The Missouri Legislature has passed a proposal that would boost the state’s gas and diesel tax for the first time in about 25 years. The state House of Representatives voted Tuesday night 104-52 in favor of increasing the user fee by 12.5 total cents over five years. The plan would also give most drivers a […]
Missouri voting-rights advocates joined a national call to action Saturday to promote the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. The Lewis Act would require states with a history of voter discrimination to get approval from the Justice Department before making legal changes to voting rules. Julie Steiger, co-president of the League of […]
The Missouri Legislature has passed a private schooling tax credit bill. The measure would let donors provide scholarships to students to attend a private Missouri K-12 school. In return, they would get state tax credits. Senator Andrew Koenig of eastern Missouri’s Manchester carried the House bill that would prioritize special needs students and those who […]
A report from State Auditor Nicole Galloway says progress is being made in the city of Parma after an audit last year discovered more than $115,000 was misappropriated through payroll overpayments and improper payments and purchases. The audit, which also found that meeting minutes and financial reports were falsified to conceal the misappropriations, led to criminal charges against […]
Governor Mike Parson directed all state workers to return to their offices for in-person work no later than Monday, May 17, 2021, and that all state buildings be open and accessible to the public during normal business hours. “Since the start of COVID-19, our state team members have gone above and beyond to keep state government running and […]
Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton is the only critical access hospital in the state of Missouri to receive a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The new ratings were released by CMS on April 28. There are 35 critical access hospitals in Missouri. The rating also places Wright Memorial in the […]
Domestic violence victims could get long-term orders of protection against their alleged abusers without returning to court annually. The Missouri Legislature has passed a bill that would allow protection orders to be renewed for up to the lifetime of the attackers. The proposal is sponsored by Senator Elaine Gannon of southeast Missouri’s De Soto. […]
The Missouri Senate worked Monday on a bill that would forgive state and federal unemployment overpayments. During debate on the proposal, an attempt was also made to shrink future jobless payments by eight weeks. Kansas City Democrat Greg Razer says the effort would kick Missourians while they are down. Warrensburg Republican Denny Hoskins […]
(Missouri Independence) – In Missouri, incarcerated women’s access to feminine hygiene products depends on where they’re housed. Some are forced to pay to buy tampons and pads to meet their needs, while others are provided with such low-quality products they end up having to make their own. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers hopes to change that […]
Missouri’s Senate leader says the state’s operating budget has grown from 21-billion dollars a decade ago to 34-billion dollars today. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz tells Sullivan affiliate KTUI that Medicaid expansion is too expensive. He says the state Department of Social Services’ budget continues to grow. The Missouri Senate and House […]
The Missouri House has given initial approval to limiting lawsuits alleging a business or organization exposed someone to a contagious disease. Neosho Representative Ben Baker says his bill would exempt them from criminal or civil liability unless they “knowingly and purposely” caused someone to be exposed to a clinical disease. The measure would […]
(Missouri Independent) – Evergy, an electric supplier to about 600,000 customers in western Missouri, will retire its coal power plant in Lawrence, Kansas, by the end of 2023, the company announced on Friday. The utility revealed its plan to regulators in a filing with the Missouri Public Service Commission. The “integrated resource plan” lays out Evergy’s next […]
The Missouri Senate has passed a $34 billion state budget proposal without funding an expansion of Medicaid. The upper chamber sided with the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Missouri House of Representatives by rejecting attempts to put expansion funding into the budget that begins in July. Gov. Mike Parson’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 […]
Warm temperatures were welcomed in Northwest Missouri this past week, leading to fieldwork progressing rapidly. Summer annual weed emergence picked up, so now is a good time to consider the importance of a residual herbicide in a soybean weed control program. Weeds have uneven emergence, a trait we wouldn’t want in our crops, but that […]
A Missouri House committee has unanimously approved a proposed gas tax increase. Under the bill, the state would boost the fuel tax by 2.5 cents per year for the next five years. Drivers could request a rebate for the amount of the tax hike. Ross Lien, with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, says the current […]
“Learn 2 Paddle” kayaking classes will be offered at selected state parks this summer, including on two different dates at Crowder State Park west of Trenton. The kayak program is for anyone who wants to experience kayaking but is not sure where to start. It is also designed for those who want to get out […]
With three weeks left to go in the regular legislative session, Missouri Senate President Dave Schatz remains hopeful about his proposed gas tax hike. The Senate has already passed the bill that would boost the state’s fuel tax by twelve-and-a-half cents per gallon over five years. During a Senate press conference, Schatz says if the […]
The Missouri House and the Senate Appropriations Committee have voted against Governor Parson’s request to fund Medicaid expansion. Parson, a Republican, asked for more than 100-million dollars to fund the voter-approved measure that would allow other 275-thousand low-income adults to become eligible for government-funded healthcare. During a press conference at the Missouri Capitol, Governor Parson […]
(Missouri Independent) – After hours of fierce debate that spanned the course of two days, the Missouri House on Wednesday signed off on a prohibition on transgender students participating on the sports teams that match their gender identity. The provision, offered as an amendment by Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, to House Bill 1141 was adopted by a vote […]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. Additionally, USDA is announcing investments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Program […]
