Missouri Senate

Lawmakers are leaving Jefferson City for a week having sent a total of four bills to Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk, one more than last year at this point.

While pregnant women can file for divorce in Missouri, a judge can prevent it from being finalized. The Missouri General Assembly unanimously approved a bill that would fix the loophole.

Current law states nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nurses must have a collaborative agreement with a physician in order to prescribe certain medications.

A Senate committee heard testimony Wednesday on legislation that would require watermarks on AI-generated content and target chatbots that provide mental health advice.

One of the changes made on the Senate side includes removing almost $15 million toward improving the Missouri Capitol. Now the legislation returns to the Missouri House for a vote.

For the second year in a row, state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, is sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment that would treat embryos as people, potentially exposing abortion patients and providers to murder charges and eliminating rape and incest exceptions.

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.

In addition to approving legislation that would allow public school students to transfer outside their district, a Missouri Senate committee also sparred over bills on abortion education and preventing teachers from recognizing a student's preferred gender.

Missouri Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told state lawmakers that the department and courts need options to get defendants treatment in their communities.

The bill contains many provisions, including expanding the no-excuse absentee voting period.

Missouri Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern says former Kansas City Councilwoman Heather Hall, who is married to a retired KCPD officer, cannot be impartial. Nurrenbern needs to sign-off in order to send Hall’s nomination to the full Senate by a Feb. 6 deadline.

Following a rocky end to last year’s legislative session, Democrats are looking to slow things down, while Republicans push to pass Gov. Mike Kehoe’s state income tax cuts. Political reporter Jason Hancock spoke with KCUR’s Up To Date about the slow start and early dysfunction in the Missouri General Assembly.