Stories by The Missouri Independent

Missouri pension bills include benefits for lawmakers, officials while in office Inside pension bills with provisions to encourage retired teachers to return to the classroom and protect the finances of the Missouri Sheriffs Retirement System are provisions that could boost the in... June 9, 2023

Judge tosses push to sanction auditor over report critical of Hawley A Cole County judge Thursday ruled that the state board that regulates accountants has no oversight over the Missouri auditor's office. The ruling came as result of a lawsuit filed in 2021 by then-Aud... June 9, 2023

Parson signs laws limiting transgender care, athletes A week into Pride month, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed legislation Wednesday banning minors from beginning gender-affirming care and limiting sports participation for transgender athletes.In a news... June 8, 2023

Judge hears abortion initiative petition arguments Attorney General Andrew Bailey's attempt to increase the cost of an abortion-rights initiative petition was unprecedented and illegal, lawyers for the Missouri ACLU and state auditor's office ... June 8, 2023

GOP state senator launches campaign for secretary of state State Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican and member of the now-defunct Senate conservative caucus, announced Tuesday he would seek his party's nomination for Missouri secretary of state.... June 8, 2023

Lawmakers lament failure of bills to address Missouri's teacher shortage After a blue ribbon commission spent much of 2022 crafting possible solutions for Missouri's teacher shortage, education advocates entered the legislative session optimistic.And when Rep. Ed Lewis... June 7, 2023

Missouri AG had no authority to inflate cost of abortion amendment, auditor argues Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey overstepped his authority when he demanded changes to the cost estimate of an abortion-rights initiative petition, state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick argued in a l... June 6, 2023

Company that makes opioid treatment settles with Missouri for $1.8 million A company that makes a common treatment for opioid addiction has agreed to settle an anti-trust lawsuit filed by 41 states in 2016 for $102.5 million, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced... June 6, 2023

Nonprofit to provide free emergency contraception by mail Anyone with a Missouri address can now request emergency contraception pills be shipped to them by mail, for free, under a pilot program launched Thursday by a health care nonprofit.Missouri Family He... June 2, 2023

Parson appoints staffer to join utility oversight board Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday selected his policy director to join the state commission that regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, steam, water and sewer utilities. Kayla Hahn will take over ... June 2, 2023

New rule puts library funds in jeopardy over ‘obscene’ material Missouri public libraries survived a legislative fight over state aid but now face a new hurdle to obtain the money -- they must certify to the secretary of state that they have policies in place that... June 1, 2023

Where does revenue from Missouri marijuana sale, license fees go? Since Missouri's marijuana sales began in 2019, the state has collected nearly $100 million in revenue from taxes and program fees, according to state authorities.Etched in the state's constit... June 1, 2023

Missouri bill ends crack penalty disparity, raises age for trying youths as adults Missouri legislators this year rolled back two high-profile laws passed during tough-on-crime crusades of the 1980s and 1990s.One would end the sentencing disparity that imposes the same penalty for s... May 31, 2023

Around 600,000 Missouri kids still waiting for summer 2022 grocery benefits Missouri families who were promised emergency pandemic grocery funds last summer are still waiting -- even as another summer is beginning. For more than six months, families have been raising alarm ab... May 27, 2023

Agency says it’s using more-efficient Medicaid renewal process Missouri's social services department is increasingly using a more-efficient method to process Medicaid renewal applications, officials said Thursday during a quarterly meeting of the health care prog... May 26, 2023

Sierra Club calls on EPA to enforce coal plant rules Strengthening federal air pollution rules could force some of the nation's "deadliest" coal plants to upgrade their facilities or retire them, according to a report released Thursday by the environmen... May 26, 2023

St. Louis mayor seeks to shield trans youths from new state laws St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Thursday signed an executive order seeking to insulate transgender Missourians from bills passed by the Legislature restricting access to certain medical procedures f... May 26, 2023

Missouri Supreme Court to decide if school districts can jail parents for absenteeism The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether two single mothers should have been sentenced to jail time because their children missed more days of school than the local district a... May 25, 2023

Missouri bill would pay wrongly convicted if they promise not to sue A bill awaiting action on Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's desk would allow more state inmates released after being proven innocent to receive compensation -- with a larger payment -- but they would ha... May 25, 2023

Former Missouri House speaker fined $47K by state ethics commission A former Missouri House speaker who was forced to resign in disgrace in 2015 has been fined $47,000 by the Missouri Ethics Commission for allegedly misusing campaign funds.John Diehl, a Republican fro... May 24, 2023

Bill would set developmental standards for Missouri deaf kids Deaf and hard-of-hearing Missourians are hoping the governor signs a bill that, among other education-related provisions, would provide parents of deaf children with resources to prepare their kids fo... May 24, 2023

Lawsuit over abortion initiative petition heads to trial A Cole County judge set June 7 to hear arguments in a lawsuit demanding the state finalize its work on an abortion-rights initiative petition so proponents can begin collecting signatures.Circuit Cour... May 23, 2023

Bill tightens licensing rules in wake of lawmaker’s medical fraud conviction When then-state Rep. Tricia Derges was indicted in 2021 for selling fake stem cell treatments at her southwest Missouri clinics, it put a spotlight on the licensing process that allowed her to set up ... May 20, 2023

Donor privacy law changes would restore access to state contracts A legislative fix to a donor privacy law blamed for impeding public access to state contract information is sitting on Gov. Mike Parson's desk. The Personal Privacy Protection Act received bipartisan ... May 20, 2023

Bill would shift sales tax collection to car dealers Wednesday afternoon in a Columbia parking lot, there was a reminder of Christmas.It wasn't leftover decorations or early preparations for a "Christmas in July" sale. It was the temporary... May 19, 2023

