Legislature
Missouri banks ask lawmakers to approve sharing of marijuana business inspections
Missouri’s marijuana businesses have extra obstacles when it comes to getting help from financial institutions. With recreational marijuana now legal in Missouri but still illegal at the federal level, it creates more hoops to jump through for both banks and businesses to meet federal scrutiny. Missouri lawmakers have an opportunity to streamline that process by […]
House committee takes aim at I-70, child care funding in Missouri governor’s budget
Some of the biggest items in Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s proposed spending plan are in danger of being cut in the House Budget Committee, including money for child care providers, state universities and widening Interstate 70. The budget revisions submitted Tuesday by committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, cut $1.5 billion in general revenue and about […]
Missouri House votes to cut corporate, personal income taxes by $1 billion
The Missouri House gave first-round approval to a $1 billion personal and corporate income tax cut Tuesday, as Republicans pushed the bill through despite Democratic warnings that vital services would be starved for funds. The bill would cut the top rate on personal income taxes, cut the corporate income tax rate in half and exempt […]
Missouri Senate approves four-year ban on medical procedures for transgender minors
After 13 hours of overnight debate, the Missouri Senate gave initial approval Tuesday morning to a pair of bills that would limit medical procedures for transgender children and place restrictions on transgender girls playing school sports. Both bills still need to be approved one more time by the Senate before being sent to the House. […]
Missouri Democrats once again filibuster ban on medical procedures for transgender minors
The Missouri Senate returned from its spring break Monday with Democrats resuming their filibuster of a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender children. The Senate reconvened to debate legislation sponsored by Sen. Holly Thompson-Rehder, R-Scott City, that began as a ban on transgender girls participating in school sports but was expanded to include […]
Missouri House approves sports wagering bill favored by casinos, sports teams
The Missouri House overwhelmingly approved a bill Monday to legalize sports wagering, with Republicans siding with casino companies to defeat Democratic amendments seeking higher taxes and limits on promotional costs. The bill was sent to the Senate after a 119-35 roll-call vote on Thursday. With all but three adjoining states allowing sports wagering, the failure […]
Debate over transgender health care threatens to upend Missouri legislative session
Lawmakers return to the Missouri Capitol Monday to kick off the second half of the 2023 legislative session with a laundry list of priorities and a constitutional deadline to get them done. Legalizing sports betting, changing the initiative petition process, education policy shifts, tax cuts, banning foreign land ownership, expanding postpartum health care and a […]
Proposals to eliminate Missouri sales tax on groceries in limbo
Missouri is one of just 13 states that levies a sales tax on grocery food items. Citing the hefty burden on low-income shoppers and rising cost of food, several other states have moved to reduce the burden of the grocery sales tax. Kansas began phasing it out this year and Illinois suspended the tax for […]
Missouri homeschool families seek access to public school activities, teams
Homeschooled students came to Missouri’s Capitol last week in hopes they could convince lawmakers to allow them to participate in their local school district’s extracurricular activities. A pair of bills were debated by the Senate education and workforce development committee aimed at expanding access to activities like sports and clubs to students who are homeschooled. […]
Courts hopeful Missouri lawmakers can provide funds to help with marijuana expungements
After three months of looking through old marijuana charges, Boone County Circuit Court Clerk Christy Blakemore — along with clerks and judges around the state — has come to a realization. There’s no quick way to wipe those records clean. And, it’s going to take a lot more money for overtime to go through the […]
Impact of declining scores unclear as Missouri lawmakers continue education debate
As the Missouri House debated legislation last week to allow students to transfer out of their home district, rumors about the state’s declining school performance data lingered. When the numbers became public later in the day, lawmakers were quick to voice their opinions. Missouri students scored worse across the board from pre-pandemic levels, and 112 […]
Open-container law for marijuana gets hearing in Missouri House
A Missouri House committee discussed a bill Thursday meant to mirror Illinois’ open-container law for having marijuana in vehicles. The bill from Rep. Kent Haden, R-Mexico, would require all marijuana products in vehicles to be kept in odor-proof and child-proof containers. “I don’t claim to be an expert on marijuana – I’ve never inhaled,” Haden […]