A federal appeals court has upheld today the temporary blocking of Missouri’s eight-week abortion ban. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis issued the ruling about the regulations passed by the Missouri Legislature in 2019 for abortions around eight weeks of pregnancy. Under House Bill 126, sponsored by O’Fallon Republican […]
Tag: Republican
Audio: Starting Saturday, Missouri will no longer offer additional federal pandemic unemployment benefits
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 […]
Filibusted: Experts say the time has come to end Senate practice
(Missouri Independent) – Even the stuffy, florid name of the procedure, “filibuster” sounds like something conceived around a table of wig-wearing Founding Fathers. While the name has its roots in the 18th Century (with pirates nonetheless), the concept and practice in the United States Senate is much younger, not being implemented in a modern form until […]
Missouri, Kansas utilities may use loophole to charge customers for fossil fuel lobbying
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri and Kansas residents’ utility bills may be helping to bankroll the energy sector lobbying against policies aimed at lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Federal and state rules prohibit utility companies from passing their lobbying costs on to customers through bills. But in both Kansas and Missouri, utilities like Evergy, Ameren, and Spire […]
47 participate in “Cops and Bobbers” event
Even with other events in the area but with near-perfect weather on Saturday, the Trenton Police Department hosted 47 local children at the 9th Annual Cops ‘N Bobbers fishing event. Numerous fish were caught as area kids spent the morning of June 5th, 2021, fishing with the men and women of the Trenton Police Department […]
Lawmakers condemn recent surge of antisemitism, call on leaders to act
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) along with Senators Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and James Lankford (Okla.) introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning recent antisemitic incidents in the U.S. and around the world. The resolution also calls on leaders to denounce antisemitism and take specific steps to address it and prevent it. “The recent rise in acts of […]
Audio: Missouri lawmaker accused of using law enforcement position to get sexual favor from drunk teen
A report alleges a northeast Missouri lawmaker used his position as a law enforcement officer to get a sexual favor from an intoxicated 19-year-old woman while on duty in 2015. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Missouri House Speaker Rob Vescovo has forwarded to the House Ethics Committee the information about Bowling Green Republican […]
Attempts to ban teaching on ‘critical race theory’ multiply across the U.S.
(Missouri Independent) – From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized […]
Audio: Top MO Senate Democrat says anti-Medicaid expansion Republicans are more concerned about their next office
The next state budget does not include funding to expand Medicaid healthcare coverage to another 275-thousand low-income Missouri adults. The Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature refused to fund the expansion – setting up an expected court battle. John Rizzo, the top Democrat in the Missouri Senate, says the GOP is more concerned about their next office. […]
Missouri eases rules for building CAFOs despite outcry about potential pollution
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing the design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing the construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” […]
Grundy County Republican Central Committee elects officers
The Grundy County Republican Central Committee elected officers on May 17th. Officers elected were Vice Chairperson David Meservey and Treasurer Michael Ormsby. The terms are for two years. Claude Harris was approved as a committeeman for Trenton’s Third Ward. It was decided the Grundy County Republican Central Committee will have a booth at the Missouri […]
Lawmakers introduce resolution supporting Israel
Twenty Republican lawmakers have announced a resolution condemning the attacks against Israel by Hamas, an Iranian-backed and funded terrorist organization, and reaffirming the United States’ unwavering commitment to our ally Israel and its right to take whatever means are necessary to stop the murder of its citizens and foreign nationals residing in Israel. The bill’s […]
Advocates fear homeless crisis with federal eviction moratorium on shaky legal ground
(Missouri Independent) – At least once a day, housing advocate Melissa Pashia speaks to someone living in a car. Once the situation gets to this point, it’s hard to get people back into stable housing, said Pashia, a housing resource specialist for the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council. “Landlords don’t want to […]
Audio: Missouri Legislature expected back for special session to vote on healthcare renewal tax
The Missouri Legislature is expected to head back for a special session later this year to vote on a healthcare renewal tax. In a rare move, the Missouri Senate adjourned the legislative session several hours early Friday without passing the legislation. The Federal Reimbursement Allowance also referred to as FRA, helps to fund about two […]
Audio: Conservative group wants to send gas tax hike to Missouri voters
(Missouri Independent) – On Monday morning, Jeremy Cady, state director of Americans for Prosperity, filed paperwork with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office to begin the process of putting the 12.5-cents a gallon tax increase on a statewide ballot. To succeed in forcing a referendum on the bill, the campaign would have to gather about 110,000 […]
Audio: Key bills passed in the final day or days of the Missouri Legislature’s session
Another session of the Missouri Legislature has come and gone. Of the 1,559 House bills and 689 Senate bills filed this time around, 69 bills will make it to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk. Here are some key bills left up to the governor to sign or veto: Missouri lawmakers vote to pump up […]
Push for disclosure of Missouri medical marijuana records runs into veto threat
(Missouri Independent) – An effort by lawmakers to require disclosure of ownership information for businesses granted medical marijuana licenses was derailed on Thursday when state regulators suggested a possible gubernatorial veto. On Tuesday, the Missouri House voted to require the Department of Health and Senior Services provide legislative oversight committees with records regarding who owns […]