When Missouri Senate leaders turned to a rarely-used procedural maneuver Wednesday to cut off debate and force a vote to ban abortion and repeal a paid-sick leave law, they essentially ended the legislative session two days early. They also sealed the fate of a litany of bills. Among the final-day casualties: – A massive incentive […]
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved, 29-25, Wednesday evening its portion of Republicans’ major legislative package that includes a provision that would shift to states some of the responsibility to pay for a major nutrition assistance program. The bill would require states, for the first time, to cover part of the cost of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House panel in charge of overhauling Medicaid by cutting hundreds of billions in federal spending wrapped up debate on its bill Wednesday, following a 25-hour session. The Energy and Commerce Committee voted 30-24 along party lines to sign off on the legislation, sending it to the Budget panel, which is expected […]
WASHINGTON — A national school voucher program got a step closer to becoming law Wednesday, as school choice continues to take heat across the United States. The proposal in the U.S. House would allocate $5 billion a year in tax credits for people donating to organizations that provide private and religious school scholarships and is […]
Missourians receiving federal food assistance for low-income women and children will face fewer administrative hurdles to get benefits after the state this month modernized its system. The Women, Infants and Children Program, known as WIC, for years required participants to physically visit an office to have their benefits loaded onto their cards — a requirement […]
Missouri Senate Republicans invoked a rarely used rule Wednesday to shut down a Democratic filibuster blocking a vote on a measure overturning the abortion rights amendment passed by voters in November. That action was immediately followed by another use of the rule, this time to get a bill passed repealing the paid sick leave law […]
WASHINGTON — House Republicans advanced the tax portion of the “one big, beautiful” reconciliation package early Wednesday, a step forward in permanently extending, and in some cases expanding, the 2017 tax law and temporarily handing President Donald Trump a win on campaign promises like no tax on tips. The House Committee on Ways and Means […]
Last summer, Kenneth Barrett recalls spending 46 days — about half the summer — in solitary confinement at Algoa Correctional Center, a minimum security prison in Jefferson City. In segregation, he was confined to a cell roughly the size of a parking spot for 23 hours a day. Barrett said he had brown tap water […]
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress from both political parties are calling on the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for a grant program that helps local communities better prepare for natural disasters. The letter from more than 80 lawmakers urges the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin spending money already approved by Congress for the Building […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to lift its own injunction placed last month in the Northern District of Texas to allow for the deportation of a group of Venezuelan nationals under an 18th-century wartime law. In the Monday filing, the Trump administration stated that the 176 Venezuelans have alleged ties […]
Missouri education officials are considering a plan to consolidate schools serving students with disabilities after consultants deemed the current program “not sustainable.” Missouri is the only state to operate separate day schools for special education, dubbed the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled. The program serves K-12 students in 34 schools statewide, with anywhere from […]
WASHINGTON — Democrats Tuesday criticized House Republicans for their efforts to pass “one big, beautiful” bill to extend Trump-era tax cuts that would require potential cuts to food assistance and Medicaid. “The American people do not support this extreme and toxic bill, and we’re going to hold every single House Republican who votes for it […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee tasked with overhauling energy policy and Medicaid to achieve $880 billion in spending cuts on Tuesday began what was expected to be a long, grueling session with debate on dozens of amendments. Republicans on the panel argued during opening statements the proposed changes are necessary to realign several programs […]
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s portion of Republicans’ massive taxes and spending bill would partially shift to states the costs of the country’s largest food assistance program, which some experts and Democrats predicted will lead to major cuts in the program — and possibly even an end to it in some states. The measure will […]
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s plan to cover up to half of the cost of a new stadium for the Royals and a refurbished Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs ran into a buzzsaw of bipartisan opposition in the state Senate Tuesday night. The proposal passed on a 108-40 vote in the Missouri House earlier in the […]
Former Missouri governor and U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, who was the youngest person ever elected to the state’s highest office, died Tuesday. He was 86. Bond was on a Missouri ballot nine times and lost only two races, a bid for Congress in 1968 and his bid for a second consecutive term as governor in […]
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday regarding whether or not cities and counties can stack marijuana sales taxes, in a legal battle that began in 2023. The court’s answer will impact more than 70 areas statewide, where both city and county governments have been imposing a 3% tax at dispensaries, according to Missouri Department […]
A bill passed by the state legislature Tuesday and on its way to the governor will require school districts to create a policy banning cell phone usage throughout the school day, including during breaks between classes and at lunch. A majority of U.S. adults support cell phone bans during class time, or 68% as recorded […]
When most Americans think of public broadcasting, they think of Sesame Street or All Things Considered — educational programs, in-depth journalism, and community storytelling that has shaped generations. For many Missourians, especially in rural or low-income areas, public radio and television are far more than entertainment. They’re essential services. Now, those services are under threat. […]
Blast waves from Friday’s explosive decision by Missouri House Republicans to kill a $517 million capital improvements bill echoed through the state Monday, with local officials picking up the shards of shattered plans and state senators furious as they recover from shell shock. The spending on new construction isn’t essential for the day-to-day operations of […]
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