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A government transparency advocate argued Friday that the Missouri House of Representatives is defying the will of the voters by withholding information from the public when responding to open records requests. Whether the Missouri House has the authority to withhold information, including the addresses and phone numbers of constituents, was at the heart of a […]

The post Missouri judge hears arguments over whether legislative rule violates open records law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

U.S. Rep. Willard Duncan Vandiver coined Missouri’s  motto during an 1899 Philadelphia speech. “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats,” he said, “and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” As a former state senator who still haunts […]

The post The U.S. Senate is broken. Missouri’s talking filibuster could fix it | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The annual battle over what is and what is not an illegal gambling machine began Thursday with a Senate committee hearing on a bill to ban “pre-reveal” games that have proliferated throughout the state. While several prosecutions are pending and at least two have been resolved with guilty verdicts, many prosecutors are reluctant to file […]

The post Lawmakers renew debate on illegal gaming, sports wagering in Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a blow to the Biden administration’s fight against the pandemic, blocking a federal mandate that workers be vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 — though the court allowed a separate rule requiring vaccinations for some health care workers. The two rulings represented a split victory for Republican attorneys general from Ohio, Missouri, […]

The post Supreme Court blocks Biden workplace vaccine rule, allows health care workers mandate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri has reported more cases of COVID-19 in the first 12 days of January than any full month of the pandemic so far. As a result of the massive spike of infections tied to the omicron variant, hospitalizations are also at record levels and schools in many communities are shutting their doors.  And the state […]

The post Missouri hits new monthly record for COVID cases as omicron variant spreads appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Proposals that would bar COVID-19 vaccine mandates and provide greater exemptions for vaccinations more broadly faced a wave of opposition from Missouri business groups Wednesday. Representatives for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Associated Industries of Missouri, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and other business associations made clear to lawmakers that they’re against […]

The post Missouri businesses oppose ban on COVID vaccine mandates, argue it’s their choice appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After years of watching Missouri voters amend the state constitution to raise the minimum wage or legalize medical marijuana, Republican lawmakers are once again pushing to make the initiative petition process harder.  A measure sponsored by Rep. Mike Henderson, R-Bonne Terre, would ask voters to increase the number of signatures needed for initiative petitions to […]

The post Republicans renew push to make it harder for voters to amend Missouri constitution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ameren Missouri must stop dumping waste from two of its coal-fired power plants into nearby pits following a federal crackdown on coal ash that denied the electric utility an extension to comply with new regulations.  The move could force the utility to retire at least one of the facilities years ahead of schedule.  The Environmental […]

The post EPA denies extension for Ameren to stop dumping coal ash, gypsum at two power plants appeared first on Missouri Independent.

There are no “sick days” for constitutional rights, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday as it overturned the results of a juvenile case partly held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The court issued rulings in three cases that test whether courts can have witnesses, defendants or both appear via remote link software when the […]

The post No ‘sick days’ for constitutional rights: Missouri Supreme Court rules against virtual trials appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The first education debate of the 2022 legislative session featured hours of discussion on Tuesday of a proposed “parents’ bill of rights” — and whether it would give parents more say in the classroom or instead have a chilling effect on how certain subjects are taught.  In a sign of where legislative priorities may fall, […]

The post Missouri education committee puts early focus on parental rights, critical race theory appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Republican leaders in the Missouri Senate took a step Monday night towards healing lingering tension with the chamber’s Democratic minority. But in doing so, they also likely exacerbated the festering intra-party divide that has plagued Senate Republicans for most of the last year.  On a 22-11 vote, all 10 Senate Democrats and 12 of the […]

The post GOP leaders, Democrats agree to make it harder to stop a filibuster in Missouri Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Patrick recalled the horror he felt as a small child integrating a suburban school district. He rode the bus to school early in the school year with an armed law enforcement officer standing near his seat. He often stared at the officer’s holstered gun. Through his window, Patrick saw crowds of angry faces, signs declaring […]

The post Does CRT make white students feel bad? Try being a Black student | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson is in a hurry to get a $5.3 billion spending bill passed by Feb. 1, but exactly when the bill will reach the House floor for debate is uncertain. The House Budget Committee spent about five hours Monday digging through the details of the bill that will fund Medicaid for the remainder […]

The post Timing unclear for $5.3B bill to support Missouri Medicaid expansion, state pay raises appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As lawmakers officially kicked off the process of redrawing the state’s congressional districts on Monday, the continued divide among Republicans over whether to go after Kansas City’s Democratic seat was on display. GOP legislative leadership has proposed a map that preserves the congressional delegation’s current partisan breakdown, with two Democratic seats — centered on Kansas […]

The post Missouri redistricting begins with divide over tilting map more heavily in GOP’s favor appeared first on Missouri Independent.

North Carolina’s voter rolls are like a refrigerator that needs to be cleared periodically of rotting milk and other items past their expiration date, according to Jason Snead, director of the pro-Trump Honest Elections Project. Snead is an elections advocate supporting Republican plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to force the state to more regularly maintain […]

The post Conservative groups target state, local voter registration rolls with multiple lawsuits appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Coming off of last year’s success passing a tax credit to fund scholarships to pay for private school tuition, school choice advocates hope lawmakers will expand the program before it’s even gotten off the ground. But even with support from key legislative leaders, the idea faces long odds. Senate Bill 841, sponsored by Sen. Rick […]

The post Lawmakers eye expansion of Missouri school choice program. But can it get the votes? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Amending Missouri’s open records law to permit government agencies to withhold more information from the public — and charge more for any records that are turned over — is among Gov. Mike Parson’s priorities for the 2022 legislative session. The changes, which were outlined in a presentation to Parson’s cabinet that was obtained by The […]

The post Governor looks to target Missouri Sunshine Law during legislative session appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Like it or not, we all are members of a larger family. America. As residents of a community, city and state, we are kin folk. Whether by blood or as neighbors; nearby or afar; friends or strangers; we all are related, by circumstances, in one way or another. So what sane, sensible, rational and caring […]

The post What if we regarded and treated America as our family? | Opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missourians are scrambling to find coronavirus tests amid surging cases of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant, and politicians are scrambling to find someone to blame for the shortage. The state is rationing the tests it is buying for residents. No one will be able to order a free at-home test from the state Department […]

The post As Missourians seek COVID tests, politicians seek to lay blame for long lines and shortages appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared unconvinced Friday of the Biden administration’s authority to impose a vaccine-or-test mandate on private businesses, casting doubt on a key piece of the White House COVID-19 response. The justices seemed potentially more comfortable with another Biden administration rule to fight the virus that requires certain health care workers […]

The post Supreme Court appears wary of Biden vaccine-or-test employer mandate appeared first on Missouri Independent.