(Missouri Independent) – States, cities, and counties can begin to tap their share of the $350 billion in federal funds intended to spur a national recovery from the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, White House officials announced Monday. Missouri will receive $2.7 billion in federal funding, with another $2.5 billion in direct aid for counties […]
A key bill that COULD hit the Senate floor in Jefferson City this week involves the Grain Belt project in rural northern Missouri. State Senator Jason Bean of southeast Missouri’s Holcomb has filed a bill that’s been heard in committee. Under his bill, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) could not issue a […]
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 […]
As demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has significantly decreased in recent weeks, Governor Mike Parson announced the Missouri National Guard (MONG) has begun scaling back its involvement at mass vaccination site locations in May. The drawdown of National Guard members is set to be completed by June 1, 2021. “We are in a far different […]
The Missouri Legislature’s state budget negotiators are recommending the hiring of 53 attorneys for the state Public Defender System. During negotiations, Senate Minority Floor Leader John Rizzo of Independence says his wife corrects some cases handled at the local level by overworked attorneys. The system has nearly 400 lawyers handling about 90,000 cases […]
The House and Senate will soon confer on a bill to boost protections for police officers and to boost penalties for repeated protesting in public streets. Senate Bill 26, deemed “the public safety bill of the session” by supporters, also comes with an array of amendments tacked on by the House Tuesday. The […]
Senator Roy Blunt joined Senator James Lankford and six other colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden on the pressing need for a nominee to the position of Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. The Members emphasized the importance of America remaining a world leader in defending and promoting religious liberty for all […]
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 […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will continue initiatives to integrate conservation with agriculture practices and help restore and manage sand prairies after being awarded two partnership projects through the Natural Resources Conservation Service Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Through RCPP, conservation partners work in collaboration with NRCS to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners throughout […]
Robots on wheels could soon be strolling down Missouri’s sidewalks and roads to deliver goods to your doorstep. The Missouri Legislature has passed a bill that would allow personal delivery devices to travel up to 10 miles per hour. During the debate, Senator Bill Eigel discusses the bill with the sponsor, Springfield area Senator Lincoln […]
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 FFA Association named Trenton FFA as the Top Chapter in the state. The chapter placed first out of 351. The Trenton FFA advisors are Kabel Oaks and Sadie Roy. The National Chapter Award Program is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization. These chapters improve […]
Senator Roy Blunt announced that he is accepting applications from Missourians interested in attending service academies. Nominations to the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and U.S. Naval Academy are available for qualified applicants. “Service academies play a critical role in educating and inspiring the next generation of servicemen and […]
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (Wash.), the Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, introduced legislation that will provide $500 million a year for five years to improve safety and reduce congestion at railroad crossings […]
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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – With the Missouri Senate poised for what promises to be a lengthy debate over Medicaid expansion, legislative Democrats said Tuesday that the fight over funding will move to the courts if lawmakers don’t approve money for the new coverage. During a rally on the Capitol Building lawn, Senate Democrats promised to push […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) introduced a resolution honoring Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat who saved more than 50,000 people – half of the surviving Jewish population of Budapest – from deportation to concentration camps during the Holocaust. While working in Nazi-occupied Hungary, Lutz obtained permission from Nazi leadership to issue […]
Missouri KidsFirst presented the 2021 Standing with Children Awards at a virtual event hosted by the organization at 12:00 PM on Monday, April 26, 2021. The 2021 recipients of the Standing with Children Awards are Laura Bauer and Judy Thomas, investigative reporters with the Kansas City Star, Dr. Linda Shaw, child abuse pediatrician with SSM […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees heard a report from the Faculty Senate Negotiations Committee on April 27th. History and Spanish Faculty Member Maryellen Harman and Psychology Faculty Member Lindsay Oram presented a proposal for a faculty salary schedule for 2021-2022. The proposal includes adding $1,000 to the salary base and continuing to […]
Missouri COVID-19 vaccinators will resume use of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. This decision was made following the announcement by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it has studied and confirmed that the pause on its use can be lifted. It was concluded that the known […]
