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A Missouri House committee on Monday debated a pair of bills seeking to fix issues with a donor privacy law that critics argue have undermined key activities of certain government agencies.  The bills — sponsored by Republican state Reps. Sean Pouche of Kansas City and Ben Baker of Neosho — seek to address concerns raised […]

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Forty million people in the U.S. are having difficulty affording household expenses, and a little more than 25 million people say they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent Household Pulse survey data. The survey is designed to collect data on household experiences during the pandemic as […]

The post Families are taking a hit as pandemic aid ends, inflation continues appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Nearly five years after voters amended the state Constitution to require the legislature to abide by transparency laws, the Missouri Senate is advancing a bill allowing lawmakers to withhold a wide swath of records from the public.  Any record of a state lawmaker or their staff pertaining to “legislation or the legislative process” would be […]

The post Bill carving some legislative records out of Missouri Sunshine Law advances in Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Rep. Lane Roberts is not someone most would deem a “RINO,” or Republican In Name Only. The three-term Joplin Republican served as the director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and as Joplin’s police chief, having previously led police forces in cities throughout Washington and Oregon, where he served as president of the […]

The post Debate over minors carrying guns has implications beyond the Missouri House appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration announced an additional $2 billion in weapons and a host of new sanctions targeting Russia’s key industries and government officials. The Friday announcement came on the heels of President Joe Biden’s historic and surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, where […]

The post White House unveils $2B in weapons for Ukraine on one-year anniversary of Russian invasion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — As the Biden administration prepares to defend its student debt cancellation program before the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 28, data shows that Black borrowers have the most to lose should a majority conservative court strike down the policy. Black borrowers hold a disproportionate share of student loan debt, and many likely were […]

The post Black student loan borrowers at risk as U.S. Supreme Court weighs forgiveness plan appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Two years after Winter Storm Uri, which caused a massive power failure in Texas that caused more than 200 deaths, and just two months after another storm, Elliott, forced blackouts in parts of the South, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved new extreme cold reliability standards for power plants. However, the vote last week on […]

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged the private sector and government officials to address inequity and promote innovation in what he called a “pivotal moment” in the nation’s history at an industry conference Thursday. In the opening session of the 99th USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, Vilsack said new income streams and markets will be […]

The post Market innovation a path to economic equity in farming, USDA chief tells ag conference appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Action in the Missouri Senate briefly ground to a halt Thursday morning, after a Republican lawmaker used procedural maneuvers to gum up the legislative process in retaliation for one of his bills dying in committee. Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, staged a filibuster for most of Thursday morning after a Senate committee voted down his bill […]

The post Missouri Senate dysfunction reappears after committee votes down gambling bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Embattled St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner let a noon deadline for her resignation pass without action, triggering an effort by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to remove her from office through the courts. At a news conference Thursday with Gov. Mike Parson, Bailey said he would file a quo warranto petition – an action […]

The post Missouri AG moves forward with effort to remove St. Louis prosecutor from office appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A push to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage in Missouri could face hurdles to federal approval after an abortion-related provision was added by Senate conservatives. The bill, which would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year, seeks to lower Missouri’s maternal mortality rate. The state had the 12th highest maternal mortality in the […]

The post Federal approval of Missouri postpartum extension could be at risk over abortion amendment appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Anti-abortion senators proposed several ways on Wednesday to limit state funding for reproductive health care and enshrine anti-abortion language in the state constitution. SJR 8 proposes a constitutional amendment, which would require a statewide vote, that would prevent the Missouri government from funding abortion providers or their affiliates. SB 160 proposes a similar concept, though in statute, not […]

The post Missouri Republicans propose constitutional amendment to strengthen abortion ban appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A bill that would allow religious and other belief-based organizations to refuse membership to certain students raised concerns Wednesday evening that it could open the door to discrimination on college campuses. The legislation, sponsored by Republican Rep. Brad Hudson of Cape Fair, would prohibit public colleges from denying funding to “belief-based” groups based on their […]

The post Debate over allowing Missouri campus groups to limit membership focuses on discrimination appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate General Laws Committee heard testimony Wednesday about a bill that would create the Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act. Red flag gun laws allow courts, when petitioned, to bar individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others from owning firearms. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, seeks to prevent federal […]

The post Red-flag gun laws targeted by bill pushed Missouri Republican legislator appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In Jefferson City, the fight over whether or how to expand gambling – sports wagering, video lottery games, or both – is a test of political power. But prevailing in the political contest isn’t important to April Kabrick, a co-owner of Boozers Bar & Grill in Liberty. She just wants to keep her restaurant in […]

The post Sports wagering, video lottery compete for attention in Missouri Senate hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An effort to reimburse Missouri employers for helping to expand the skills of their workers was inspired by the success of an Ohio program. Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted told the Missourian that TechCred, Ohio’s upskill credentials program, has funded over 57,000 awards since its inception in 2019. Husted is the director of the Ohio […]

The post Missouri House advances workforce bill modeled on Ohio’s TechCred appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Missouri House committee heard testimony Tuesday on three bills that would ban discrimination based on hair texture in some settings. Three Black state lawmakers — Democratic Reps. Raychel Proudie of Ferguson, LakeySha Bosley of St. Louis and Ashley Bland Manlove of Kansas City — presented versions of a national bill called the CROWN Act […]

The post Black lawmakers ask Missouri House committee to ban discrimination based on natural hair appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As one of the last abortion providers in Missouri, I was part of the fight to preserve reproductive freedom, a fight that was siloed, isolated and othered in the practice of medicine. Today, the same medical institutions that stayed silent on abortion are now the targets of attacks we, as abortion providers, long ago warned […]

The post It’s time for Missouri hospitals to find their voice and fight back appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Lawmakers and statewide elected officials wouldn’t get a raise next month from a supplemental spending bill moving toward passage. But a provision of the state Constitution means legislators may see a pay boost on July 1. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill providing an 8.7% pay raise for all state employees, […]

The post Missouri lawmakers may be in line for pay raise despite rejection of governor’s proposal appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A Missouri House committee on Tuesday debated legislation that would establish several tax credits designed to improve access to affordable child care and stabilize the industry.

The post Missouri legislator proposes tax credits aimed at mitigating child care ‘crisis’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.