Some items you buy could soon be delivered in Missouri by robots and drones. The Missouri House has given preliminary approval to a bill that would allow the devices mainly on sidewalks and crosswalks. Holts Summit Representative Travis Fitzwater says his bill would allow the robots to travel up to 10 miles per hour and […]
Tag: vote
Evanston, Illinois to provide housing grants as form of reparations
Black residents of Evanston, who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969 or are direct descendants of someone who did, can start receiving what the City Council calls reparations in early to mid-summer, in the form of housing grants. The plan is to provide $25,000 grants for home repairs, mortgage assistance, or down payments, to […]
Audio: Missouri House gives final approval to large election legislation; bill includes photo ID requirement
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 […]
Audio: Missouri House attempting to undo state Supreme Court’s restrictions on bail
In 2019, the Missouri Supreme Court began restricting when judges can require bail. Currently, judges can only charge bail fees for safety reasons or to help ensure defendants appear in court. The Missouri House has given preliminary approval to Lake St. Louis State Representative Justin Hill’s bill that would undo the high court’s bail rules. […]
Audio: Missouri Senate gives final approval to legislation keeping sex offenders away from Missouri conservation areas
Legislation aimed at keeping registered sex offenders away from state Conservation areas has been given final approval today (Thursday) by the Missouri Senate. Riddle notes current Missouri law bans sex offenders from being 500 feet of public parks with playground equipment, public swimming pools, and children’s museums. The only exception would be a […]
Audio: Missouri House passes school open enrollment bill
Missouri could become a school open enrollment state. Eighty-two members of the House of Representatives have voted in favor of an open-enrollment bill – the bare minimum number of votes required to pass. Representative Brad Pollitt, a Republican from Sedalia, says his hope is to have students in districts they want to be in and […]
Audio: Missouri House Budget Committee votes against funding for Medicaid expansion in next budget cycle
The Missouri House Budget Committee has voted against funding for Medicaid expansion in the next fiscal year. The committee, made up of mostly Republicans, has voted down 1.6-billion dollars in funding for Medicaid expansion in the next state budget cycle. Last year, 53-percent of Missouri voters approved a ballot measure to expand government-funded […]
Abortion amendment puts bill to finance Missouri Medicaid program in limbo
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Senate leadership pulled a bill vital for funding the state’s Medicaid program from floor debate Tuesday after adopting an amendment barring the use of public money for common contraceptive treatments. The amendment, sponsored by Republican Sen. Paul Wieland, could endanger the state’s entire Medicaid program by eliminating a health care service required by federal […]
Audio: Bill in Missouri Legislature would delay full increase of minimum wage hike
In 2018, 62-percent of Missouri voters approved a gradual minimum wage hike of $12.00 an hour by 2023. A state House committee is considering a bill that would delay the full increase by three years. During a committee hearing, Representative Allen Andrews of northwest Missouri’s Grant City says he supports the bill. He says his […]
Audio: Missouri Representatives want reporting requirement about student access to broadband
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) could be required to report annually about the number of K-12 students with limited or no access to high-speed internet at home. During a House committee hearing, Representative Louis Riggs, R-Hannibal, said he is proposing to require the department to include the total number of students […]
Audio: Proposed Missouri constitutional amendment would change state legislative term limits
A Missouri House committee will hear testimony Wednesday afternoon in Jefferson City on a proposed constitutional amendment that would change the state’s legislative term limits. In 1992, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment known as Amendment 12, which established term limits. The term limits approved in 1992 remain in effect today. Missouri lawmakers […]
Biden calls on U.S. Senate to act on background checks after Colorado mass shooting
(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 […]
Audio: Missouri Representative wants to lower requirements to become a K-12 substitute teacher
Missouri could lower the requirements to become a K-12 substitute teacher. To help alleviate a substitute shortage, State Representative Ed Lewis is proposing to reduce the required college credit hours from 60 to 36. Lewis, of northern Missouri’s Moberly, has been a teacher for more than 30 years. During a House education committee hearing on […]
Grundy County Commission approves entering into contract with NCRS for engineering
The Grundy County Commission approved March 23rd, on a vote of two to one, a motion involving the Natural Resources Conservation Service Streambank Stabilization near the Highway 6 Thompson River Bridge. Commissioner Don Sager and Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray voted in favor of the motion, which involved entering into a contract with NRCS, with the […]
Trenton City Council sets salaries and adopt budgets at Monday meeting
Without discussion, the Trenton City Council on Monday night adopted budgets for the city and Trenton Municipal Utilities for the year beginning May 1st. Members of the finance committee have met several times with city officials in recent weeks in developing the two budgets. Salaries have been established by city ordinance for the 2021-22 fiscal […]
Newtown-Harris Board of Education approves employee health insurance plans and senior trip to Branson
The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education on March 15th approved paying $575.08 toward employee health insurance plans. Insurance will continue through the Ozark Schools Benefits Association. Superintendent Lucas McKinnis reported that the district offers seven plans, and insurance costs are less than last year. Employees can upgrade to a PPO plan, but they may have […]
Senate confirms Haaland as first-ever Native American to serve in the Cabinet
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland made history on Monday when she became the first Native American to ever be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold a position in a president’s Cabinet. In a narrow 51-40 vote, senators confirmed Haaland, a New Mexico Democrat, to serve as secretary of the interior, where she […]
Audio: Missouri House attempts to ban judges from changing ballot language written by Legislature
The Missouri House has given initial approval to a bill that would ban judges from changing ballot language written by the Legislature. The proposal follows two Missouri courts rewriting language for a controversial legislative redistricting measure passed by voters last fall. Bill sponsor John Wiemann, a Republican from O’Fallon, and Hillsdale Democrat Kevin Windham debated […]