U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) joined U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (Kan.) and Deb Fischer (Neb.) in introducing the Kelsey Smith Act. The bill, named for 18-year-old Kelsey Smith who was abducted and murdered in 2007, would strengthen law enforcement’s ability to lawfully and quickly access cell phone location information, or ping information when a person […]
(Missouri Independent) – About 137,700 registered voters in Missouri did not have a state-issued identification in 2017, according to an analysis from the Secretary of State’s Office. Another 140,000 voters had expired IDs, and 2,000 more voters had forfeited their driver’s licenses. Under a bill passed Wednesday in the Missouri House, those registered voters would either have to […]
There is bipartisan support for legislation ensuring that Missourians cannot be taxed on their federal stimulus checks. Missouri House Budget Committee chairman Cody Smith of Carthage presented his bill Wednesday in Jefferson City, Smith tells lawmakers it’s important to act, noting that under Missouri’s tax code, federal stimulus checks related to COVID are […]
The House moved to ban the use of eminent domain for a large wind-energy power line planned to span from Kansas to Indiana. In a voice vote on Tuesday, lawmakers approved legislation that would prevent the use of private land for the Grain Belt Express power line without property owners’ permission. The high-voltage […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation director has testified against a proposal to increase the size of the Conservation Commission from four to nine, saying it could lead to regional favoritism. Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley testified last (Monday) night during a lengthy House committee hearing in Jefferson City. Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley […]
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) – Thousands of Missourians facing repayment of mistakenly paid unemployment benefits would get some relief under legislation passed with a bipartisan vote Wednesday in a Missouri House committee. The bill, which will likely be debated on the House floor next week, would forgive debts due to overpayments from federal coronavirus relief programs but would not […]
Missouri could soon require online retail businesses from out-of-state to pay state sales tax. State Senator Andrew Koenig, a Republican from eastern Missouri’s Manchester, is sponsoring a so-called Wayfair bill. He tells Missourinet his goal is to make the state’s businesses more competitive. Koenig says his bill could bring in roughly 80 to […]
The House Budget Committee chairman says Missourians shouldn’t be taxed on federal stimulus checks. Brian Hauswirth spoke with Committee Chairman Cody Smith. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith of southwest Missouri’s Carthage says under the state’s tax code, federal stimulus checks related to COVID are subject to personal income tax. Smith says Missourians […]
Missouri lawmakers in both parties say residents who received unemployment overpayments due to the state’s mistake should be able to keep that money. The Missouri House Government Oversight Committee is set to vote Monday on several bipartisan bills, requiring state Labor officials to waive non-fraudulent unemployment overpayments. State Labor director Anna Hui has […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Associated Press reports the closed Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron may be turned into a training academy. A proposal from Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s budget plan includes $671,714 to convert the idle prison in Cameron into an academy that would train correctional officers before they get assigned to one of the state’s 20 prisons. […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who were mistakenly paid unemployment benefits by the state should be required to pay that money back, Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday. The Missouri Department of Labor told St. Louis Public Radio last week that the state overpaid roughly $96 million in unemployment benefits between January and September last year. The errors were […]
Missouri’s governor is touting the state’s numerous job expansions and attractions, saying they highlight the state’s increasingly competitive business climate: Governor Parson is also highlighting the expansions at Boeing in St. Charles and Ford in Claycomo. One of the biggest projects is in southwest Missouri’s Republic, where Amazon will open its first fulfillment […]
Missouri’s governor is pledging to move forward with Medicaid expansion because voters approved it in August. GOP Governor Mike Parson, who campaigned against Medicaid expansion, emphasized the issue during his State of the State Address. Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 […]
(Missouri Independent) – Seven U.S. Senate Democrats urged the chamber’s ethics panel last week to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol. Now Hawley is calling for an ethics probe of the Democrats. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the Democrats filed an improper complaint last week against him and Sen. […]
The U.S. House has voted today to impeach President Trump for the second time. House Democrats have led the effort after Trump urged rally supporters last week to march to the U.S. Capitol and “pressure” lawmakers to object to the election certification process. On the House floor today, southeast Missouri Republican Congressman Jason Smith, a […]
The Missouri Capitol has extra law enforcement keeping an eye on the building after reports of possible “armed protests” at all 50 state capitols and the U.S. Capitol. The increased presence follows an FBI warning of threats of an “uprising” in the days leading up to the January 20 inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden. During […]
A veteran southeast Missouri state lawmaker has filed a resolution, aimed at blocking proposed pay increases for state lawmakers and for statewide elected officials. Deering GOP State Representative Andrew McDaniel introduced his resolution on Monday. He has told Missourinet that state employees and teachers should be receiving a pay raise. He’s voted against […]
