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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Independent analysis from the Missouri Budget Project found that, by the time the state's new tax plan is fully in place, the middle 20% of earners would save just $131 a yea on average, while the top 1% would be saving over $9,500.
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The Missouri General Assembly passed a law last year prohibiting cities and municipalities from adopting any policies that remove access to a utility service based on the type of energy it provides.
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Beginning Aug. 28, Missouri voters will need to present a government-issued photo ID when casting their ballots in November and in future elections. Forms of acceptable ID include a driver’s license, state ID, passport or military ID.
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If passed in November, Amendment 3 would legalize adult-use marijuana in Missouri. But advocates say that some specifics in the amendment are cause for worry and plan to fight against the measure.
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The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri over its "Second Amendment Preservation Act," which bars local law officials from enforcing federal gun policy and could fine them for doing so.
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Missouri has one of the nation's highest maternal mortality rates. And yet, it's not among the many states taking advantage of an offer from the federal government to pay for extended Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers.
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Missouri ranks seventh in the nation for electric vehicle use. But around Kansas City, public chargers are most often found west of Troost Avenue, which for decades has represented the city's economic and racial dividing line.
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From January 2019 to January 2020, 1,597 Missourians died from overdoses. Over the next 12 months, that number increased to 1,952, according to CDC data. However, a federal grant to help Missouri purchase and distribute naloxone has expired.
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One bill in the Missouri House would legalize recreational adult-use marijuana in the state and open the door for nonviolent marijuana offenders to petition for expungement. Meanwhile, advocates are circulating an initiative petition in an effort to place legalization on the November 2022 ballot.
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The Missouri Department of Social Services concluded in its annual progress report that staff turnover contributed to lower rates of permanency — stable, long-term residential situations — for kids in the state.