Missouri government

Starting last year when rumors of the proposed project in south Kansas City began circulating, Missouri state Rep. Mike Haffner has pushed legislation meant to give surrounding communities more sway over landfills.

Backers of the abortion legalization initiative need roughly 171,000 signatures by early May to make it onto the Missouri ballot. But even with a large amount of cash and enthusiasm, the campaign has a big barrier: Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly could make ballot measures much more difficult to pass.

Missouri advocates are trying to gather 171,000 signatures for a ballot measure to legalize abortion, but even with a large amount of cash and enthusiasm, the Missouri General Assembly could get in their way. Plus: People in older, more affordable Kansas homes are more likely to lose power, and there's no easy fix.

Under current Missouri law, survivors of sexual abuse must take legal action before they turn 31. New legislation would expand that limit to age 41, to give victims “more time to work through their own pain and suffering."

Under the proposed legislation, no public funds would be given to any clinic that provides abortions or its affiliate. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled two weeks ago that the legislature’s attempt to defund Planned Parenthood through the budget was unconstitutional.

Plocher’s hold on his speakership remains tenuous, and his campaign for lieutenant governor is now considered a longshot. His top legislative staff are gone, either fired or resigned in the wake of the scandals. But the impact of the ethics probe is playing out in more subtle ways in the Missouri House.

At a hearing Tuesday, Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek said the idea to place ads on machines owned by Torch Electronics stems from a meeting he had in a Chesterfield airplane hangar owned by the company’s lobbyist.

More than 435 candidates filed to run for office. But Missouri Democrats blocked state Rep. Sarah Unsicker from joining the governor race, after she was kicked out of the caucus for her social media activity and personal associations.

The chair of a Missouri House appropriations committee is demanding Treasurer Vivek Malek answer questions about the state’s involvement with Torch Electronics. The machines have been controversial for years, with some GOP lawmakers and state gaming officials arguing they are illegal gambling devices.

After weeks of flirting with the idea, Missouri state Sen. Lincoln Hough of Springfield jumped into the Republican Primary for lieutenant governor on Thursday.

Under the Republican plan, proposed constitutional amendments through the initiative petition process would have to win both a simple majority of statewide votes and a majority of Missouri’s eight congressional districts in order to pass. This would give more power to voters in less populated districts.

Big wins in statewide offices and the legislature have helped create bitter factionalism within the Missouri GOP. But since former President Trump is likely to take the state easily in November, many GOP officials aren’t worried about what’s to come.