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Missouri Senate passes bill to fund sheriffs’ retirement system

3 weeks 4 days ago
A bill to fund pensions for Missouri sheriffs from new fees on court documents and a slice of the money the state pays counties to house prisoners passed the state Senate on a nearly unanimous vote Tuesday, potentially rescuing a retirement system that voters refused to support at the ballot in November. Last year, lawmakers […]
Rudi Keller

‘We have to move’: USDA soon to disclose which staff jobs will leave D.C.

3 weeks 4 days ago
WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced during a congressional hearing Tuesday the department will soon detail which staff positions it plans to move away from the nation’s capital and where in the country those jobs will be relocated. “We have to move,” Rollins said. “This is a customer service oriented agency. And why do […]
Jennifer Shutt

Planned Parenthood must comply with Missouri AG request for patient records, court rules

3 weeks 4 days ago
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers must turn over documents about gender-affirming care to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, an appeals court ruled Tuesday morning. Bailey has been looking into the use of cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and gender-transition surgeries for minors in the state since March 2023, when a former case worker at the Washington University […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Poll finds ‘remarkably low’ trust in federal public health agencies

3 weeks 4 days ago
WASHINGTON — Less than half of Americans have confidence in federal public health agencies’ ability to regulate prescriptions, approve vaccines and respond to outbreaks, according to a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan health research organization KFF. The survey shows that just 46% of the people questioned have at least some confidence in federal agencies ensuring […]
Jennifer Shutt

Missouri House passes wide-ranging education bill as session enters its homestretch

3 weeks 4 days ago
The Missouri House passed a higher education bill loaded up with amendments on a 94-36 vote Monday evening, advancing largely bipartisan proposals as the end of session nears. The bill heads back to the Senate, where lawmakers can either send it to the governor or request a conference committee to work out differences between the […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Trump administration asks to dismiss Missouri AG’s lawsuit targeting abortion pill

3 weeks 5 days ago
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice wrote in a legal filing released Monday that three GOP-led states attempting to overturn federal prescribing guidelines for medication abortion have sought to keep a case going in the wrong place at the wrong time. The filing is significant since it appears to indicate the Trump administration will defend […]
Jennifer Shutt

DHS offers $1,000 to immigrants without legal status who self-deport

3 weeks 5 days ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that the agency will provide $1,000 in what it called “travel assistance” to people in the United States without permanent legal status if they self deport. It’s the latest attempt by DHS to try to meet the Trump administration’s goal of removing 1 million migrants […]
Ariana Figueroa

As Republicans in Congress eye sweeping Medicaid cuts, Missouri offers a preview

3 weeks 5 days ago
CRESTWOOD, Mo. — The prospect of sweeping federal cuts to Medicaid is alarming to some Missourians who remember the last time the public medical insurance program for those with low incomes or disabilities was pressed for cash in the state. In 2005, Missouri adopted some of the strictest eligibility standards in the nation, reduced benefits, […]
Bram Sable-Smith

Ameren Missouri electricity prices to increase this summer

3 weeks 5 days ago
Ameren electric customers across Missouri will see their bills go up this summer after a settlement between the utility and consumer advocates was approved by state regulators. Steve Wills is Ameren Missouri’s senior director of regulatory affairs and said the company is pleased the Public Service Commission approved the settlement, calling it “fair and constructive.” […]
Jana Rose Schleis

What grade would you give Missouri lawmakers for their performance this year?

3 weeks 5 days ago
There are two weeks remaining in the 2025 legislative session. While there will be a flurry of last-minute maneuvering, lawmakers have had ample time to address some long-standing needs for Missouri and its residents. How would you evaluate what they have accomplished? We may have different lists with different priorities, but there are surely some […]
Janice Ellis

Lieutenant governor sparks fight with push to secure larger role in Missouri Senate

4 weeks 1 day ago
The Missouri Senate appears on the verge of rekindling a 50-year-old fight over the role of the lieutenant governor, triggered in part by the five hours of budget debate this week. At the start of Thursday’s session, Lt. Gov. David Wasinger recognized himself to speak, then quoted state Sen. Joe Nicola expressing his frustration at […]
Rudi Keller

States’ nuclear energy growth needs federal action to follow Trump’s vocal support

4 weeks 1 day ago
WASHINGTON —  President Donald Trump and his team have signaled a strong interest in continuing to strengthen federal support for nuclear power, an energy source Democratic states are increasingly open to expanding. The administration’s loudly pro-nuclear position creates a rare point of overlap between Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, whose signature legislation funded hundreds […]
Allison Prang

As a measles outbreak creeps toward Kansas City, public health leaders urge vaccination

4 weeks 1 day ago
Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist, remembers feeling a tinge of relief five years ago as COVID spread across communities. At least it wasn’t measles. “Measles is the most contagious disease we have,” said Schmidtke, who teaches at Kansas City University. But now, she and other public health experts are watching with alarm as the largely preventable […]
Suzanne King

Trump asks Congress to cut $163B in non-defense spending, ax dozens of programs

4 weeks 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a budget request Friday that would dramatically slash some federal spending, the initial step in a monthslong process that will include heated debate on Capitol Hill as both political parties work toward a final government funding agreement. The proposal, for the first time, details how exactly this administration wants […]
Jennifer Shutt, Ariana Figueroa

Trump asks Congress to cut $163B in non-defense spending, ax dozens of programs

4 weeks 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a budget request Friday that would dramatically slash some federal spending, the initial step in a monthslong process that will include heated debate on Capitol Hill as both political parties work toward a final government funding agreement. The proposal, for the first time, details how exactly this administration wants […]
Jennifer Shutt, Ariana Figueroa