The governor has called a special legislative session to extend a key funding mechanism for Missouri’s Medicaid program, warning that failure to extend the FRA would cost Missouri 591-million dollars in the fiscal year 2022. The FRA is the state’s Federal Reimbursement Allowance. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz says lawmakers have been working on […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and 21 other state attorneys general wrote to congressional leaders on Monday, urging Congress to keep the Hyde Amendment in the 2022 budget. The amendment prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortions was not included in the Biden Administration’s budget. The Hyde Amendment has been included in federal budgets […]
(Missouri Independent) – A special session to extend provider taxes essential to the state’s Medicaid program will begin at noon Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced Tuesday afternoon. The announcement was issued just minutes after a noon deadline set by Parson on Monday. The call came after seven members of the Senate Conservative Caucus sent him a letter demanding […]
Thirty-seven percent of Missourians did not have wired broadband in their homes from 2015 to 2019. Should we be concerned that one out of three Missouri households are not connected to high-speed internet? What does “wired broadband” mean? As governments roll out new broadband initiatives, these are timely questions that Broadband Technologies: A Primer on […]
During a press conference at the State Capitol, Governor Mike Parson warned of the detrimental consequences to Missourians if the Federal Reimbursement Allowances (FRA) and related programs were not extended. The FRA and related programs provide critical funding to MO HealthNet and must be extended before cost-savings measures are needed on July 1. “If political […]
(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson gave lawmakers a deadline of noon Tuesday to strike a deal to renew medical provider taxes vital to funding Medicaid or accept responsibility for more than $700 million in cuts from the state budget that takes effect July 1. If not, the governor says he will freeze funding in Missouri’s […]
Marty Liles has been named the district engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Northwest District. The district covers 20 counties, including nearly 5,625 lane miles of highway and 1,383 state bridges. He will take over the leadership of the Northwest region from Chris Redline, who recently transferred to run MoDOT’s Kansas City region. Liles […]
(Missouri Independent) – Last Tuesday, Republicans appeared to have reached a fragile consensus around extending a tax crucial to Missouri’s Medicaid finances — opening the door for Gov. Mike Parson to call lawmakers into a special session this week. By Friday afternoon, June 18, that consensus appears to have been derailed, at least temporarily, by disagreements […]
Missouri has responded to the U.S. Justice Department’s warning about a new gun bill signed into state law. The US Justice Department says Missouri cannot ignore federal law after Governor Parson signed a bill last weekend that bans police from enforcing federal gun regulations. Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton says the law […]
Gun dealers in northeast Missouri are praising the governor’s signing of the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), describing it as a win for Second Amendment rights. Reporter Dylan Austin from Missourinet Quincy affiliate WGEM has the story: SAPA declares that it’s the duty of the courts and law enforcement agencies to protect the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers appear to be headed into a special session next week to renew medical provider taxes vital to sustaining the state’s Medicaid program. Gov. Mike Parson met Tuesday with the state Senate Republican caucus. The group discussed language that would bar the state from paying for some contraceptive medications and devices and extend […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced he will reintroduce the Taiwan Defense Act (TDA), following new signs of China’s increasing belligerence in the Asia-Pacific and imperial ambitions worldwide. Sen. Hawley’s bill ensures the United States is able to defeat any attempted Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Originally introduced in June 2020, TDA is co-sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Steve […]
Governor Mike Parson signed HB 271 into law, which establishes greater accountability for local leaders when imposing public health orders and prohibits local COVID-19 vaccine passports. “This legislation I am signing today requires local leaders to be more transparent in their reasoning and accountable for their decisions when it comes to public health orders,” Governor Parson said. “It […]
Legislation that declares it’s the duty of the courts and law enforcement agencies to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms has been signed into law by Missouri’s governor. GOP Governor Mike Parson signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) Saturday in Lee’s Summit, where he was joined by the bill […]
Governor Parson plans to sign into law tomorrow restrictions on Missouri’s local health departments. The legislation bans county health departments from issuing public health orders during a state-declared emergency. It limits them to ordering the closure of businesses, schools, churches, and gatherings for up to thirty days. After that time, closures will be […]
(Missouri Independent) – For years after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, activists and community leaders have pushed to “re-envision public safety.” Inspired in part by the Ferguson Commission, which recommended that cities focus more resources on the root causes of crime, organizers across the state echoed these calls. But they largely fell on deaf ears. […]
Starting Saturday, Missouri will no longer offer additional federal pandemic unemployment benefits. A growing number of Republican-controlled states have chosen to end the federal aid that added $300 per week. Last month, Governor Parson announced the decision because he said the extra funding is causing worker shortages among some Missouri businesses. Missouri House […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules and Administration, and Gary Peters (Mich.) and Rob Portman (Ohio), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a bipartisan report on the security, planning, and response failures related to the violent […]
Thursday’s visit to Milan by Governor Parson is to sign a House-Senate resolution that enables the state to join in a debt service arrangement supporting the construction of the East Locust Creek Reservoir. That’s the large lake proposed north of Milan to serve as a regional water supply and offer recreational opportunities. The resolution enables […]
For years, teachers across the country have advocated for their students regardless of their environment – whether it be in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Agricultural education teachers are no exception. For the past few years, they have worked together to share the story of FFA and agricultural education in their states and communities. This summer, more […]
