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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson made improving access to child care a major part of his 2023 legislative agenda, declaring during his annual State of the State address in January that “early childhood care is essential to our state’s success.” Since then, lawmakers have worked to enact his recommendations, but the proposals have faced roadblocks on […]

The post Missouri’s governor made access to child care a top priority. Where do his proposals stand? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Farm and commodity trade association leaders lobbied for updating commodity programs and strengthening crop insurance programs at a Tuesday hearing of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee. The industry officials said federal crop insurance and the Department of Agriculture’s Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage programs are not serving as a “true […]

The post Agriculture leaders urge a stronger farm safety net at U.S. Senate farm bill hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Senate Democrats blocked a vote Tuesday night on a wide-ranging bill that would put St. Louis city’s police department and part of the city’s prosecutor’s office under state control. After nine hours of a Democrat-led filibuster, Republicans set the bill aside for the night. The legislative session ends May 12 at 6 p.m. Republicans argued […]

The post State takeover of St. Louis police, prosecutor’s office blocked by Senate Democrats appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee used a Tuesday hearing on the Interior Department’s fiscal 2024 budget to voice their displeasure with the administration’s energy production policies to Secretary Deb Haaland. The strongest criticism came from Republicans on the panel, though Chairman Joe Manchin III, a centrist West Virginia Democrat with […]

The post Interior secretary under fire at U.S. Senate hearing over oil and gas leases, public lands appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices should follow a strict code of ethics when receiving gifts and travel or doing business with political funders and attorneys, argued Democratic senators Tuesday at a hearing that Chief Justice John Roberts declined to attend. After a spate of investigative articles detailing Justice Clarence Thomas’ luxury travel and real […]

The post After revelations of luxury trips, Democrats argue U.S. Supreme Court needs ethics code appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Legislation considered essential to fund Missouri’s environmental regulatory agency now includes an amendment that could drastically hinder efforts to protect the state’s rivers from pollution. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources calls the issue — nonpoint source pollution —“the greatest threat to the state’s waters,” according to its website. The amendment, which was added in […]

The post Critics decry Missouri bill they argue jeopardizes efforts to prevent river pollution appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A prescription drug that helps Lore Wilkinson walk and talk despite a rare muscle disease cost her so little for more than a decade that she didn’t even use her insurance to pay for it. But now, her Medicare insurance is shelling out about $40,000 for a one-month supply of the drug, and she fears […]

The post A bitter battle over the ‘orphan drug’ program leaves patients’ pocketbooks at risk appeared first on Missouri Independent.

I was talking to a cannabis business owner I’ve known for a while and respect. The man, who is white, told me he refused to use the term “marijuana” because it’s racist.  It was one of my first conversations on the cannabis beat, which I’ve been on for a month now. And my mind was […]

The post Why some people believe ‘marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case from New Jersey commercial fishermen next term that could significantly constrain federal agencies’ rulemaking, the court said Monday. The order announcing the court would hear the case, an appeal from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals initially brought by New Jersey fishing operations that objected to paying for federal […]

The post U.S. Supreme Court to hear N.J. fishing case that could limit federal agency powers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Two hospitals — one in Joplin and another in Kansas City, Kansas — denied emergency care to a pregnant Missouri woman in violation of federal law because doctors and staff worried that doing so would violate state abortion restrictions. Those findings were included in a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on […]

The post Hospitals in Joplin, KCK cited for denying emergency abortion to Missouri woman appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is still blocked from enforcing an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care after a St. Louis County judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order Monday. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal, alleges that Bailey abused the state’s consumer protection law to create the […]

The post Judge blocks Missouri AG’s rule limiting transgender health care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s decision to withdraw from a lawsuit against the state highway patrol has earned a sharp rebuke from his potential 2024 rivals, with candidates from both parties demanding he return campaign donations connected to companies suing the state. Bailey cited an unspecified conflict of interest for not being able to defend […]

The post Missouri AG faces criticism for dropping out of gambling lawsuit against highway patrol appeared first on Missouri Independent.

On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken. At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be inherent and intransigent dishonesty and hypocrisy […]

The post Beware of dangerous rip currents that threaten our government appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Transgender legal scholars and advocates say they were relieved to see the Biden administration extend some protections for transgender students’ sports participation at a time when bans are being enacted by multiple states. But they say they remain cautious about the effect on high school and college sports. For two years, the U.S. […]

The post Biden proposal on transgender student athletes met with praise but also questions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Soon after the 2020 election, Eric Coomer’s name started trending on Twitter, often accompanied with the hashtag #ArrestEricCoomer. At the time, he was living in Colorado and working as director of product security for Dominion Voting Systems, the company ensnared in unfounded election fraud conspiracies following former President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden.  Coomer […]

The post Missouri lawsuit isn’t the only defamation case against far-right site Gateway Pundit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In 2015, Robert Dear shot three people to death and injured nine others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. When he was arrested after a five hour stand-off he told police: “no more baby parts.”  The gunman was repeating a lie that presidential candidates and politicians had taken mainstream after an anti-abortion group released doctored videos […]

The post We know where the Missouri AG’s inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric could lead appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators grilled the executives of three major credit reporting bureaus Thursday on whether their practices are transparent and fair to consumers, with Democrats frequently pressing the CEOs to remove medical debt from the reports.   Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said all […]

The post Credit bureau CEOs face tough questions at Senate hearing; Democrats push to remove medical debt appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With only two weeks left before lawmakers adjourn for the year, Gov. Mike Parson is threatening to keep Missouri’s general assembly in Jefferson City if they don’t pass bills banning gender-affirming care for minors and placing restrictions on transgender athletes. Parson told KCMO Talk Radio’s Pete Mundo on Tuesday, and reiterated to reporters and Thursday, […]

The post Missouri governor threatens to call special session to ban gender-affirming care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate passed a proposal raising the threshold for passing constitutional amendments Thursday but rejected an alternative that would have quieted well-funded opponents. Under the measure sent back to the House, any constitutional amendment proposed by initiative would need 57% of the vote or a simple majority statewide and in five of eight congressional […]

The post Missouri Senate passes initiative petition changes certain to trigger strong opposition effort appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration Thursday announced the use of processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala to create legal pathways for migrants, in preparation for the ending of a pandemic-era tool used to expel migrants that is expected to cease in May. The migrant processing centers will open shortly and be run by international organizations. […]

The post Biden administration to use processing centers in Latin America to handle migration appeared first on Missouri Independent.