(Missouri Independent) – In a historic vote, the Missouri House signed off Tuesday on legislation creating a prescription drug monitoring program — inching one step closer to ending Missouri’s designation as the only state without one. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike Parson for his signature or veto. Sen. Holly Rehder, a Sikeston Republican who […]
As the state Senate debates Missouri’s budget for next year, groups are urging lawmakers to learn from the 38 states that have expanded their Medicaid programs. The budget passed by the Missouri House leaves out the $130 million needed to fund expansion. The remainder of the costs would be covered by the federal government. Joan Alker, executive director […]
Bipartisan legislation increasing penalties for people who knowingly release feral hogs into the wild has received initial approval from the Missouri House. The bill, which is sponsored by Portageville State Representative Don Rone, increases the criminal penalty from a class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony. The Missouri Department of Conservation, the […]
(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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the heels of a historic cold snap that left thousands across the Midwest without power, Kansas and Missouri residents could soon reap the benefits of a massive high-powered transmission line delivering renewable energy. Grain Belt Express, a project a decade in the making, is starting to acquire land along its route spanning […]
With the requested $300,000 in asphalt sales added to budgeted revenues, the Trenton City Council Monday night approved the amended city budget for the fiscal year beginning May 1. The additional sales of asphalt raise the expected total sales to $1,300,000. Sales from Trenton’s new asphalt plant last year generated nearly $1,800,000 with expectations for […]
The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports it has received calls from residents in the western part of the county about suspicious activity suspected to be attempted burglaries. There are no identifiers to be released at this time. The sheriff’s office advises Grundy County residents to be aware of unknown individuals they may encounter at their […]
(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 […]
Legislation that requires a photo ID and the use of a paper ballot was given final approval by the Missouri House in Jefferson City on Thursday. The vote, primarily along party lines, was 109-48. House Bill 738 is sponsored by veteran State Rep. Don Rone (R-Portageville), who represents the Bootheel. Rone was unable to make it to the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt officially jumped into the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, making him the second major Republican hopeful seeking to replace Roy Blunt. Schmitt’s decision comes after former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens jumped into the race earlier this week. Both made their announcements on Fox News. “Washington, D.C., needs more […]
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to immediately pass legislation to close loopholes on background checks for guns and to ban assault weapons, following a mass shooting that killed 10 at a Colorado supermarket. “This should not be a partisan issue,” Biden said. “This is an American issue.” Biden’s […]
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden’s massive pandemic stimulus law pumps a welcome infusion of federal aid into state and local government coffers — but one brief section is raising questions about whether states are barred from cutting their own taxes if they accept the federal help. The Senate added language to the COVID-19 relief package […]
A Kansas City mother whose daughter was killed by a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire on the Fourth of July 2011 urged Missouri lawmakers to approve Blair’s law. Michele Shanahan Demoss traveled to Jefferson City on Monday to testify for the bill, which makes discharging a firearm within or into city limits with criminal negligence […]
Health Programs Coordinator Joni Williams with the Mercer County Health Department reports the Vaccine Navigator website and phone number have not been working correctly. Williams encourages eligible residents to sign up to be vaccinated at the mass COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Smithfield Education Center of Princeton on February 24th and 25th to contact the […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has led a coalition of 18 states in urging President Biden, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Johnson, to reverse the Biden Administration’s last-minute cancellation of Operation Talon. Operation Talon is a nationwide ICE operation that focuses on removing illegally present convicted sex […]
Missouri could soon require online retail businesses from out-of-state to pay state sales tax. State Senator Andrew Koenig, a Republican from eastern Missouri’s Manchester, is sponsoring a so-called Wayfair bill. He tells Missourinet his goal is to make the state’s businesses more competitive. Koenig says his bill could bring in roughly 80 to […]
The Grundy County Commission discussed various topics with township representatives on Friday evening, February 12th. Included in the discussion was the upcoming ballot issue concerning brush removal from county right of way, road repair, and maintenance documentation. Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray reports requests for rock size and quantities will be used for acquiring bids from […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and a coalition of 13 other attorneys general urged President Biden to reconsider his unilateral revocation of the 2019 Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and advised him that the states that signed on to the letter are reviewing available legal options to protect their citizens and interests. “The […]
GRM Networks has received approval from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service and is preparing to begin fiber-to-the-premise construction this spring in the rural Bethany and rural Princeton exchanges. Customers can anticipate construction crews and equipment in their area over the next several months once construction begins. This project’s funding stems from […]
(Missouri Independent) – Seven U.S. Senate Democrats urged the chamber’s ethics panel last week to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol. Now Hawley is calling for an ethics probe of the Democrats. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the Democrats filed an improper complaint last week against him and Sen. […]
