The Missouri House on Thursday voted to repeal a utility consumer protection law passed by voters almost 50 years ago. The bill that originated in the state Senate drew bipartisan support and opposition on the 96-44 vote, with 20 Democrats joining 76 Republicans to support it and 23 Republicans lining up with 21 Democrats to […]
WASHINGTON — A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration Thursday over the U.S. Education Department’s efforts this week to cut more than 1,300 employees. The complaint asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to block the department from implementing the “reduction in force,” or RIF, action and President Donald Trump’s […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate thousands of jobs for probationary federal workers fired as part of billionaire Elon Musk’s campaign to slash the federal workforce. Judge William Alsup ruled Thursday morning that tens of thousands of workers must be rehired across numerous federal agencies, including the departments […]
Missouri’s social services agency would be prohibited from seizing Social Security benefits from foster kids under a bill that won unanimous support in the Missouri Senate Thursday. The bill, which was expanded to include numerous other foster care proposals, now goes back to the House, where it passed earlier this year. The House can send […]
Missouri’s Department of Social Services announced Thursday that it is appointing Sara Smith as the next director of Children’s Division, effective immediately.
Staffing at Missouri nursing homes ranks among the worst in the nation, with the latest federal data showing the state falls second-to-last for time spent caring for residents.
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer appeared to announce Wednesday that a partial government shutdown will begin on Friday at midnight, when a stopgap spending law expires. “Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path drafting their continuing resolution without any input, any input, from congressional Democrats,” Schumer […]
Bayer within a week will lift the veil of secrecy on some documents detailing its campaign to influence public opinion regarding the safety of its herbicide Roundup, attorneys said Wednesday. In a hearing in Jefferson City before Clifford Cornell, a special master assigned to deal with pre-trial disputes, Bayer attorney Anthony Martinez said records delivered […]
WASHINGTON — The European Union released a lengthy list Wednesday of U.S. goods, from Kentucky bourbon to household appliances, slated for retaliatory tariffs in response to President Donald Trump’s taxes on steel and aluminum imports that went into effect overnight. The 27-nation bloc announced late Tuesday it plans to impose the countermeasures starting April 1 […]
WASHINGTON — Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy launched a working group on Wednesday that will look at ways to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cassidy, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, Committee, wrote in the announcement that the group of seven Republicans would draft legislation at some point […]
Legislation that would allow students to enroll in neighboring school districts won approval from the Missouri House on Wednesday. The 88-69 vote saw 22 Republicans join with all but three Democrats in opposition. It now heads to the Missouri Senate. The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Brad Pollitt of Sedalia, has filed the legislation for […]
Wide-ranging legislation that would lower tax rates for individuals and businesses passed the Missouri House on Wednesday. The 100 to 53 vote saw three Republicans joining with the Democrats in opposition. It now heads to the Senate for consideration. A key provision in the bill is a gradual reduction in the state income tax from […]
Missouri’s voter-approved paid sick leave and minimum wage increase law is coming under attack through litigation in the state Supreme Court, as well as legislation advancing through the statehouse.
Legislation putting control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in the hands of a state board is on its way to the governor’s desk. On a 113 to 39 vote, the Missouri House gave final approval to a bill to put the city’s police department under control of a board made up of the […]
The failures of a new $100 million Missouri state accounting system disrupted plans for the House Budget Committee to put its imprint this week on the spending plan for the coming fiscal year. The system purchased in 2022 from Accenture was supposed to be in the final phase of implementation at this point, with all […]
Working-age adults who live in small towns and rural areas are more likely to be covered by Medicaid than their counterparts in cities, creating a dilemma for Republicans looking to make deep cuts to the health care program. About 72 million people — nearly 1 in 5 people in the United States — are enrolled […]
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is doubling down on his demand that Planned Parenthood stop performing a type of abortion that its clinics aren’t actually offering patients. On Monday, Bailey issued a notice of an intent to serve a cease and desist letter to Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates clinics in the Kansas City […]
“How much profit is enough?” It was a question posed by an upset electric customer venting at a recent Public Service Commission hearing for an Ameren electricity rate hike. “At the expense of poor people and the elderly that are on fixed incomes,” he continued. The collective frustration made it clear customers are feeling the […]
WASHINGTON — A group of veterans sounded the alarm Tuesday over the Trump administration’s job cuts and canceled contracts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, saying the massive agency that administers benefits and health care programs to millions of vets and their families would see disruptions from the proposed downsizing. The administration is eyeing […]
A Missouri Senate committee approved legislation that would remove the University of Missouri System’s exclusive rights to certain degree programs. State law currently bars other public colleges from offering research doctorates and first-professional degrees, which includes areas like dentistry and veterinary medicine. Public universities also are only allowed to offer degrees in podiatry, chiropractic, osteopathic […]