Missouri government

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher denies accusations uncovered in public records that he threatened staff when pressing for the legislature to award a lucrative contract to a private company.

Missouri dispensary owners say they had no idea they were paying marijuana prices for a "synthetic" THC that had been converted from hemp. State regulators last month issued a product recall that pulled more than 60,000 items off the shelves.

Despite the Missouri House voting to overturn multiple budget vetoes — including on funding for law enforcement — the Senate did not take any further action, leaving those vetoes intact.

Lawmakers convene on Wednesday for the annual veto session, where they will have the opportunity to override any of the vetoes issued by Gov. Mike Parson this year.

Kelly Broniec’s appointment to the state’s highest court creates a women-led majority. Gov. Mike Parson also appointed Broniec to the Eastern District Court of Appeals in 2020.

A judge heard arguments over a series of proposed amendments to Missouri's constitution seeking to legalize abortion, this time over the ballot language proposed by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. The ACLU argued that Ashcroft's summary was biased against the amendments, like a "referee playing for one of the teams."

Officials on Monday announced Washington University's Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital would no longer offer puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or surgeries to minors — even those who are exempted from Missouri's new ban.

Previously, dispatchers were classified as clerical workers, which didn’t give them access to the benefits other first responders receive. Experts hope this will attract more candidates to the job.

After the Missouri legislature voted to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements last year, Planned Parenthood sued. A judge concluded it was unconstitutional for the state to deny access to funds available to other health care providers, but the attorney general's office is appealing.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker is asking a judge for permission to raise her own legal challenges to Missouri's near-total ban on abortion, which she says is vague and inconsistent. Baker said the law flips the burden of proof required in criminal cases from the prosecutor to the defendant.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about the case of Kansas City Police officer Eric DeValkenaere, the expansion of I-70, the 2024 gubernatorial race, and Kansas City's new gun ordinances.

The state will repay educational costs for health care workers who are willing to work in underserved areas. Another program will increase the number of medical residencies in Missouri.