Marijuana workers seek to unionize, picket Columbia dispensary A few days before the unofficial marijuana holiday of April 20, as retailers prepared for the biggest sales day since legalization, Austin Monroe says he was fired by Shangri La South dispensary in Co... May 18, 2023

State budget packed with earmarks for local agencies, building projects Lone Jack Police Chief Tim Cosner was confused.His state senator, Mike Cierpiot, was on the line asking him about a request to fund radio equipment in Missouri's state budget. He needed details, C... May 17, 2023

2023 legislative session had clear winners, losers After two years of drama and gridlock, the Missouri Senate showed up in January determined to put the conflict between the conservative caucus and GOP leadership in the past.Submerged but ever-lurking... May 16, 2023

Missouri child population drops 1% in 5-year span Thirty-five states, including Missouri, have fewer children than they did five years ago, a situation caused by declining birth rates nationwide, but also by young families migrating across state bord... May 16, 2023

Senate dysfunction leads to gridlock The Missouri Senate held itself together longer than most had expected.But on Friday, hours before the constitutionally mandated adjournment, it went off the rails.Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Sprin... May 12, 2023

Push to reinstate presidential primary stalls in Senate Hopes of reversing last year's vote to ditch the Missouri's presidential primary were dashed Thursday, as gridlock in the Senate forced the issue to be set aside with just a day left before the end of... May 12, 2023

Bill requires fingerprint background check for cannabis employees Everyone working in Missouri's cannabis industry would be required to submit to a fingerprint background check under legislation approved Thursday. Under the constitutional amendment that voters passe... May 12, 2023

Sports wagering impasse upends Senate A Republican lawmaker running for governor next year held up all action Thursday night in the Missouri Senate, arguing one of his top legislative priorities was being held hostage in negotiations over... May 12, 2023

Gridlock plagues Missouri Senate once again The Missouri Senate remained bogged down in GOP infighting Wednesday night, with conservatives for the third day in a row blocking or slowing legislative action while time ticked down towards Friday a... May 11, 2023

Missouri House sends bill banning transgender health care for minors to governor The Missouri House sent legislation to the governor's desk Wednesday morning barring transgender youths from beginning gender-affirming care.The bill passed 108-50. Only three Republicans joined e... May 11, 2023

Major overhaul of initiative process one step from ballot A proposal making it harder to pass constitutional amendments, which one Democrat called "dog poop with icing," is one step away from a statewide ballot.On Tuesday morning, the Missouri Hous... May 10, 2023

Missouri House tries to prod Senate into passing sports wagering A last-ditch effort to legalize sports wagering passed the Missouri House on Tuesday, but immediately ran against opposition from the senator whose bill was modified to include it.While the House has ... May 10, 2023

Former MOSERS employee draws nearly $500K a year from pension Retired Missouri employee Rick Dahl draws more than $467,000 a year from his state government pension.How did he end up drawing such a generous guaranteed lifetime benefit? Dahl served as the chief in... May 9, 2023

Bill exempting Social Security from income tax heading to governor Some Missourians on pensions and people with disabilities receiving Social Security benefits would receive an income tax cut under legislation heading to the desk of Gov. Mike Parson.On Monday, the Mi... May 9, 2023

Marijuana industry, regulators at odds over rules targeting packaging aimed at kids The labels and packaging for marijuana-related products, "shall not be made to be attractive to children," the Missouri constitution states.That's why state regulators are proposing requ... May 9, 2023

Bureaucratic hurdles stymie families seeking affordable child care A federal subsidy program administered by the state helps Christa Swillum cover child care for her three young children.Without the subsidy, which cuts her daycare bill in half, the California, Missou... May 7, 2023

Legislature passes postpartum Medicaid extension The Missouri Senate voted Friday to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year, sending the bill to Gov. Mike Parson's desk for his signature or veto. The Department of Social Servic... May 6, 2023

Marijuana sales top $350M during first three months of legalization Hippos Cannabis has a 40,000-square-foot production facility in Vienna, a town of 600 people that's just 30 minutes north of Rolla. Since Missouri's recreational marijuana sales began in February, the... May 6, 2023

Missouri budget negotiations conclude with I-70 expansion, child care funding intact Motorists would get a wider Interstate 70, people with developmental disabilities would get better paid help and parents would get more assistance with child care needs under a state budget plan craft... May 5, 2023

Missouri auditor says AG trying to falsely inflate projected cost of abortion amendment Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is trying to convince the state auditor's office to increase the projected cost of an initiative petition seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the constitutio... May 5, 2023

I-70 plan, tax cut demands slow budget talks as deadline looms Legislative budget negotiations hit an impasse as Friday's constitutional deadline approached, with Missouri House leadership demanding the Senate pass a massive tax cut in exchange for agreeing t... May 4, 2023

State takeover of St. Louis police, prosecutor’s office blocked by Senate Democrats Missouri Senate Democrats blocked a vote Tuesday night on a wide-ranging bill that would put St. Louis city's police department and part of the city's prosecutor's office under state contr... May 4, 2023

Critics: Missouri Senate bill jeopardizes efforts to prevent river pollution Legislation considered essential to fund Missouri's environmental regulatory agency now includes an amendment that could drastically hinder efforts to protect the state's rivers from pollution... May 3, 2023

Judge blocks Missouri AG rule limiting transgender health care Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is still blocked from enforcing an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care after a St. Louis County judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order Mon... May 2, 2023

Missouri AG faces criticism for dropping out of gambling lawsuit Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's decision to withdraw from a lawsuit against the Missouri State Highway Patrol has earned a sharp rebuke from his potential 2024 rivals, with candidates fr... May 2, 2023