(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt has determined his office cannot investigate an alleged violation of Missouri’s open records laws by the governor’s office, an interpretation of state law that has transparency advocates alarmed. Missouri’s attorney general’s office is in charge of enforcing the Sunshine Law, which requires meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations […]
Tag: state law
Attorney General says Missouri lawmakers can refuse to fund Medicaid expansion
(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 […]
Audio: Missouri Supreme Court strikes down law about public labor unions
The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down a state law about public labor unions. The ruling involves a 2018 Missouri law requiring public employee unions to get annual written permission to deduct union fees from workers’ paychecks. In the 5-2 ruling, the state’s highest court says the law, known as “paycheck protection” by […]
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 […]
Missouri medical marijuana companies win tax relief from state lawmakers
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018. But under federal law, growing, transporting, or selling marijuana remains a crime. Unsurprisingly, that dynamic has created a lot of headaches for the fledgling industry. One notable example: Unlike every other legal business in the state, marijuana companies are prohibited from deducting business expenses […]
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 […]
Governor Parson announces Missouri to end all pandemic-related unemployment benefits
To address workforce shortages across the state, Governor Mike Parson directed the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to notify the U.S. Department of Labor that Missouri will end participation in all federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs effective Saturday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. “From conversations with business owners across the state, we know […]
Bipartisan coalition of lawmakers hope to fund free tampons, pads in Missouri prisons
(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 […]
Federal bill would make juvenile-justice system more fair, age-appropriate
A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers will introduce a package of bills to make the way children and teens are treated more fair and age-appropriate in the federal criminal justice system. The reforms include ending sentences of life without parole for children, establishing a minimum age for prosecuting children, and protecting due process rights of […]
Audio: Jury deliberates two hours before convicting northern Missouri man of killing his secret fiance
A jury in mid-Missouri’s Cole County deliberated for more than two hours on Thursday before returning guilty verdicts against a northern Missouri man charged in the 2018 death of his secret fiance. 54-year-old James Addie has been convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the April 2018 death of Molly Watson, […]
Justice Department releases $58 million in solicitations to combat the distribution of illicit drugs and improve officer wellness
The Justice Department announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has released approximately $58 million in three grant solicitations that will advance community policing, help combat the dual scourges of opioid and methamphetamine use, and promote the health and safety of our nation’s law enforcement officers. “The grant solicitations announced will […]
Audio: Missouri’s Senate President says state is $800 million short annually in maintaining the state highway system
Business groups and construction companies from across the state have testified for legislation to increase Missouri’s gasoline tax by 12-point-five cents per gallon by 2025. Schatz testified last (Wednesday) night before a Missouri House committee. The GOP-controlled Missouri Senate has already given final approval to the bill. Schatz is urging lawmakers to increase […]
Biden administration to reverse birth control access restrictions
The Biden administration has taken the first steps in the regulatory process to eliminate the domestic gag rule, which forced more than 900 reproductive-health clinics nationwide to leave the Title X family-planning program and lose major amounts of funding. Rachel Fey, vice president for policy and strategic partnerships at the contraceptive-access advocacy group Power to Decide, said the […]
Missouri Secretary of State announces 2 initiative petitions approved for circulation
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced his office recently approved for circulation two initiative petitions amending the Missouri Constitution. Before circulating petitions for signatures, state law requires that groups must first have the form of their petition approved by the secretary of state’s office. The office then has 23 days after the form of the […]
Audio: Northern Missouri lawmaker to chair new Missouri House subcommittee on stimulus funding
A northern Missouri state lawmaker is chairing a brand-new House subcommittee on federal stimulus spending. Excelsior Springs GOP State Representative Doug Richey is humbled by the appointment. The subcommittee will hold its first meeting in Jefferson City today (Monday) and will hear public testimony on capital improvement needs that could be eligible for […]
Audio: Northern Missouri lawmaker warns about shortage of gas stations near Missouri-Iowa border; says It’s a safety issue
A state lawmaker who represents four northern Missouri counties is warning about the lack of gas stations near the Missouri-Iowa border. Newtown State Representative Danny Busick, the Missouri House Special Committee on Small Business vice chair, says regulations make it difficult to operate small gas stations. But Busick tells our Moberly affiliate KWIX […]
Todd Graves approved for University of Missouri curators despite bipartisan filibuster
(Missouri Independent) – A bipartisan coalition of state Senators was unable to stop politically connected Kansas City attorney Todd Graves from winning a seat on the University of Missouri Board of Curators. After a two-round filibuster — three hours last week and eight more hours ending around 1 a.m. Wednesday — the Senate voted 19-13 to […]
Audio: Missouri’s Senate President expects PDMP to receive final approval this week; state budget to get attention
Missouri’s Senate leader says the state operating budget will get a lot of attention in his chamber during the next five weeks. The House has approved a 34-billion dollar budget, that does NOT include funding for Medicaid expansion. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (pronounced like shots) notes the budget now heads to the Senate. […]
Audio: Railroaders to rally Thursday in Jefferson City for additional Amtrak funding;
Railroaders from across Missouri will rally at the State Capitol in Jefferson City today (Thursday), urging lawmakers to restore some Amtrak funding. A delegation from the American Association of Railroaders Inc. wants twice-daily Amtrak passenger train service between St. Louis and Kansas City on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The group says the tourists […]