is expected to vote on the proposed one-point-two billion supplemental budget Tuesday in Jefferson City. The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a Tuesday afternoon hearing at 1 in the Senate chamber, and committee chairman Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, will outline the bills at that time. The full Senate will convene Tuesday […]
Congress has 10 days before their next break and lots they COULD do. The House and Senate must tackle government funding before Dec. 12 to avoid a third government shutdown. Missouri healthcare groups, small businesses, and unemployed workers would like to see another COVID-19 relief bill, the question now is the price tag. […]
A St. Louis-based utility that serves 64 of Missouri’s 114 counties is warning residents about increasing utility scams, where scammers are posing as Ameren employees and threatening to disconnect your service if you don’t pay them. Ameren Missouri corporate security supervisor Maria Gomez urges you to be vigilant. She says the best way to combat […]
The USDA is calling for ag exports to increase by nearly eight percent for the 2021 fiscal year largely because of Chinese demand. USDA’s November ag export forecast increased by $11.5 billion from August to $152 billion. If realized it would be the second-highest export total on record with China accounting for most of the increase, […]
