A Missouri Senate decision to use money set aside for Capitol renovations to shore up funding for public schools isn’t popular with Gov. Mike Kehoe or the budget chief in the Missouri House. But they aren’t dismissing it outright. Speaking to reporters at a news conference in his office, Kehoe said lawmakers who set $600 […]
The Missouri Senate approved legislation Wednesday that included corrections for multiple errors in another bill Gov. Mike Kehoe signed earlier this month. That bill, originally sponsored by Republican state Sen. Nich Schroer of Defiance, was an wide-ranging crime bill that included changes to juvenile detention centers in the state and mandatory prison time for adults […]
Months after having its federal family planning funding restored, the only Title X grantee program in Missouri is facing new threats from U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley. During a congressional hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services Budget on Wednesday, Hawley asked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop providing Title X funding […]
After passing with overwhelming bipartisan approval in the Missouri House this month, the state Senate is poised to consider legislation that would provide healthy, locally grown food to Medicaid recipients with chronic diet-related illnesses. Two “Food is Medicine” bills are under consideration. They would allow dietitians and other health care professionals to prescribe meals or […]
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill Thursday that will take all intoxicating hemp products off the shelves starting Nov. 12 — including THC seltzers currently sold in bars and grocery stores. The legislation largely aligns state law with the upcoming federal ban that Congress approved in November. “If you take the House and Senate […]
Medicinal marijuana products that are legal at the state level will see looser federal regulation under an order the U.S. Department of Justice published Thursday, while a process that could remove the drug in all forms from the federal list of the most dangerous drugs is set to begin in late June. The order, signed by […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution early Thursday intended to speed the way for billions for immigration enforcement, sending the measure to the House, where GOP lawmakers in that chamber need to adopt it to unlock the reconciliation process. The 50-48 vote followed a marathon amendment voting session that Democrats used to highlight […]
Nearly one-fifth of Americans relied on drinking water systems with elevated and potentially dangerous levels of nitrate in recent years, according to a new study released Thursday. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group examined test data collected by water systems across the country between 2021 and 2023, the most recent data available. Water systems serving more […]
Amal Khalifa “felt human” for the first time after she fled Egypt in 2019 for the United States and found kind treatment from police when she reported being a victim of domestic violence. “When I walked into that precinct I felt like a human being for the first time in my whole life,” Khalifa said. […]
Overly optimistic predictions for revenue from the lottery and casino taxes will cost Missouri school districts $245 per pupil before the fiscal year ends in June. And state lawmakers are now building next year’s budget around other funding sources that may prove just as uncertain. The Missouri Senate on Wednesday approved a spending plan for […]
Late last month, both chambers of the Missouri legislature began hearings on proposals to introduce electrical choice and competition, challenging the state’s long-standing model of electricity generation and delivery. At the core of the debate is a basic economic principle: competition tends to put downward pressure on costs. Currently, because we cannot reasonably expect multiple […]
Missouri’s role in the Trump administration’s campaign to deport millions of immigrants has increased dramatically, up 200%. But it’s not primarily through highly publicized incidents where immigrants have been taken into custody at their workplaces, in apartment parking lots or after check-ins at Kansas City’s immigration court. It’s through Kansas City International Airport. At least […]
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, and one Democrat, maintained their support for President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, after blocking for the fifth time a resolution that would force the president to seek congressional authorization for further action in the Middle East. The vote failed 46-51, largely following the same split as previous failed measures. Sen. […]
WASHINGTON — Nearly all Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee failed to show up for a Wednesday hearing convened by Democrats to highlight President Donald Trump’s aggressive tactics in his mass deportation campaign that have ensnared U.S. citizens. It marked a rare full committee hearing that Democrats were allowed to conduct because of Minority […]
A St. Louis smoke shop has agreed to stop selling highly potent THC edibles packaged to mimic popular candy, after Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway sued the store for alleged violations of state consumer-protection laws. Hanaway announced Wednesday that Pressure STL, located just south of downtown St. Louis, will immediately halt operations and destroy all […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats will use the unlimited number of amendment votes they are allowed on Republicans’ budget resolution to illustrate policy differences on cost-of-living issues and immigration activities. “We are for reducing costs for the American people, whether it’s housing or whether it’s health care or […]
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats, advocates, students and leaders on Wednesday blasted attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to do away with funding for minority-serving institutions in higher education.  U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono led a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol that called on the administration to fully fund and protect the more than 800 minority-serving institutions, […]
A bill aimed at clarifying Missouri’s sex offender registry law — including when people convicted in other states must register here and when some offenders can ask to come off the list — cleared the House Tuesday. The House voted 141-4 to approve the measure. Because amendments were added to the bill, which passed the […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republican leaders Tuesday defended the secretive process used in that chamber to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, though they did confirm referring a complaint made against Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego to the Ethics Committee. “At the beginning, we always start very, very privately to protect members because we don’t want to […]
A bill that will protect Missouri’s small businesses from frivolous lawsuits now awaits the governor’s signature after gaining final approval from the legislature on Tuesday. The Act Against Abusive Website and Web Content Litigation addresses an issue that legislators say has harmed small businesses in Missouri and across the country. A growing number of businesses […]
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