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U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has proposed loosening the illegal status of marijuana at the federal level – but that doesn’t mean the federal government now condones recreational or medicinal use in the many states that have legalized the drug. Moving marijuana from the government’s list of the most dangerous and least useful substances to a less […]

The post Still much unknown on how marijuana policies would change in states under Biden plan appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The most difficult Missouri budget process in years entered the final 48 hours before the constitutional deadline for spending bills with no final agreement on how much the state should spend in the coming year. Missouri House Republicans, who hold an overwhelming majority in the lower chamber, caucused behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon for about […]

The post Key lawmakers say Missouri budget talks close to completion as deadline approaches appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Efforts by a small group of far-right U.S. House Republicans to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from his leadership role failed Wednesday night, ending weeks of infighting about whether the Louisianan should remain the head of that chamber. Republican lawmakers joined by Democrats voted 359-43 to table, or set aside, the so-called motion to vacate that […]

The post U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene fails in attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said at a congressional hearing Wednesday the agency is preparing for the possibility the strain of avian influenza affecting dairy cattle could jump to humans, though he cautioned the probability is low. Robert Califf told senators on the panel in charge of his agency’s funding that […]

The post FDA chief says feds are preparing for low probability of bird flu moving to humans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday unveiled a bill that would require states to verify proof of citizenship to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, something already barred under the law. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who played a key role through legal challenges in defending the former president’s efforts to overturn the […]

The post U.S. House GOP targets noncitizen voting, even though it’s rare appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has announced he will sign legislation limiting Planned Parenthood’s ability to serve low-income patients at a ceremony in his Capitol office Thursday.  The new law, which will go into effect Aug. 28, will end Medicaid reimbursements to any health centers affiliated with abortion providers. In Missouri, the law would apply to […]

The post Missouri governor to sign bill ending Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood appeared first on Missouri Independent.

James Lemons, 39, wants the bullet removed from his thigh so he can go back to work. Sarai Holguin, a 71-year-old woman originally from Mexico, has accepted the bullet lodged near her knee as her “compa” — a close friend. Mireya Nelson, 15, was hit by a bullet that went through her jaw and broke […]

The post They were shot at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade. They may have bullets in their bodies forever appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A wide-ranging women's health care bill that stalled in the House for months over concerns about expanding coverage for birth control is a step away from the governor's desk.

The post Fate of ‘game changer’ women’s health care bill in hands of Missouri Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation Tuesday that boosts the minimum salary for teachers, changes the formula for funding public schools and expands a tax-credit scholarship for private schools. It also allows charter schools in Boone County and requires a public vote for districts seeking to go to a four-day school week. When fully implemented, […]

The post Missouri governor signs $468M education bill that boosts teacher pay, expands charters appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Meatpacking sludge storage lagoons that have drawn the ire of rural neighbors because of their foul stench would face stricter state regulations under legislation that passed the Missouri Senate Tuesday.  Senators voted 30-1 to require the facilities to obtain water pollution permits, be set back from nearby homes, follow certain design requirements and monitor groundwater […]

The post Missouri bill protecting rural neighbors from meatpacking sludge nears passage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Tuesday filed a lawsuit with five other states, including Missouri, against the U.S. Department of Education’s change to Title IX that codifies protections for LGBTQ students. The federal rule, announced in April, protects students and employees from sex-based discrimination, requires schools to offer support for people who make complaints, […]

The post Missouri joins five other states in federal lawsuit over Title IX transgender protections appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden warned Tuesday of rising antisemitism in the U.S. and said too many are forgetting the attack on Israel in October. During a Holocaust memorial speech at the U.S. Capitol, Biden stressed the importance of honoring the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, and the victims of Hamas’ […]

The post Biden decries campus antisemitism in Holocaust remembrance speech appeared first on Missouri Independent.

If Kansas City had its way, the local minimum wage would run $17 per hour, grocery stores would only use paper bags and you’d need to pass a background check to buy a gun in town. But politicians and businesses that see these policy ideas as threats to their authority or their bottom lines, shut […]

The post The Missouri legislature is cutting local governments’ power to pass their own laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Black homeowners’ property values are on the rise across the country, with some of the biggest upswings in Midwestern and Southern states. The boon to Black homeowners, after decades of lagging property values, could help them close a racial wealth gap that has kept the American dream out of reach. Home values increased on average […]

The post Black homeowners start to close gap in property values appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene plan to meet privately Tuesday amid her calls for him to resign or face a floor vote that could, but likely won’t, remove the Louisiana Republican from leadership. Greene announced the meeting Monday evening after she and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie met […]

The post Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene huddles with U.S. House speaker she’s trying to oust appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Any talk of changes to how the Missouri House functions following allegations of staff intimidation during the investigation of Speaker Dean Plocher will have to wait until after the legislative session ends on May 17, Majority Leader Jon Patterson said Monday.  Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican expected to take over as speaker next year when […]

The post House leader says discussion of alleged staff intimidation will wait for session’s end appeared first on Missouri Independent.

It took about 10 minutes Monday for the Missouri Senate to devolve into chaos. Members came to the floor for the first time since they adjourned about 4 a.m. Thursday at the end of a 41-hour filibuster by members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus. As soon as the daily preliminaries of a prayer and other […]

The post Missouri Senate stalls out quickly on return after 41-hour filibuster appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Gov. Mike Parson on Monday signed legislation designed to keep a landfill from moving into south Kansas City, ending a more than year-long effort by nearby communities to stymie the project. In a news release, Parson called the legislation “a win for property rights across the state of Missouri.”  “This commonsense measure will ensure homeowners […]

The post Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs bill to kill south Kansas City landfill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Republican 19th Senatorial District Committee met Sunday evening in Columbia to decide on a replacement candidate for the Boone County Senate seat. The only problem is that they don’t have one. “We’re working with some people behind the scenes on this but some of them need a little bit more convincing,” said Anthony Lupo, […]

The post Boone County GOP worried about finding candidate for Senate seat appeared first on Missouri Independent.

State Sen. Norm Needleman championed the 2021 legislation designed to lure major data centers to Connecticut. The Democratic lawmaker hoped to better compete with nearby states, bring in a growing industry, and provide paychecks for workers tasked with building the sprawling server farms. But this legislative session, he’s wondering if those tax breaks are appropriate […]

The post States rethink data centers as ‘electricity hogs’ strain the grid appeared first on Missouri Independent.