Missouri government

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement last week of nearly all Missouri laws that restrict abortion, ruling the 2024 passage of Amendment 3 enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. Missouri has already started and stopped abortion services several times this year as legal battles continue.

The Kansas City Chiefs asked the state of Kansas to extend its offer for a stadium funding incentives package, catching Missouri lawmakers off guard after they passed a funding measure of their own. But neither the Chiefs nor the Royals have made any location commitments yet.

One lawmaker said Missouri runs the risk of becoming a "sanctuary state for pedophiles" if the General Assembly doesn't pass a bill that would give victims of child sex abuse more time to press civil charges against their abusers.

The bill is a response to action from Kansas, which passed legislation offering to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. While the teams called Missouri’s plan competitive, neither has committed to staying.

A bill that would have insulated Bayer and other chemical companies from lawsuits over cancer risks failed in the Missouri Senate, after bipartisan opposition arose. But there's little doubt that the legislation will return next session.

In addition to legislation addressing the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs' stadiums, the special session will also focus on tornado relief for St. Louis and several projects that failed to get funded at the last minute.

Revenue from marijuana sales has gone up, but fewer people are going to casinos in Missouri. That means funding that goes toward operational needs of the state’s seven veterans homes is still 'year to year to year,' according to lawmakers.

During a public ceremony in Jefferson City, the former U.S. senator and governor was honored for his accomplishments and for not seeing political parties as a barrier for progress.

The Missouri General Assembly's 2025 legislative session ended last week, but with some last-minute drama. While it was a more productive term than in recent years, some legislative priorities — including funding packages for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals stadiums — didn't make it to the finish line.

Bond had a major impact on Missouri Republicans, winning back the governorship in 1972 and sowing the seeds for the GOP's current dominance.

With just days remaining in the 2025 legislative session, unfinished Republican priorities include overturning voter-approved initiatives on abortion rights and paid sick leave.

The Missouri House declined to pass one budget bill that contained hundreds of millions of dollars for capital improvement projects across the state. Now that proposed funding is effectively dead for the session.