-
Missouri is one of 11 states with formal chapters of the State Freedom Caucus Network, which aims to push Republicans to the right on issues such as immigration, voting access and transgender restrictions. But other Republicans say that the caucus members are more interested in grandstanding than policymaking.
-
A Republican-backed bill would block Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood. Health care providers fear it will harm patients’ access to critical care.
-
The bill sponsored by Missouri Rep. Travis Smith, R-Dora, would cut the 4% corporate tax rate down to 3% next year, and make another one percentage point cut each year until the tax is eliminated in 2028. It passed the Missouri House on a party-line vote.
-
Republicans say the bill’s intent is to help decrease voter fraud in Missouri, but opponents worry it could lead to greater discrimination against noncitizens.
-
Missouri's 2024 legislative session is back after spring break. The annual state budget and a tax that funds the bulk of Missouri’s Medicaid program are two things that must pass this session. Plus: Some Kansas lawmakers say improving their compensation is key to recruiting young and working class people to run for office.
-
The annual state budget and a tax that funds the bulk of Missouri’s Medicaid program are two things that must pass this session. And before the break, senators passed a major education bill that included priorities for both Republicans and Democrats.
-
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and other Missouri politicians have been especially vocal opponents to the United States financially backing Ukraine in its war against Russia. Plus: Woodman Elementary school in Wichita is experimenting with a program that pairs kids who regularly misbehave with a mentor and given new, constructive tasks to complete on a regular basis.
-
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, faced criticism last year for unsuccessfully pushing the House to purchase a software system from a private company over the objections of nonpartisan legislative staff. Meetings his office helped arrange with an Oklahoma company last month are drawing comparisons.
-
Missouri is one of 19 states that has banned gender-affirming care for minors. The state has proven to be ripe for laws limiting transgender rights, which are often engineered by a network of out-of-state conservative advocacy groups.
-
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.
-
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.