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A Republican-backed bill seeking to block Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri won initial approval in the state House Wednesday, despite pleas from Democrats to continue giving patients a broader choice of providers. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Cody Smith of Carthage, would make it illegal for any public funds, including Medicaid […]

The post Bill blocking Medicaid money from going to Planned Parenthood advances in Missouri House appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators heard detailed testimony Wednesday on the economic impacts women face and how those considerations can play into whether they seek elective abortion access. The Senate Budget Committee also heard examples of the increased pressures women who need abortions for medical reasons have experienced after more than a dozen states severely restricted […]

The post Economic effects of state abortion bans debated by U.S. Senate panel appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The pitch feels noble, visceral: Prevent newborns from being discarded in dumpsters, and do it in a way that shields the mother and protects her anonymity while safeguarding the baby’s health and future. In a growing number of states, the answer to the rare occurrence of illegal infant abandonment is a baby drop-off box. It’s […]

The post More places install drop-off boxes for surrendered babies. Critics say they’re a gimmick appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After a string of scandals and amid rising bills, lawmakers in statehouses across the country have been pushing legislation to curb utilities spending ratepayer money on lobbying, expert testimony in rate cases, goodwill advertising, charitable giving, trade association membership and other costs. At least a dozen states have considered bills to limit how gas, water […]

The post Lawmakers across the U.S. seek to curb utility spending on politics, ads and more extras appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Political candidates who make national headlines — and those who may only be known in their hometown — descended on Jefferson City Tuesday morning for the first day of a month-long window to file to run for office in Missouri. To run for office, candidates have no choice but to show up in person. Some […]

The post Missouri candidates head to Jefferson City for first day to file for 2024 elections appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden huddled with top congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday amid a crunch over government funding as well as a familiar stalemate over assistance to two major allies — and no solution immediately in sight. Lawmakers leaving the meeting, which lasted about an hour, said it was worthwhile, even […]

The post A partial government shutdown is days away. There’s no agreement on federal funding yet appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — A group of Democrats will attempt to pass a bill in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday protecting access to in vitro fertilization, saying its availability should not be restricted. Their push to quickly approve the health care legislation comes shortly after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that fertilized eggs are children under […]

The post US Senate Dems to try to push through legislation protecting in vitro fertilization appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Treasurer Vivek Malek endured a bipartisan beatdown Tuesday as members of a House subcommittee spent two hours telling him it was a big mistake to put decals advertising the Unclaimed Property program on unregulated gambling machines. A few hours later, Malek gave in to demands from members of the House Subcommittee on Appropriations – […]

The post Missouri state treasurer removes ads on unregulated slot machines after grilling by lawmakers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri families who haven’t claimed food benefits in a program launched during the height of the pandemic could lose out in the coming weeks unless they act quickly. Federal pandemic-era summer food benefits, referred to as P-EBT, were designed to help cover costs in summer 2022 but did not begin being disbursed in Missouri until […]

The post 90,000 Missouri kids are eligible for food aid they haven’t claimed that’s about to expire appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Dean Plocher’s last year as speaker of the Missouri House wasn’t supposed to go this way. The Republican from Des Peres was riding high at the end of the 2023 legislative session, able to point to big wins while pinning any disappointments on continued dysfunction in the state Senate. And he had amassed an impressive […]

The post ‘Dark cloud’: Ethics investigation of Dean Plocher continues to hang over Missouri House appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A lawsuit challenging the estimated cost of an initiative petition that sought to add rape and incest exceptions to Missouri’s abortion ban has been dismissed, with plaintiffs saying there was no reason to continue the fight now that the campaign behind the proposal is no longer active. The lawsuit was filed late last year by […]

The post Missouri auditor declares victory after plaintiffs drop suit over cost of abortion petition appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In September, the mom of a 4-year-old boy made national news when she used ChatGPT to diagnose her son’s pain, teeth grinding and leg dragging, a diagnosis that had eluded 17 doctors over three years. It’s an increasingly common scenario: Patients are looking to artificial intelligence for health care answers. And so are medical pros. […]

The post Artificial intelligence already plays a part in Kansas City health care, without much regulation appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Washington University in St. Louis — criticized a decade ago for rock-bottom low-income enrollment — says it has carved out spaces for economically disadvantaged students as part of a new plan to increase need-based aid. Late last year, the university announced that 21% of its freshmen were Pell eligible, meaning they showed financial need after […]

The post Wash U. prioritizes need-based aid after years of low socioeconomic diversity appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Sadly, the question is not how many more innocents need to become victims of senseless mass gun violence. The real question is: When will enough of us relentlessly demand that legislators pass sensible gun laws? Laws that will not only address the growing incidents of mass shootings, but the growing epidemic of gun violence. Clearly, […]

The post Citizens must relentlessly demand sensible gun safety laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Treasurer Vivek Malek on Friday accused a southwest Missouri lawmaker of making claims without facts about advertisements for the state Unclaimed Property program on unregulated cash prize games that proliferate around the state. On Wednesday, State Rep. Scott Cupps, chairman the House Subcommittee on Appropriations – General Administration, excoriated Malek for failing to appear […]

The post Missouri treasurer fires back at critic of ads on unregulated slot machines appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Biden administration will impose a new round of economic sanctions targeting Russian fuel exports and military-industry imports, the Treasury Department announced Friday. Coming one week after Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in the custody of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government and one day short of the two-year anniversary of the country’s invasion of […]

The post More than 500 new Russia sanctions levied by White House after Navalny death appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For six straight years, Democratic state Rep. Gretchen Bangert has filed a bill that would require cursive handwriting to be taught in Missouri public schools. The bill has failed each time, never making it out of the House and only twice getting initial approval. Yet Bangert, of Florissant, isn’t letting the issue go. In December, […]

The post Lawmaker makes final bid for cursive writing requirement in Missouri schools appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Legislation to add a new barrier to amending the Missouri Constitution by initiative petition passed the state Senate Thursday on a party line vote. With 22 Republicans in favor and nine Democrats opposed, the Senate sent the House a proposal that would require a statewide majority and a majority vote in five of the state’s […]

The post Missouri Senate passes bill making it harder for voters to amend the constitution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Crime is shaping up as a potent election issue, and one of the key points of debate is over bail: Which suspects should be jailed before trial, and which ones should be released on bond — and for how much money? Some conservatives argue that lenient bail policies put suspects who are likely to commit […]

The post Bail clampdowns don’t match what research says about suspects, experts say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After weeks of flirting with the idea, state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield jumped into the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor on Thursday. Hough, who is serving his second term in the Missouri Senate, joins a field that includes a colleague, state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City, House Speaker Dean Plocher, Franklin County […]

The post Springfield Sen. Lincoln Hough joins race for Missouri lieutenant governor appeared first on Missouri Independent.