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The legislation, which now goes to the Senate, would place control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department under a board consisting of governor appointees members and the mayor. The Kansas City Police Department is the only major city in the U.S. currently under such a system.
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Republicans say the bill’s intent is to help decrease voter fraud in Missouri, but opponents worry it could lead to greater discrimination against noncitizens.
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Following two months of negotiations, and with just weeks left before a critical April sales tax vote, some members of the Jackson County Community Benefits Coalition have dropped out because the Royals watered down key demands for housing protections, childcare and transportation.
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Missouri prosecutors could charge more minors as adults under changes proposed by Attorney General Andrew Bailey. “We're not doing these youth any favors by turning a blind eye to violent crime," Bailey says.
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Unlike Kansas and 22 other states, Missouri does not have licensing or registration laws for naturopathic doctors, or primary care physicians with a focus on holistic care. The bill would allow naturopathic doctors only to perform minor office procedures, but not perform surgeries or prescribe opioids.
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The Clean Slate campaign is backing four Missouri bills, which all provide for a more automated expungement process for low-level offenses.
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Currently, kids ages 16 and 17 can get married in Missouri with parental consent. Legislation proposed by Kansas City state Sen. Lauren Arthur would make the marriage age 18 with no exceptions.
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The general election rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Biden is now official. Both men have now secured the required delegates to be their respective party's nominee.
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MoScholars, the state's K-12 tax-credit scholarship program, is currently only available in charter counties and cities with at least 30,000 residents. A Missouri bill that advanced Tuesday would open the program statewide and increase the number of eligible families.
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A group called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom is collecting signatures to put abortion rights on the state's November ballot. A recent St. Louis University/YouGov Poll found that 44% of Missourians surveyed would vote for the measure, while 37% were opposed.
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Despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling the practice unconstitutional, legislation from state Sen. Mike Moon’s, R-Ash Grove, would allow the death penalty in non-homicide cases.
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U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is one Republican who has been especially vocal against the United States financially backing Ukraine in its war against Russia.
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Missouri has a 4.225% sales tax on period products and diapers, because they're considered luxury items in the state tax code. Meanwhile, other health care-related products are not taxed at all.
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Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, faced criticism last year for unsuccessfully pushing the House to purchase a software system from a private company over the objections of nonpartisan legislative staff. Meetings his office helped arrange with an Oklahoma company last month are drawing comparisons.
Government
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With a one-party majority and a bag of legislative tricks, Kansas lawmakers conceal much of their bill-making process.
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The leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the landmark case would see a complete ban on abortion in Missouri and offer Kansas legislators the opportunity to do the same.
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Local leaders from the Northland to Johnson County are working to make their communities more environmentally sustainable.
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Average starting pay for teachers in Missouri is already the lowest in the country. Now, teachers might not be receiving the raise they were hoping for.
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Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the current system of state control over the KCPD undermines the voices of Kansas City residents.
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Facing a budget shortfall in 2020, Missouri cut 200 jobs at the Department of Social Services including positions in the division overseeing abused and neglected children.
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The Missouri senate bill, introduced by Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder (R-Sikeston), aims to strengthen and broaden existing rape shield legislation.
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Marshall also signaled he was unlikely to vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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A recent Mother Jones article highlighted a bill co-sponsored by Tracey Mann that would extend tax breaks in opportunity zones where he owns properties.
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Kansas City’s new snow removal process has been tested as the city experienced several snowy days in recent weeks.
Elections
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Both the Royals and groups opposing the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax for a downtown ballpark are ramping up their campaigns with public appearances, gatherings and ads.
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Candidates for two open seats on the Lee's Summit school board talk about the district's finances, cellphone in the classrooms and mental health services for students.
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Three candidates will be on the ballot April 2 for two open seats in the Park Hill School District. Here's what they think about mental health for students, cell phones in classrooms and issues regarding transgender students.
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Three candidates are running for two seats on the Liberty school board. Here’s what they think about mental health, cellphones in school and removing books from libraries.
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Five candidates are vying for three seats on the fractious Hickman Mills school board. Here's what they have to say about recent board decisions, technology in schools and mental health for students.
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Here’s what nine North Kansas City school board candidates think about mental health, cellphones in school and removing books from libraries.
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Three newcomers are competing for two open seats on the Center School District board of education in south Kansas City. Here's what they think about key issues like social emotional learning and how to improve student performance.
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Every four years, the 2nd Congressional Districts in Nebraska and Maine become mini swing states in the presidential election. That’s because those states can split their electoral vote by district, instead of giving all the votes to the popular vote winner. Does the split vote approach offer a better option for the electoral college?
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A recent poll said nearly a third of voters didn't support either former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden. But third-party or independent candidates still don't have a serious path forward, and in Kansas, lawmakers want to make it more difficult for them to make the ballot for statewide office.
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The Kansas legislature has taken up several bills this session that the ACLU says would make casting ballots harder. The House Committee on Elections' chair says the goal is to improve Kansans' confidence in elections, and that many of the measures won't make it to a vote on the floor.