(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is poised to send a sweeping immigration reform bill to Congress Thursday that would lay out a path for nearly 11 million undocumented people to obtain citizenship within eight years. Immigration has been one of the toughest issues for Congress to tackle, and the legislation’s fate is unclear in […]
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Division of Employment Security this week began processing $300 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments to eligible unemployed workers under the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020. Eligible claimants should begin seeing their payments within the next few days, depending on how long their bank […]
Auditor Galloway outlined the successes of her Public Corruption and Fraud Division, which has contributed significantly to her office’s fight against public corruption. Auditor Galloway launched the division and announced efforts to direct increased resources towards investigations of fraud and abuse at the start of 2019. “I am proud of the work of my team and […]
As 2020 comes to a close, Governor Mike Parson highlights the state’s many successes and accomplishments despite the challenges of the past year. “Although 2020 has brought many challenges, we remained committed to serving the people of this state and moving Missouri forward,” Governor Parson said. “We still made great strides in advancing Missouri’s economy, workforce, and […]
A civil complaint filed by the Department of Justice has alleged that Walmart Inc. unlawfully dispensed controlled substances from pharmacies it operated across the country and unlawfully distributed controlled substances to those pharmacies throughout the height of the prescription opioid crisis. The complaint alleges that this unlawful conduct resulted in hundreds of thousands of violations […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her seventh report detailing state government’s use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response. In March, Auditor Galloway announced that her office would examine the state’s distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs passed by Congress. The most recent […]
The chief executive officer of a California-based medical device company was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud investors by making false and misleading statements about the purported development of a new COVID-19 test, leading to millions of dollars in investor losses. Keith Berman, 67, the CEO of […]
A corporate executive has been ordered to serve 20 years in prison after his conviction related to falsely telling thousands of patients with long-term incurable diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, they had less than six months to live and subsequently enrolling them in hospice programs. A federal jury in McAllen, Texas, convicted Rodney […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a multistate coalition of 10 states in filing a lawsuit against Google for multiple alleged violations of federal and state antitrust laws, including anticompetitive conduct, exclusionary practices, and deceptive misrepresentations in connection with its role in the multibillion-dollar online display advertising industry. “In this lawsuit, we allege that Google […]
Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a bipartisan coalition of 48 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Facebook Inc., alleging that the company illegally stifles competition to protect its monopoly power. The filing can be found here. The lawsuit alleges that, over the last decade, the social networking giant illegally acquired competitors in a predatory manner […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
This week, the state of Missouri joins many others across the nation in recognizing National Small Business Week. Small businesses have a major impact on Missouri’s economy, as more than 45 percent of employed Missourians receive a paycheck from working at a small business. In 2019, Missouri’s small businesses created 13,855 net new jobs. More […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the signup periods for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the CRP Grasslands in 2021. Signup for general CRP will be open from January 4, 2021, to February 12, 2021, and signup for CRP Grasslands runs from March 15, 2021, to April 23, 2021. Both programs are competitive and […]
Seven individuals across two states were charged in an indictment unsealed for their alleged participation in a scheme to obtain approximately $16 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Amir Aqeel, 52, and Pardeep Basra, 51, both of […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released her fifth report detailing the state government’s use of federal stimulus dollars intended for the COVID-19 response. In March, Auditor Galloway announced that her office would examine the state’s distribution and spending of funding received under the CARES Act and other federal assistance programs recently passed by Congress. The […]
