U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Ben Cardin (Md.) have introduced a measure to permanently extend the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC), which has created jobs and driven investment in neighborhoods with high poverty and unemployment rates. The New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act (S.456) will permanently authorize a 39 percent federal tax credit for […]
A one-point-nine-trillion-dollar pandemic relief package heads to the U-S Senate after approval by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House. The plan featuring $1,400 stimulus checks passed early Saturday with no Republican support. Missouri GOP Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler says it’s “serving as an excuse to spend our tax money on unnecessary things completely unrelated to the […]
(Missouri Independent) – The eyes of the nation turned to U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley over the holidays when he became the first senator to announce an objection to the certification of presidential electors. But the eyes of local politicos turned instead to his home-state colleague, Missouri’s senior senator. How would Roy Blunt — up for […]
A man who has lived near St. Louis in a Maplewood church to avoid deportation has been able to finally leave the church. Alex Garcia returned home on Wednesday after being protected by the church for more than 3 years. The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports the Honduran immigrant and father of five […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) helped introduce the Major Richard Star Act, bipartisan legislation to provide combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service their full benefits. “It’s long overdue that these heroes – who could no longer continue serving due to injuries they sustained in combat – get the benefits they earned,” said […]
Governor Mike Parson has appointed a Trenton resident to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. C. Phillip Hoffman’s appointment was one of five appointments Parson announced to boards and commissions on February 24th. Hoffman worked for his family’s agriculture input supply business since 1976. GFG Agriservices acquired the family business in 2014. He and his […]
(Missouri Independent) – The plan for distributing money directly to Missouri counties in the current version of the $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief bill is pretty simple – each gets $195.44 per person. But for cities, instead of a formula based on population, Congress divvies up the money using the method for determining Community Development Block Grant allocations. […]
On Capitol Hill this week, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned U.S. Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland. Garland said that getting to the bottom of the January 6th attack on Congress was a priority.
Senator Roy Blunt is a leader/ranking member on the Senate panel investigating the police response to January 6’s deadly attack on Congress and the Capitol. He says the event caused many types of trauma to Americans. Senators questioned now-resigned leaders of the Capitol Police and Congressional security. The takeaway on Tuesday is that […]
(Missouri Independent) – Last spring, as Missouri businesses shed hundreds of thousands of jobs, Gov. Mike Parson warned that the state was headed for the worst financial crunch since the 2008 recession. Ten months later, Parson presented a budget plan that anticipates a $1.1 billion surplus on July 1, the biggest in state history. And if the $1.9 trillion pandemic […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and members of the Missouri Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking for a review of the natural gas supply in light of electricity outages, rolling blackouts, and controlled service interruptions across Missouri and the Midwest during extreme winter weather. “Due to […]
(Missouri Independent) – The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a report Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers. The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a […]
Missouri has intercepted millions in stimulus money from people who owe child support. The CARES Act passed by U.S. Congress last year allowed states to block the first stimulus payment to people who owed child support. Governor Parson’s office says the Missouri Legislature passed a bill during last November’s special session that allows […]
Governor Mike Parson has signed HB 16 into law, a bill giving $324 million in emergency aid to help struggling renters and landlords in Missouri. The plan, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), could cover some rent and utility costs. “HB 16 will provide much-needed assistance to tenants and landlords across the state. COVID-19’s economic […]
A Florida man pleaded guilty for fraudulently obtaining approximately $3.9 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans and using those funds, in part, to purchase a $318,000 Lamborghini sports car for himself. Federal investigators linked the sports car to Hines after he was involved in a hit and run on July 11, the Miami Herald reported. […]
Bipartisan legislation aimed at improving safety on duck boats and other amphibious passenger vessels was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate on Thursday. It was one of the first bills filed by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) after he was sworn into office in January 2019. Hawley’s bill is very similar to one filed by former […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
