A Republican judge in Cole County on Thursday ruled that the ballot summary must be rewritten for a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it much harder for Missourians to amend the constitution through citizen initiative petitions. Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ordered the first three bullet points of the summary voters will see […]
Fifteen months after Missouri voters approved a constitutional right to abortion, Republican lawmakers are playing the long game, introducing a flood of familiar legislation seeking to roll back some protections in the hopes of ultimately ending access to the procedure altogether. Republicans are moving to expand criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions and civil […]
Corporal punishment is still on the books in Missouri and used in some schools. The practice is from an earlier era, rooted in tradition that prioritizes compliance over learning and punishment over development. The logic behind corporal punishment continues to shape extreme disciplinary practices that conflict with what evidence shows supports healthy development. Since 2015, […]
WASHINGTON — As they seek to curb President Donald Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, congressional Democrats are looking to formalize some guidelines previous administrations used. Of the 10 policy proposals Democratic leaders offered in negotiations to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, which has been in a funding lapse since Feb. 14 in the midst of […]
WASHINGTON — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s faith calls him to address hunger, health access and community care, he said during an event Thursday at the progressive Center for American Progress that previewed a potential campaign in the 2028 cycle. The Trump administration has “hijacked” faith, the Democrat said, leading to harm instead of helping people. […]
Missouri Republicans voted Thursday to advance a plan to add Medicaid work requirements to the state Constitution, hoping to put the issue before voters in November. Democrats insist the proposal, which passed the Missouri House 99-48 on a party-line vote, would open the door for state lawmakers to defund the voter-approved expansion of Missouri’s Medicaid […]
The Missouri House approved a bill Thursday that would ban all intoxicating hemp products — things like THC seltzers or hemp-derived THC edibles currently sold at gas stations and smoke shops — beginning in November. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Dave Hinman of O’Fallon, would prohibit hemp products from containing more than 0.4 […]
A group of bills standardizing mandatory minimum prison terms and repealing conditional release provisions was debated by a Missouri Senate committee on Wednesday. The Senate Judiciary Committee discussed three bills, sponsored by Republican Sens. Curtis Trent of Springfield, Jill Carter of Granby and Joe Nicola of Grain Valley, which include identical provisions for restructuring prison […]
Missouri lawmakers are weighing a slate of bills aimed at reining in artificial intelligence, from proposals targeting “deepfakes” to limits on the technology’s use in political campaigns. At the same time, lawmakers are also considering measures that would limit the liability of companies that develop or deploy AI systems when those systems cause harm. But […]
Missourians are right to be concerned about the cost of health care. Prescription drug costs remain one of the most visible and painful expenses for families, seniors and small employers. But recent claims that pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform will increase costs and expand government control fundamentally misrepresent how the current system works — and […]
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released a scathing report Wednesday on the state’s marijuana program, concluding that missteps in the 2019 licensing process triggered costly litigation and raised persistent questions about whether licenses were awarded fairly. The nearly three-year audit of the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation alleges “perceived and actual deficiencies” in the application […]
A coalition of public health and environmental groups filed a suit Wednesday challenging the Trump administration’s recent finding that the Environmental Protection Agency could not regulate climate-warming greenhouse gases. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and President Donald Trump announced last week the administration was finalizing a repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding, which declared the agency could […]
Legislation creating a state-run video lottery system to replace and regulate “gray market” slot machines that have proliferated for years in gas stations, bars and fraternal halls across the state narrowly cleared the Missouri House Wednesday, winning passage by just one vote. The bill, which now heads to the Missouri Senate for consideration, is the […]
Republicans are pushing to restore a law that would grant the secretary of state more power over the language voters see when they head to the polls. A law with a similar provision was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this year because it strayed too far from the bill’s original meaning. Sponsored […]
A major property tax reform bill in the Missouri House was sent back to a special committee Tuesday over concerns that the bill needed more changes. Sponsored by state Rep. Tim Taylor, a Republican from Bunceton, the wide-ranging bill would change how property taxes are calculated and when property tax measures are voted on. “There […]
Ten Democratic-leaning states are using their own money to help people buy Obamacare health plans, at least partially replacing the federal tax credits that expired at the end of last year. The state assistance, some of it offered through programs that existed before the federal subsidies expired, is helping hundreds of thousands of people lower […]
Missouri lawmakers are drawing up separate proposals in the House and Senate to respond to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s push for a public school accountability system that grades schools on an “A” through “F” scale. Kehoe’s executive order, unveiled during his State of the State address last month, calls for the state’s education department to draw […]
Lawmakers in Jefferson City have introduced two bills that purportedly would drive down costs for patients. Instead, they will raise costs and increase government control over health care. The bills would increase prescription drug fees and interfere with the ability of employers to work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to continue to reduce costs for […]
WASHINGTON — Tributes poured in across the country for the revered civil rights figure the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., who died Tuesday morning at 84. The two-time Democratic presidential hopeful and Greenville, South Carolina, native died peacefully, surrounded by his kin, according to his family. Jackson, who was active in the civil rights movement […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Maryland Tuesday barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying the Trump administration lacks plans to remove him from the United States. “Respondents have done nothing to show that Abrego Garcia’s continued detention in ICE custody is consistent with due process,” District of Maryland Judge […]
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