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Federal appeals court judges in St. Louis on Thursday heard legal counsel for the national ACLU and the U.S. Department of Justice argue that transgender minors have a constitutional right to gender-affirming care, while Arkansas’ deputy solicitor general said a state law prohibiting such care was in the best interest of youth and not discriminatory. […]

The post Federal court in St. Louis hears arguments on Arkansas ban on transgender health care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Nearly a quarter of adults disenrolled from Medicaid in the past year say they are now uninsured, according to a survey released Friday that details how tens of millions of Americans struggled to retain coverage in the government insurance program for low-income people after pandemic-era protections began expiring last spring. The first national survey of […]

The post Nearly 1 in 4 adults dumped from Medicaid are now uninsured, survey finds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — High-fives, fist-bumps and hugs come with the ice cream at the Golden Scoop. Tucked into a shopping center in suburban Kansas City, the shop employs 15 people with developmental disabilities. While customers first come for the sweet treats, many are drawn in by the Golden Scoop’s mission and friendly environment. “It […]

The post Disabled workers can be paid less than the minimum wage. Some states want to end that appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — As Congress gears up for negotiations ahead of the 2017 tax law’s expiration, economists and small business owners urged U.S. lawmakers Thursday to extend or make permanent the Trump-era tax cuts. Business owners from West Virginia and Wisconsin testified at a hearing before members of the House Committee on Ways and Means, advocating […]

The post Small business owners ask U.S. House tax writers to extend Trump-era deductions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

It should be common sense: Criminal justice laws ought to make us safer. Currently, in Missouri, there are many pieces of legislation under consideration that would increase the use of mandatory minimums and roll back parole eligibility. The truth is, these bills won’t make us safer – but they will cost a lot. Mandatory minimum […]

The post Mandatory minimum sentences are an old idea, but not a good one appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Kansas City-area communities fighting a proposed landfill are hopeful negotiations with the developers will end the controversy and “eliminate” the project. For more than a year, communities that border south Kansas City have been fighting a proposed 270-acre landfill. They’ve pleaded with state lawmakers to pass legislation to kill the project, hired lobbyists and formed […]

The post After Missouri Senate filibuster, KC landfill critics hope to cut a deal with developers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For decades, Amina Tollin struggled with mysterious, debilitating pain that radiated throughout her body. A few years ago, when a doctor finally diagnosed her with polyneuropathy, a chronic nerve condition, she had begun to use a wheelchair. The doctor prescribed a blood infusion therapy that allowed Tollin, 40, to live her life normally. That is, […]

The post States want to make it harder for health insurers to deny care, but firms might evade enforcement appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday dug into complaints against a Missouri-based student-loan servicer, though the organization’s executive director refused to attend.  Wednesday’s meeting of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs focused on the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, or MOHELA, and other loan servicers that have received widespread criticism in […]

The post U.S. Senate committee critical of MOHELA after widespread complaints appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a new rule that would require anyone selling a gun to obtain a federal license and conduct background checks. The rule aims to close what’s known as the “gun show loophole.” Gun merchants who sell online, by mail or at flea markets and gun shows until now […]

The post New rule to close ‘gun show loophole’ finalized by Biden administration appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As a humanitarian aid worker, having traveled to over 40 refugee camp sites around the world throughout Europe, the Middle East and South Asia, I have seen the worst of human nature: experiencing second-hand trauma through horrific recounts of torture, sexual assault, slaughter, and oppression. Yet even after all of my field experiences, I have […]

The post Gaza and the failed lessons of the past appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A bipartisan bill to ban child marriage in Missouri won initial approval in the state Senate Wednesday afternoon. Under current law, 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed to get married with parental consent. Marriage between a minor and anyone 21 or older is prohibited. The legislation discussed Wednesday would prohibit issuing a marriage license to anyone […]

The post Missouri Senate gives initial approval to complete ban on child marriage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger sought to ease concerns from the lawmakers in charge of his agency’s budget on Wednesday, saying the department is preparing for major upcoming events — including another potential Jan. 6 — by trying to grow the size of its force and overhauling its intelligence gathering activities. […]

The post U.S. Capitol Police chief describes preparations for possible post-election turmoil appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri House members on Wednesday took a step toward prohibiting exports of water, arguing the state’s “most precious resource” should be protected and reserved for residents. The bill, which prohibits water exports without a state permit, cleared an initial Missouri House vote 115-25. It needs second approval before it moves to the Missouri Senate, where […]

The post ‘The water wars are coming’: Missouri looks to limit exports from rivers, lakes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans will delay until next week their delivery to the Senate of the two articles of impeachment against Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday. “To ensure the Senate has adequate time to perform its constitutional duty, the House will transmit the articles of impeachment […]

The post Republicans in Congress delay Mayorkas impeachment proceedings appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As the Republican National Committee ramps up plans to monitor the polls for illegal voting this fall, the national party is increasingly working with a loose network of anti-fraud extremists who have been found to routinely spread election lies. The extremists also have close ties to the prominent far-right conspiracy theorists who tried to overturn […]

The post Republican National Committee courts election conspiracy theorists to help watch polls appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A bill that would make Planned Parenthood ineligible to receive reimbursements from the state’s Medicaid program passed out of the Missouri Senate early Wednesday morning after an 11-hour Democratic filibuster. The bill now returns to the House, where it can be sent to Gov. Mike Parson to sign into law. This legislation, originally filed by […]

The post Bill ending Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clears Missouri Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Lawmakers are raising concerns about what they believe is a lack of transparency in Missouri’s nearly two-year old private school tax credit program. The administrator of the MOScholars program, State Treasurer Vivek Malek, says the criticism is misplaced, arguing lawmakers are making overly broad requests for data in a manner that is taxing the small […]

The post Missouri treasurer pushes back on legislative criticism of MoScholars data transparency appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate Judiciary Committee briefly debated a House crime bill Monday that mirrors legislation vetoed by Gov. Mike Parson last year. The sponsor of the bill, Republican state Rep. Lane Roberts of Joplin, said he crafted the bill to update Missouri criminal law in multiple ways while avoiding the veto that befell last session’s […]

The post Missouri Senate committee debates wide-ranging crime legislation appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is seeking to squash a nearly eight-month-old program that has waived $1.2 billion in student loans for 153,000 borrowers and limited the payment amounts for 8 million others.  He is joined by the attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in […]

The post Missouri Attorney General leads coalition challenging Biden student debt relief appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri thinks he’s found a path for stalled tax legislation that would temporarily expand the child tax credit and restore business tax breaks that are expired or have sunset under the 2017 tax law. Hawley’s idea is to attach the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to the tax bill […]

The post U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley proposes adding radiation exposure bill to stalled tax package appeared first on Missouri Independent.