Missouri

Missouri has a record budget surplus and this week, lawmakers will take up what is potentially its biggest plan for spending state dollars ever. So why isn’t the Republican governor’s plan sailing smoothly through the Republican-controlled legislature?

A private equity firm shuttered rural hospitals in Missouri a year ago. It's now facing state and federal investigations, as well as lawsuits.

The parents of a trans, non-binary teen tell their story as lawmakers in Jefferson City work to pass a slew of anti-trans bills.

The bill would also lower income taxes and remove taxes on Social Security benefits, which both parties say could be helpful to seniors in the state.

A potential new landfill in southeast Kansas City is on hold after City Council voted earlier this month to oppose it and put a moratorium on landfill permits. Now, a bill headed for the Missouri Senate would add a requirement that surrounding cities approve landfills within a mile of their borders.

The federal government requires banks to inspect every marijuana facility and licensee. Since Missouri's DHSS already does that, banks want them to share that information so they don't have to duplicate effort.

In addition to proposing cuts to the lawmakers' priorities, Missouri House Budget Chairman Cody Smith, a Republican from Carthage, wants to cut all aid to libraries in retaliation for a lawsuit challenging a new state law.

Reporters in both Kansas and Missouri are dealing with a new wave of restrictions aimed at their ability to inform the public on how officials are spending their tax dollars.

Missouri Senators left for spring break a day early because of a Democratic filibuster on legislation that would bar transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming health care. That bill is expected to be debated this week.

Missouri has a maternal mortality rate of 25.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, higher than the national average. Health professionals worry that the state’s near-total abortion ban will make pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period even more dangerous.

Legislation that would prohibit colleges from hiring diversity, equity and inclusion consultants and remove diversity questions from hiring requirements was heard by a House committee last week.

A Republican state representative from St. Charles wants to legalize psilocybin, aka magic mushrooms, for medical treatment in Missouri. Plus: Manor Records closed its brick-and-mortar store in Strawberry Hill and is focusing on its true mission: making money for local musicians.