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The Department of Mental Health canceled a $16 million project to renovate a building at Fulton State Hospital for use as a sex offender treatment center because there is no realistic expectation of finding staff to run it. Lawmakers appropriated the money last year from federal COVID-19 recovery funds. Department Director Valerie Huhn told legislative […]

The post Vacancies, turnover leave thousands of jobs unfilled in Missouri state government appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As states plan how they’ll spend the $25 billion remaining in federal COVID-19 relief funds, some also are facing criticism and renewed scrutiny over how they allocated money already received from the American Rescue Plan Act. Of the $198 billion authorized by Congress in 2021, $173 billion already has been appropriated by states, the District […]

The post States criticized for spending federal relief funds on tax cuts, prisons appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri has made progress toward gathering the necessary eligibility data to begin distributing the benefits, but state officials still will not provide a timeline for when benefits will be disbursed. 

The post Still no timeline for Missouri families awaiting summer 2022 food assistance appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With just a little more than a month into the new legislative session, there is still time for Missouri lawmakers to change direction and focus on issues that are important to many Missourians.  But, will they? The legislature got off to a roaring start proposing bills to limit transgender students’ participation in schools’ sports, and […]

The post Doesn’t the Missouri legislature have more important issues to deal with? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will postpone his planned trip to Beijing after the U.S. detected a Chinese surveillance balloon hovering over Montana. A senior State Department official said Friday that despite the Chinese government claiming the balloon had entered U.S. airspace accidentally, its presence was a “clear violation of sovereignty.” The […]

The post Chinese surveillance balloon now drifting across the middle of the U.S., Pentagon confirms appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Republicans have long argued a successful 2018 initiative petition establishing a nonpartisan redistricting process duped voters by pairing it with politically popular proposals like limits on lobbyist gifts to legislators.  Two years later, the GOP got in on the act, pushing its own ballot measure repealing the nonpartisan plan by tying it to a […]

The post ‘Ballot candy?’ Missouri GOP adds citizen-only voting into initiative petition changes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — A report from a patient advocacy group found the future of medical cannabis in the states is hazy unless costs are decreased, product safety standards are improved, and civil rights are strengthened for patients and prescribers. Americans for Safe Access issued its annual State of the States report on Thursday. The organization, a nonprofit, has […]

The post State medical cannabis programs failing to make enough progress, advocacy group finds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The director of Missouri’s Medicaid program said he expects “about 200,000” Medicaid enrollees to lose coverage over the course of a year as a result of the state resuming annual eligibility renewals after a three-year pause.  The state’s Department of Social Services has not previously provided a public estimate of those projected to lose coverage. […]

The post 200,000 Missourians estimated to lose Medicaid as eligibility renewals resume appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON – In its first meeting of the new congressional session, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry gathered Wednesday for a hearing on the trade and horticulture titles in the upcoming farm bill. The legislators prioritized enforcing the nation’s agricultural trade agreements, expanding access to international markets and supporting underserved producers. “The […]

The post Trade agreements, access to foreign markets debated in U.S. Senate farm bill hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy huddled behind closed doors at the White House on Wednesday in the first of what will likely be several conversations as the country approaches two fiscal cliffs this year amid divided government. The top issue at the moment is when and how to address […]

The post Biden, McCarthy hold ‘productive’ and ‘frank’ debt limit talks as fiscal cliffs loom appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Black Democrats in the Missouri Senate held the chamber for roughly three hours Wednesday as they condemned a Republican-sponsored bill targeting diversity training and race curriculum. The debate at times got heated, such as when Democratic Sen. Barbara Washington accused Republican Sen. Rick Brattin of disrespectfully interrupting her during a discussion of the nation’s history […]

The post Black Senators hold up Missouri GOP’s critical race theory legislation appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The state Senate’s top leader delivered a stern warning Wednesday to the governor’s nominees for the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, saying lawmakers have “no confidence” in the transportation department’s leadership and that could stall plans for major highway investments. The warning came during the Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee hearing for Brian Treece, a former […]

The post Missouri lawmakers warn lack of confidence in MoDOT could stall funding for major projects appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Legislation to make it harder for voters to amend the state constitution through the initiative petition process won initial approval in the Missouri House on Wednesday.  After more than two hours of debate, the legislation sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson was approved 106-50. It will need to be approved one more time […]

The post Missouri House gives initial approval to raising bar for voters to amend the constitution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Missouri House committee heard a bill Wednesday that seeks to give school districts a way to recruit educators into “hard-to-staff” positions – though some worried it could have ill effects on teachers of popular subjects. State Rep. Ed Lewis, R-Moberly, told the Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee that his legislation has the […]

The post Lawmaker proposes tool to fill ‘hard-to-staff’ positions in Missouri school districts appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The top 10% of recipients of federal farm payments raked in more than 79% of total subsidies over the last 25 years — producing billions of dollars for a relatively small group of U.S. producers, according to a new analysis of federal data from an environmental group. In total, the federal government paid more […]

The post Billions in federal farm payments flow to a select group of producers, report shows appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON —  Members of Congress receive thousands of threats a year, though just a fraction of the people who call, mail or email will ever be prosecuted — a situation that’s of great concern to the police who guard members. Just 22 of the 7,501 threats lobbed at members during 2022 led to prosecution, the […]

The post Of more than 7,500 threats against members of Congress in 2022, just 22 prosecuted appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The incoming chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee wants to allow more mining and believes technology — not limitations on fossil fuel production — is the best way to address climate change. As part of their organization of the chamber they now control, U.S. House Republicans selected Arkansas’ Bruce Westerman to lead the […]

The post New U.S. House Natural Resources chair opposes limits on fossil fuel development appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With a single tweet, Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden turned a local controversy over what Columbia Public Schools told parents about the drag entertainment at a city diversity breakfast into a state issue. At 8:44 p.m. on Jan. 19, Rowden wrote that his “office has been inundated with calls & emails re: grade […]

The post Missouri Senate leader’s tweet about drag performance helped kickstart controversy appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In the likely 2024 GOP showdown for the Missouri attorney general’s office, the fundraising race has already begun.  Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who was appointed to the office when his predecessor was elected to the U.S. Senate, began raising money through an independent political action committee even before officially launching his campaign last week.  Will […]

The post Missouri lobbyist vs. Federalist Society: AG rivals building 2024 campaign war chests appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer on Monday previewed his priorities for this Congress, which he says will include a heavy focus on the handling of classified documents, the origins of the COVID-19 virus, and what he described as possible “influence peddling” by Hunter Biden. The Kentucky Republican addressed reporters and […]

The post U.S. House Oversight chair’s agenda: Hunter Biden, COVID origins, classified documents appeared first on Missouri Independent.