Briefs
Senate panel advances nomination of Missouri’s Robin Carnahan to head GSA
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel on Wednesday unanimously advanced the nomination of former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead the federal Department of General Services. The bipartisan voice vote by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sends Carnahan’s nomination to await a vote by the full Senate. If confirmed, Carnahan, 59, would […]
Mayors of U.S. cities plead for federal funds to alleviate housing crisis
WASHINGTON — The mayors of cities in Ohio, Montana and Arizona stressed the need for affordable housing to be included in any congressional infrastructure package during a Tuesday hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee. Mayors Daniel Horrigan of Akron, Ohio, Cyndy Andrus of Bozeman, Mont., and Corey Woods of Tempe, Ariz., […]
U.S. House panel probes slow cleanup of ‘exploited’ coal mining sites
A U.S. House Natural Resources subcommittee examined the cleanup needs for regions transitioning away from coal production Tuesday, with witnesses representing coal workers and Native American communities saying energy companies should be responsible for returning the land to its pre-mining state. Much of the conversation at the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee hearing centered on […]
Judge rejects effort to add plaintiffs to Missouri Medicaid expansion lawsuit
A trial to determine whether Missouri must expand Medicaid coverage as mandated by a 2020 initiative will take place Friday as scheduled, Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled Tuesday. The ruling against adding new plaintiffs to the case came a day after Beetem heard arguments over whether two people who would become eligible for […]
Troubled Maryland plant told to toss part of the J&J vaccine ingredient it manufactured
WASHINGTON — Federal health regulators have instructed Maryland’s Emergent BioSolutions to scrap some batches of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine substance manufactured at the company’s troubled Baltimore plant, while clearing a small portion to be used in the U.S. or sent abroad. Two batches of the J&J vaccine substance made in Baltimore were deemed “suitable […]
Congress urged to move faster on regulating toxic chemicals in drinking water
WASHINGTON — Local officials and community leaders pushed Congress to designate toxic chemicals that are contaminating drinking water as hazardous materials, which would trigger federal cleanup standards. In addition, two Democratic senators from Michigan, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, have introduced legislation that would put additional obligations on the Pentagon to initiate cleanup at military bases. […]
Companies accused of illegal gambling donate $350K to PACs tied to Missouri lobbyist
A pair of companies suing the state to block a crackdown on unregulated slot machines combined this week to drop $350,000 into six political action committees tied to a controversial lobbyist. According to disclosures filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission this week, Torch Electronics and Warrenton Oil made a series of donations to MO Majority […]
U.S. Senate panel grapples with fast-approaching state laws on rights of student athletes
WASHINGTON — There was little disagreement among senators Wednesday over whether a national law is needed to standardize what soon will be a patchwork of conflicting state statutes allowing some student athletes to earn money from their personal brands. But the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing shed little light on what a potential federal law […]
Colonial Pipeline CEO: ‘One of the toughest decisions I have had to make’ to pay $4.4M ransom
WASHINGTON — The CEO of Colonial Pipeline, which underwent a ransomware attack in early May that led to massive shutdowns of gas stations across the Southeast, said during a U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday that it was his decision to pay a ransom to restore the company’s operations. “It was one of the toughest decisions I […]
Earmarks list for states in U.S. House infrastructure bill tops $5.7B
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats’ highway funding bill is poised to include roughly three out of five transportation projects submitted by members, as legislators vie for their share of federal dollars through the resurrected congressional earmarks process. The 1,473 projects that made the cut were out of 2,383 that Democratic and Republican legislators requested for inclusion in […]
National parks struggling with maintenance would get a boost under Biden budget
Basic needs at the largest U.S. national parks top the Biden administration’s first proposed lists of projects to receive funding through public lands trust funds, showing how much maintenance is needed even as parks brace for record numbers of visitors this summer. The projects likely wouldn’t be visible to the usual tourist, but they are […]
Parson PAC takes $75K as he moves Steelman off University of Missouri curators
The committee that promotes Gov. Mike Parson’s political interests took the largest donation of the year Thursday, the same day Parson replaced a University of Missouri curator who refused to resign amid controversy over an appointee backed by the donor. Ketchmark and McCreight, the law firm founded by Michael Ketchmark, gave $75,000 to Uniting Missouri […]