Stories by Samir Knox

Grieving mother presents her case to House committee The still-grieving mother of Blair Lane, an 11-year-0ld girl who died during a Fourth of July celebration, has testified before the Missouri House of Representatives for more than a decade. In 2011, a... March 31, 2023

House narrowly avoids ‘two-party’ consent amendment A Missouri lawmaker's effort to connect "two-party consent" -- a requirement that every party in a conversation must consent to being recorded -- to a ban on TikTok narrowly failed. Rep. Adam Schnelti... March 29, 2023

Predatory black vultures head north, threatening livestock A gruesome predator is ravaging Missouri's livestock and its influence is spreading across the state.The predator isn't the main character in a horror movie; it's a federally protected spe... March 25, 2023

Dozens testify against bill allowing weapons in churches For a St. Louis pastor, the trauma of violence in places of faith, like churches, surfaced at a hearing Wednesday night. Lawmakers proposed a bill that would allow concealed carry weapons in places of... March 24, 2023

Hundreds rally for better child care, resources for Missouri mothers In child advocacy circles, "persistence overcomes resistance."Hundreds gathered in the Missouri Capitol Rotunda to advocate for better child care and resources for mothers Tuesday morning.Th... March 22, 2023

Corn vending machine company remains silent two years after alert to farmers The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Weights and Measures Division issued a consumer alert about the company Corn Xpress, which sold "corn vending machines" to farmers across Missour... March 18, 2023

Bills seek to retain Daylight Saving Time year-round With Daylight Saving Time beginning this morning, some Missouri lawmakers are attempting to permanently adopt Daylight Saving Time at the state level.All attempts to pass such a law have failed for mo... March 12, 2023

Lawmaker suggests constitutional amendment for Osage River casino The House Emerging Issues Committee considered another amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would expand riverboat gambling in Missouri. The bill was strongly supported by the mayor of Lake Oza... March 10, 2023

Appeals court: Missouri landowners near trail owed compensation Some Missouri landowners along the planned Rock Island Trail might now be able to get compensation for the use of their land. A U.S. Appeals Court ruled in February that the conversion of the trail, f... March 5, 2023

Witnesses: House bill could transform local recovery services A bill that would give a 50 percent tax credit to people who donate to organizations providing recovery support services received unanimous praise during a hearing before a Missouri House committee. E... March 3, 2023

Missouri House panel tries to regulate Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies Members of the House Local Government Committee tried to wrap their heads around cryptocurrency during a hearing Tuesday morning.With the popularity of cryptocurrency growing in recent years, lawmaker... March 1, 2023

Blue Scholarship offers hope for aspiring officers The first graduating class of Missouri Blue Scholarship recipients at Lincoln University has now entered the workforce.Gov. Mike Parson touted the Blue Scholarship as one of Missouri's major achie... February 26, 2023

House panel advances sports gambling with added player protections The odds for sports gambling in Missouri are improving. Two bills in the Missouri House advanced out of the Emerging Issues Committee at a Thursday morning hearing. A House committee substitute was ap... February 25, 2023

Black History Month event celebrates legacy, heritage of Black Missourians The Missouri Commission on Human Rights held the "State of Missouri 2023 Black History Month Celebration" on Thursday afternoon at the Truman Building. A keynote speech was delivered by the Rev. Charl... February 24, 2023

House bill would make checking car door handles illegal Don't touch my car door handles, lawmakers want to tell potential thieves.A bill in the Missouri House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee would make it a crime for someone to be a serial... February 17, 2023

Jefferson City legislator pitches his sports betting bill Legislation a Jefferson City lawmaker proposed would more than double the proposed tax rate on sports wagering over previous bills. But, the revenue the taxes would bring in are needed for veterans, e... February 16, 2023

Senate bill would drop work permit requirement for children A bill in the Missouri Senate would relax child labor laws, and no longer require schools to sign off on a child's work permit to seek employment.Chairman of the Education and Workforce Developmen... February 15, 2023

House sends supplemental budget, with state worker pay hike, to Senate The Missouri House approved a supplemental budget and sent it to the Senate after a floor vote Monday evening. The bill, a House Committee Substitute for House Bill 14, would approve an 8.7 percent pa... February 15, 2023

Bills could reduce Missouri inmate sentence for ‘good time credit’ Bills in the Missouri House could reduce the state's inmate population as well as reduce operating costs for Missouri prisons.House Bills 382 and 372, sponsored by St. Louis Democratic Reps. Rashe... February 12, 2023

MoDOT to pay overtime to remove deer, debris from roads Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) employees will be working overtime to help clear deer and other debris on highways. Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, said he asked MoDOT to work out an agree... February 11, 2023

Senate bill seeks to relax health insurance rules for farmers The Missouri Farm Bureau would like to provide medical coverage for farmers, but doesn't want to call the coverage insurance. Although there was support for a bill allowing the insurance company to of... February 11, 2023

Missouri House takes public testimony on Sports Gaming bills The Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee held the first hearing on sports gaming of the 2023 legislative session Wednesday night, with both sides of the issue being represented.While the majority ... February 9, 2023

Missouri House rules panel advances two veterans bills The Missouri House of Representatives Veterans Committee unanimously approved two bills Tuesday morning sponsored by Rep. Dave Griffith, a Jefferson City Republican.House Bill 129 would create child c... February 8, 2023

Sports wagering in Missouri making another run at Capitol Illinois and Kansas may be benefiting from Missouri's hesitation to legalize sports wagering.There are currently six bills in the Missouri Legislature that could legalize sports wagering in Missou... February 5, 2023

Lawmakers reconsider regulations for hemp growers A Missouri lawmaker wants to do away with statutory regulations for the hemp extract industry in Missouri -- which may be obsolete, he said.On Thursday morning, Rep. Rick Francis, a Perryville Republi... February 3, 2023

Restrictions on foreign ownership of farm land advances Four bills that would limit foreign ownership of agricultural land have passed from one Missouri House committee and will be heard in another. The bills have been referred to the House Rules Regulator... February 3, 2023

House bill would limit cost of phone calls for Missouri inmates A bill in the Missouri House would limit the cost of inmate phone calls at all correctional facilities to a maximum of 21 cents per minute.During a hearing, one witness recalled paying as much as $2 p... February 2, 2023

Missouri DOR now accepting 2022 tax filings The Missouri Department of Revenue announced this week it can now accept electronically filed tax returns for the 2022 tax year. Property tax credit claims can also be filed online. People who file el... January 28, 2023