Hospital Bed (Photo by Frederic Köberl on Unsplash)

Missouri ICUs filling as Delta variant wave moves into northeast, southeast regions

Views: 0(Missouri Independent) – New cases from the Delta variant wave that has killed more than 1,150 Missourians since June 1 have plateaued, but hospital ICUs continue to fill — and small, rural hospitals are among the hardest hit. There were 690 patients in ICU beds across the state on Tuesday, the most recent day reported by the state Department of […]

Missouri Bicentennial

Missouri Secretary of State announces divisions of his office participate in Missouri Bicentennial Time Capsule project

Views: 0Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is pleased to announce that several divisions of his office participated in the Missouri Bicentennial Time Capsule project. Created by the Missouri Bicentennial Commission, the capsule will hold items contributed by organizations, institutions, and businesses, as well as local and state government agencies, for a period of 25 years […]

Gun Laws or Gun Control

Missouri Attorney General joins 20 state coalition fighting unlawful rewrite of federal gun laws

Views: 0Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined a 20-state coalition led by West Virginia and Arizona in arguing against the Biden administration’s proposed regulation of firearm parts. In addition to joining the coalition’s comment letter, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office filed a separate, but similar, comment letter. The coalition’s comment letter can be found at […]

Gavel and Missouri Flag

Missouri Attorney General files suit against Jackson County over mask mandate

Views: 2Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that he has filed suit against Jackson County for enforcing an unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious mask mandate. The suit names Jackson County Executive Frank White, the Jackson County Health Department, and other defendants. “Jackson County’s mask mandate is yet another attempt by government officials to obtain, aggregate, and […]

Second Amendment Preservation Act Graphic

Department of Justice asks court to block Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act’

Views: 0(Missouri Independent)  – A Missouri law prohibiting state and local police from enforcing certain federal gun laws has already undermined drug and weapons investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in documents filed Wednesday in Cole County Circuit Court.  As part of an ongoing lawsuit set for a hearing Thursday afternoon, the Justice Department is asking […]

Governor Mike Parson

Missouri to accept Medicaid expansion applications; DSS to begin processing applications on October 1

Views: 0(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who qualify for benefits under Medicaid expansion can begin enrolling. Still, it may take up to two months until they will find out if their eligibility has been verified and their application has been approved. In a news release Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced that in response to a Cole […]

Medicaid

Lawmakers say special session likely unneeded to fund Missouri Medicaid expansion

Views: 0(Missouri Independent) – Legislative leaders of both parties said Tuesday that a special session is likely not needed to appropriate additional funds following a court order to begin covering Missourians who are eligible under voter-approved Medicaid expansion. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, and Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis […]

Cole County Judge Jon Beetem (Screenshot courtesy KRCG-TV)

Judge orders state to immediately allow Missourians to enroll in expanded Medicaid

Views: 0(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Department of Social Services must allow newly eligible residents that qualify for benefits under voter-approved Medicaid expansion to enroll and cannot impose greater restrictions on them, a Cole County judge ruled Tuesday. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem sided with the plaintiffs who urged him to allow Medicaid expansion to […]

Wolfner Library

Secretary of State announces Bicentennial-Day release of the State of Missouri Constitution in audiobook format

Views: 0Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of Missouri’s entry into the United States, has announced that the Constitution of the State of Missouri will be released in audiobook format on August 10, 2021. This 13-hour recording, produced by the Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library, is the first audio […]

Missouri seeks to boost prizes in local vaccine incentive program

Views: 0(Missouri Independent) – Prizes awarded through a vaccine incentive program offered by local public health departments in Missouri may get boosted to $100-per-person under a new federal allowance. After previously rejecting Missouri’s proposal to exceed a $25 limit on prizes paid for with federal funding to incentivize immunizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]

Medicaid Expansion in Missouri

Audio: Hatfield expects decision in Missouri Medicaid expansion lawsuit case in a few business days

Views: 0Missouri’s Solicitor General says the state Department of Social Services needs two months to implement voter-approved Medicaid expansion. D. John Sauer made his comments Friday to Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem, saying DSS needs more employees and computer upgrades for implementation. Attorney Chuck Hatfield, who represents the three low-income women suing Missouri, disagrees. […]

Medicaid Expansion in Missouri

Audio: Cole County judge expected to issue final order on Missouri Medicaid expansion today

Views: 0We’ll learn new details Friday in Jefferson City about how Missouri will proceed with voter-approved Medicaid expansion.     The Missouri Supreme Court’s 14-page ruling includes a conclusion, which requires Friday’s hearing in Cole County Circuit Court. “For the reasons set forth above, the circuit court’s judgment is affirmed only insofar as it overruled […]

Lawsuit news Graphic

Missouri AG files suit against Kansas City over mask mandate; obtains restraining order, halts St. Louis County mandate

Views: 0Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt today filed a lawsuit to halt the recently imposed mask mandate in Kansas City. The suit, which was filed this afternoon in Jackson County, argues that the mask mandate imposed is unreasonable, unconstitutional, and arbitrary, and capricious. The suit names Mayor Quinton Lucas, the Kansas City, Missouri Health Department, […]