(Missouri Independent) – The head of Missouri’s medical marijuana program testified under oath that a grand jury subpoena his agency received late last year was likely connected to an FBI investigation in Independence. The revelation by Lyndall Fraker, director of medical marijuana regulation at the Missouri Department of Health and Seniors Services, is the first […]
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 […]
A veteran state lawmaker from southeast Missouri will file a resolution this week, aimed at blocking proposed pay increases for state lawmakers and for statewide elected officials. State Rep. Andrew McDaniel, R-Deering, was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and will be a senior member in January during his final House term in […]
A veteran state lawmaker from southeast Missouri will file a resolution this week, aimed at blocking proposed pay increases for state lawmakers and statewide elected officials. Deering GOP State Representative Andrew McDaniel has voted against previous pay raises for lawmakers, and says it’s state employees and teachers who should receive a raise: The […]
A bipartisan committee is recommending a five percent pay increase for Missouri lawmakers AND for statewide elected officials. The Citizen’s Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials has made the recommendation. While he hasn’t seen their report yet, Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz says the commission’s work is independent. The “Springfield News-Leader” reports […]
(Missouri Independent) – In early July, the Columbia City Council passed an ordinance requiring everyone over 10 years old to wear a face mask when in close contact with someone from outside their household. Since that vote, a requirement for face masks has been in every health order issued for the city of 123,000 by the Columbia-Boone […]
(Missouri Independent) – As state lawmakers mull the idea of restricting police use of chokeholds or no-knock warrants, they are facing pushback from law enforcement organizations who contend decisions should be made at the local level. The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice met for three hours on Monday to explore the possibility of passing […]
Some Missouri policy experts say federal COVID-19 relief money should be allocated to help struggling Missourians and spur local economies. The current supplemental appropriations bill under consideration at the Missouri Statehouse would use federal COVID relief funds to replenish the state’s unemployment trust fund. It would happen at the same time the state decreased the unemployment tax […]
(Missouri Independent) – Despite dozens of students coming forward sharing allegations of abuse they suffered at Christian reform schools across Missouri, the state Department of Social Services said Monday that they have no oversight over such facilities. That’s because they’re unlicensed — and allowed to be under a Missouri law that exempts facilities operated by religious organizations. […]
Missouri health officials say there have been about 21,000 new COVID cases in the past week, an average of 3,105 per day. State Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams will testify Tuesday morning before the Missouri House Special Committee on Disease Control and Prevention. Committee chairman Dr. Jon Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Republican Mike Parson has secured a full four-year term as Missouri’s governor, scoring victory Tuesday night over his Democratic challenger Nicole Galloway. Parson, 65, led Galloway, 38, by more than 442,000 votes with over 95 percent of the state’s precincts reporting shortly after midnight, according to the Secretary of State’s unofficial results. The […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Democrats had another disappointing night in legislative elections Tuesday, losing in two state Senate districts crucial to their hopes of cracking the Republican supermajority in the upper chamber. Republicans held a key Senate seat by re-electing Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden of Columbia in the 19th District in central Missouri. As […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri voters on Tuesday repealed a constitutional amendment they enacted in 2018 that would have required legislative districts be drawn to ensure partisan fairness. They replaced it with one that critics contend could forgo the use of total population to draw districts and instead exclude all non-voters, specifically children and non-citizens — tilting the political […]
(Missouri Independent) – When Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, they were told by the ballot language that the price tag was unknown, with possible costs at $200 million stated alongside $1 billion in potential savings. What is known for certain is that about 250,000 Missourians will become eligible for coverage next year — […]
(Missouri Independent) – A Missouri family that sued after being denied a medical marijuana license is alleging the state department of health and Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office illegally concealed documents and violated open records laws in order to undercut their lawsuit. The allegations — which are included in a 28-page motion seeking sanctions against […]
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s performance on economic policies has placed him among some of the top governors in the nation in a new report. In a first-of-its-kind report, the American Legislative Exchange Council, a right-wing group of lawmakers and business people, ranked Parson 13th overall among states’ governors. Report co-author Donna Arduin said Parson’s corporate […]
Governor Mike Parson has called another special session – this time to focus on getting extra federal coronavirus funding made available to the state. The federal aid includes funding for school meals, grants for homelessness prevention and job training, child support payments, among others. “COVID-19 has had an overwhelming impact on our state, and while […]
Both sides in the debate on Missouri’s Amendment Three November ballot measure presented their case to voters Wednesday evening, in a virtual forum hosted by Springfield’s Drury University. Missourians approved “Clean Missouri” in 2018, which required a nonpartisan demographer to draw state legislative districts. Amendment Three transfers that responsibility to governor-appointed bipartisan commissions. State Sen. […]
Some members of a Missouri House subcommittee say teachers who are struggling to reach a number of their students learning remotely this school year. That was the message given to a group of Missouri education officials Thursday submitting their state budget requests. Representative Brenda Shields, a Republican from northwest Missouri’s St. Joseph, said a teacher […]
The University of Missouri has expelled two students and suspended three for violating COVID-19 safety policies. In a press statement, the actions were described as “flagrant…willful and knowing actions that threatened the safety of the campus and the broader Columbia community” including requirements that COVID-positive individuals isolate and comply with social distancing requirements. Mun Choi, […]
