Missouri legislature

Primary voters in a small number of districts play an outsized role in deciding who wins Congress. The Trump-initiated mid-decade redistricting wave, which led to a new Republican-drawn map in Missouri, is driving that number of competitive seats even lower.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has proposed having citizens vote to phase out the state income tax over the next five years. But is that a viable option for the state budget?

U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt expect Missouri Republican-backed ballot issues will succeed even in a tough election year.

Introduced by Republican state Rep. Wendy Hausman, “The Taylor Swift Act,” would offer a path for Missourians to sue when someone has distributed or published an AI-generated sexual image of them without their written consent.

A Republican judge in Cole County on Thursday ruled that the ballot summary must be rewritten for a proposed constitutional amendment that he said would confuse voters, making it much harder for Missourians to amend the constitution through citizen initiative petitions.

A state constitutional amendment, if passed by voters, would require many people on Medicaid to work. The amendment reflects federal work requirements that were passed last year and must be in place next year.

The bill would legalize and regulate the gaming machines that are often found in gas stations and convenience stores. The measure is expected to find less support in the Senate.

Legislation approved by the Missouri House on Wednesday is designed to temper tax increases on personal property such as vehicles. Some lawmakers expressed concerns about a loss in state revenue.

With federal immigration enforcement rising across the state, attendees at the annual Hispanic Capitol Day urged Missouri legislators to pay attention to their Hispanic constituents.

About 60% of Missourians would experience a net tax increase under Gov. Mike Kehoe’s plan because of new sales taxes, while households in the top 1% would see an average tax cut of nearly $40,000.

The decision by U.S. District Judge John Ross lands as Missouri lawmakers debate whether to legalize the video slot machines. Meanwhile, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has vowed to shut them down.

Legislation passed by the Missouri House on Monday would remove the requirement for noncommercial vehicles over 10 years old or with more than 150,000 miles to have an inspection every two years.