(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers were not obligated to fund Medicaid expansion, and the courts cannot force the state to pay the medical bills of people who would be eligible under an initiative that amended the state constitution, the state attorney general’s office argued in documents filed Monday in Cole County Circuit Court. The filing from Attorney […]
Tag: requires
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of Stone County Collector’s office
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway said today her office has completed an audit of the Stone County Collector’s office. The rating given by the audit was “excellent,” the highest possible. “This audit confirms the Stone County Collector’s Office was run in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” Auditor Galloway said. “This is great news for the taxpayers […]
Audio: Missouri Senator calls on Senate Committee to pass Duck Boat Legislation; July is third anniversary of tragedy
Missouri’s junior senator is calling on a Senate committee to expedite his bipartisan duck boat legislation, which aims to prevent a repeat of the deadly 2018 duck boat tragedy on southwest Missouri’s Table Rock Lake. The third anniversary of the Table Rock Lake duck boat tragedy is in July. 17 people died when […]
Boater safety certification course to be offered in Macon
Highway Patrol Troop B will offer a free boater safety certification course at its headquarters in Macon. The program will be held on June 12th from 9 to 3 o’clock. Missouri law requires individuals born after January 1st, 1984 to carry a boater safety education certification card and picture identification anytime they operate a vessel […]
Lawmakers introduce legislation to protect adopted children
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, announced that they have reintroduced the Safe Home Act to protect adopted children from unregulated custody transfers. This legislation would add UCTs to the federal definition of child abuse and neglect under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. […]
Hy-Vee no longer requires vaccinated customers and employees to wear masks, unless locally mandated
The health and safety of Hy-Vee’s customers and employees have been the company’s top priority since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the grocer has consistently followed the CDC’s recommendations as guidance is provided. Given the CDC’s mask announcement on Friday, starting today Hy-Vee no longer requires fully vaccinated customers and employees to wear face coverings […]
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: 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: Missouri House Speaker disappointed Senate did not approve photo ID and initiative petition reform
Missouri’s GOP House Speaker and the House Elections Committee chairman are disappointed that the GOP-controlled Senate did not approve legislation on voter ID and initiative petition reform. Speaker Rob Vescovo tells Missourinet he’ll review Election Chairman Dan Shaul’s request that the governor call a special session. The Missouri House gave final approval in […]
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 […]
Audio: Legislation banning police chokeholds heading to Missouri Governor Parson’s desk
Bipartisan law enforcement legislation that bans most police chokeholds and eliminates residency requirements for Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) officers is now heading to the Missouri governor’s desk after receiving final House approval Thursday afternoon in Jefferson City. Senate Bill 53 is sponsored by State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-Parkville) and State Rep. Lane Roberts (R-Joplin). Representative Roberts […]
Missouri’s Governor Parson abandons plans to implement voter-approved Medicaid expansion
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri will not expand Medicaid coverage to working-age adults on July 1 because lawmakers refused to include funding for the health care program in the state budget, Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday. In a news release, Parson said the state was withdrawing documents submitted to the federal government necessary to add the approximately 275,000 […]
Know youth labor laws before hiring summer staff
As the school year ends, you can expect young people to start applying for summer jobs. For agricultural employers, these young workers can provide extra capacity at a time when farms and agribusinesses often have more work than they have employees to get that work done. “Labor is tight as the economy picks up steam […]
Nurses share lessons from pandemic on International Nurses Day
This International Nurses Day, nurses in Missouri are raising concerns about the long-term mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as urging the healthcare industry to prepare for future health crises. Heidi Lucas, state director of the Missouri Nurses Association, said nurses worry about possible future spikes. While more people are getting the vaccine, […]
Missouri Attorney General files lawsuit against St. Louis County executive over COVID-19 restrictions
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit against St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, Dr. Faisal Khan, and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health for the arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable application of COVID-19 restrictions in St. Louis County. Specifically, the suit takes issue with the restrictions on religious institutions, masking requirements for […]
Audio: Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri offers a multitude of services including LIHEAP and services for women
The Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri provides various services in the Green Hills area. One of those services is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps households in need with utilities. Executive Director Chris Small reports Community Action works with more than 40 utility vendors. Some of the vendors are municipal […]
Wright Memorial Physicians’ Group and Saint Luke’s Mercer County Clinic to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics each week in May
Wright Memorial Physicians’ Group in Trenton and Saint Luke’s Mercer County Clinic in Princeton announced that they will be hosting COVID-19 vaccination clinics one day each week in May. The Mercer County Clinic will be offering vaccinations each Thursday, and Wright Memorial Physicians’ Group will be offering the vaccine each Friday. The vaccination clinics are […]
Blunt opens application process for Missourians seeking to attend service academies
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 […]
Jamesport FFA student places third in Prepared Public Speaking competition
Hailey Eads of the Jamesport FFA Chapter placed third in Division II prepared public speaking leadership development event at the 93rd Missouri FFA Convention. Sixteen students from six districts were selected to compete at the state level. Eads’ FFA advisor is Loren Meservey. MFA Inc. sponsors the competition, which requires contestants to deliver a three- […]