Meg Cunningham
Meg Cunningham is The Beacon’s Missouri Statehouse reporter. Previously, Meg worked as a national politics reporter for ABC News in Washington, D.C., where she covered campaigns and elections. Meg is a Kansas City native and graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking and yoga.
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Missouri is one of 19 states that has banned gender-affirming care for minors. The state has proven to be ripe for laws limiting transgender rights, which are often engineered by a network of out-of-state conservative advocacy groups.
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A Kansas City lawmaker has tried for years to crack down on celebratory gunfire with Blair's Law, named for a Kansas City girl who lost her life from a bullet fired randomly skyward. The problem gets worse when the Chiefs play — and win — playoff games.
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Before Missouri voters have the chance to enshrine the right to an abortion, Republican lawmakers might pass legislation aimed at making it harder to amend the state constitution. Another bill would close off public access to legislative records.
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On-demand, point-to-point rides are being offered in Kansas City and St. Louis as a way around fixed bus routes and schedules. In rural communities, microtransit is often touted as a tool to get people to work and essential appointments. But reviews of the programs are so far mixed.
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Various state and local sales taxes lumped onto your purchase can add upwards of 20% to the cost of recreational marijuana in Missouri — but it's not clear how much is legal under the state's cannabis laws. Now, dispensaries are suing over the stacked taxes.
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Residents along the south edge of Kansas City have organized in opposition to a proposed 430-acre landfill that they say could erode their property values and threaten their health. A newly created political action committee is now raising money to lobby Missouri legislators.
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Missouri and Kansas are among at least 36 states that have anti-BDS (boycott, divest or sanction) measures that bar state contractors from refusing to do business in Israel, or otherwise boycotting or divesting from the country or its occupied territories. But the ACLU has sued over the laws, claiming they violate the First Amendment.
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Missouri adopted a law this year that lets counties freeze property tax assessment when homeowners become eligible for Social Security. Jackson County and four other counties have already made the decision to give seniors a tax break — but others worry about how it will affect their budgets.
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A poll last year showed that about 48% of Missourians support a constitutional amendment wiping out the state's existing abortion ban. Now abortion rights supporters are focused on convincing voters to pass one — and debating what language to use in their campaign.
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The Prison Policy Initiative put Missouri and Kansas on a list of “famously hot states” that lack universal air conditioning in prisons. During excessively hot summer days, inmates say that it can feel like a "pizza oven" inside — and the state isn't doing enough to fix the issue.