Missouri General Assembly

In the Missouri Senate, the Republican Party has been split into two factions—Republican leadership and the conservative caucus—since 2018. But now, the seven members of the latter group have chosen to disband.

Kansas City is the only city in the state where the local elected officials, by law, have almost no authority in how the police department’s budget is spent. A board of commissioners appointed by the governor makes those decisions.

As Missourians and Kansans prepare to go to the polls, dozens of legislative districts in both states have failed to produce a Democratic candidate. So why aren't more Democrats running?

Derges, an assistant physician, was elected in November 2020 to represent Christian County. Missouri law requires her to forfeit her office once she is sentenced.

A group of senators used a rarely seen parliamentary maneuver to send a 6-2 Republican majority congressional map to the Missouri House.

Missouri lawmakers will head back to Jefferson City this week facing a last-minute push to put abortion on the ballot and a last-ditch effort to pass new congressional district maps.

On the last day before the legislature takes a week off, the House also passed legislation creating nurseries in women’s prisons and a measure to prevent local officials from closing churches in a pandemic.

Missouri is taking an average of 70 days to process typical applications — longer than the 45 days allowed by federal law. Most other states are processing Medicaid applications within a week, with many cases taking less than a day.

Low pay rates exacerbated by the pandemic have left the facilities around the state short-staffed to the point they have empty beds while still having waiting lists.

Over half of states have rolled back public health powers during the pandemic, which experts say permanently weakens states’ abilities to protect their constituents’ health.

Kansas' congressional districts are up in the air after Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a redistricting plan from GOP lawmakers. Meanwhile, conservative legislators in Missouri shot down Gov. Mike Parson's nomination for health director over his support for vaccinations.

The map keeps Missouri’s congressional makeup intact, with six Republican seats and two Democratic ones.