Steph Quinn
Reporter, Missouri IndependentSteph Quinn covers social services for the Missouri Independent.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, she most recently worked for Mississippi Today, where she focused on criminal justice investigations. In Maryland and Mississippi, she has written about juvenile justice, law enforcement training on "less lethal" force and a rehabilitation program for county jail inmates.
Email her at squinn@missouriindependent.com
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Missouri House Budget Committee Chair Dirk Deaton said the amendments would be fiscally "irresponsible and a mistake." Democratic lawmakers warned that proposed cuts could jeopardize a program that puts child care in reach of low-income and foster families. -
Supporters say the bill would expand placement options for children in state custody, while critics worry it could shelter bad actors — following years of abuse allegations at unlicensed boarding schools in Missouri. -
More than 1,000 Missourians traveled to the Capitol to attend Disability Rights Legislative Day. Lawmakers from both chambers have said they will try to restore $80.7 million in cuts proposed by Gov. Mike Kehoe. -
Introduced by Republican state Rep. Wendy Hausman, “The Taylor Swift Act,” would offer a path for Missourians to sue when someone has distributed or published an AI-generated sexual image of them without their written consent. -
There are 524 Missourians waiting for treatment and services from the Department of Mental Health. Of those, 446 are in jails throughout the state — incarcerated indefinitely without being convicted of their alleged crimes. -
The proposed cuts came out of a "core reduction exercise" requested by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Lawmakers from both parties vowed to undo the reductions but warned the governor could still veto any restoration. -
Missouri Department of Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told lawmakers that while the reductions would impact families, the spending reductions would preserve the state's ability to offer these services. -
Missouri Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told state lawmakers that the department and courts need options to get defendants treatment in their communities. -
Critics say the mission of the foundation is vague, leaving questions about how taxpayer dollars will be used. Half the funding for the foundation draws from the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF. -
The proposed ballot measure, if approved by a majority of Missouri voters, would make it more difficult for the state to reverse federal restrictions on Medicaid eligibility. The upcoming changes could cause 130,000 Missourians to become uninsured in the next decade.
