Missouri state government | AP News

Missouri state government

FILE - The Missouri Capitol is seen, Sept. 16, 2022, in Jefferson City, Mo. A dayslong filibuster in the Missouri Senate ended Thursday, May 2, 2024, after a Republican faction allowed a vote on a more than $4 billion Medicaid program they had been holding hostage. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri Senate filibuster ends with vote on multibillion-dollar Medicaid program

A dayslong filibuster in the Missouri Senate has ended. Senators gave initial approval in a voice vote Thursday to a $4 billion Medicaid program that Freedom Caucus members had been holding hostage.

Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, left, and Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden acknowledge guests in the Missouri Senate chamber after lawmakers convened their annual session on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb) David A. Lieb Correspondent US News – State Governments Jefferson City, Missouri Office: 573-636-9415 Mobile: 573-230-1312

Missouri GOP leaders say LGBTQ+ issues will take a back seat to child care, education policy in 2024

FILE - Becky Hormuth poses for a photo with her son Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Wentzville, Mo. A judge agreed Friday, Oct. 20, to step aside in a lawsuit that seeks to overturn a new Missouri law banning gender-affirming health care for minors, despite what he called “gamesmanship” from the plaintiffs' lawyers who sought a new judge. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Judge in Missouri transgender care lawsuit agrees to step aside but decries ‘gamesmanship’

The Missouri Capitol, which is home to the state House and Senate, is shown on Aug. 31, 2023 in Jefferson City. A Missouri judge upheld the constitutionality of the state's Senate districts in a ruling issued Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

A Missouri court upholds state Senate districts in the first test of revised redistricting rules

Judge Kelly Broniec speaks to reporters after being appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court by Gov. Mike Parson during a press conference at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Broniec will succeed Judge George W. Draper III, who retired. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Missouri governor appoints appeals court judge to the state Supreme Court

Video of Missouri governor candidate ignites backlash

A flamethrower and comments about book burning have ignited a political firestorm in Missouri. (Sept. 22)

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Missouri Senate passes sweeping education funding bill

Missouri students across the state could get scholarships for private school if state lawmakers are successful in expanding the current tax credit program.

Fears of noncitizens voting prompt GOP state lawmakers in Missouri to propose driver’s license label

Some state lawmakers are taking extra steps to prevent noncitizens from voting over their concerns that illegal border crossings could lead to voter fraud.

New Missouri Supreme Court judge ensures female majority on the bench

Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson has appointed appeals court Judge Ginger Gooch to the state Supreme Court. Parson named Gooch to the high court Monday.

The approved multistate wind-power transmission line will increase energy capacity for Missouri

Missouri regulators are allowing a multistate wind-energy power line to increase the amount of power to the state’s consumers.

Charges in St. Louis more than doubled after embattled St. Louis prosecutor resigned

Criminal prosecutions have more than doubled in St. Louis since the city’s progressive prosecutor resigned under fire. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch found that St.

FILE - Glenda Starke wears a transgender flag as a counter protest during a rally in favor of a ban on gender-affirming health care legislation, March 20, 2023, at the Missouri Statehouse in Jefferson City, Mo. A Missouri judge said Friday, Aug. 25, that a law banning gender-affirming treatments for minors can take effect. St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer ruled that the law will kick in Monday, Aug. 28, as previously scheduled. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Missouri law banning minors from beginning gender-affirming treatments takes effect

Two new laws restricting transgender Missourians’ access to gender-affirming health care and school sports are now in effect.

Maj. Albin Narvaez stands in the gated entryway to the prison yard at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center, Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Fulton, Missouri. Narvaez, who is chief of custody at the prison, said applications for correctional officers have increased since the state implemented a pay raise this spring. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Mounting job vacancies push state and local governments into a wage war for workers

Pay is rising for many public sector employees as governments try to compete for new workers and stem a tide of retirements and resignations.

FILE - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., Jan. 3, 2023. The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday, July 20, ordered the Republican attorney general to stand down and allow an initiative petition to legalize abortion in the state to move forward. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

Missouri Supreme Court orders the GOP attorney general to stand down in fight over abortion costs

The Missouri Supreme Court is ordering the Republican attorney general to stand down and allow an initiative petition to legalize abortion in the state to move forward.

FILE - Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2023, in Jefferson City, Mo. Parson on Friday, June 30, 2023, signed a close to $52 billion state budget that includes billions of dollars in funding to expand Interstate 70 across the state but also cuts roughly $555 million in spending that lawmakers wanted. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri’s Parson signs laws for new moms’ health care, ban on texting while driving

Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson has signed legislation to extend health care for new mothers and prohibit handheld phone use while driving.

FILE - Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address on Jan. 18, 2023, in Jefferson City, Mo. Parson on Friday, June 30, 2023, signed a close to $52 billion state budget that includes billions of dollars in funding to expand Interstate 70 across the state but also cuts roughly $555 million in spending that lawmakers wanted. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri governor signs off on I-70 expansion and $52B state budget

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has approved a close to $52 billion state budget that includes billions in funding to expand Interstate 70 across the state.

FILE - Hairstylist Bunnei Johnson checks out the scene on the fifth floor of a building at 1409 Washington Ave., where 10 teens were shot overnight, one fatally, during a party in the building in downtown St. Louis, June 18, 2023. A former judge, state lawmaker and criminologist on Wednesday, June 29, filed initiative petitions that would amend Missouri's Constitution to allow St. Louis and other local governments to adopt their own gun policies. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

Missouri locals sidestep pro-gun lawmakers to put limits on firearms

St. Louisians are trying to change Missouri’s Constitution so the city and other urban areas can enact stricter gun rules.

A sign informs visitors of the differences between an invasive fish, the northern snakehead, top, and the native bowfin, by a lake Thursday, June 18, 2023, at Duck Creek Conservation Area in southeast Missouri. The northern snakehead was found for the second time in Missouri in the area on May 19 by a state worker seining for bait. (Christine Tannous/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Invasive northern snakehead fish found in southeastern Missouri for second time

An invasive fish that is voracious predator capable of surviving out of water for days was recently caught in southeastern Missouri, causing worry that the hard-to-contain species will spread and become a problem.

This undated image provided by Jason Musgrave shows Dr. John Forsyth. Dr. John Forsyth, a missing emergency room doctor from Missouri was found dead in Arkansas from an apparent gunshot wound, authorities confirmed Wednesday, May 31, 2023 but they're still investigating what happened in the week since he was last seen. (Jason Musgrave via AP)

What to know about the case of the missing Missouri ER doctor found dead in Arkansas

The case of a Missouri doctor whose body was found in an Arkansas lake more than a week after he was reported missing remains shrouded in mystery.

FILE - Chloe Cole, center, is recognized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a joint session for his State of the State speech Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2023 at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. At left, is Florida first lady Casey DeSantis. Cole received puberty blockers when she was 13, and underwent a double mastectomy at 16. Now she is an advocate against allowing those procedures on children. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)

Meet the influential new player on transgender health bills

A nonprofit that describes itself as a collection of doctors and others uniting to “protect healthcare from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology” has become a significant presence in statehouses.

FILE - Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, in Jefferson City, Mo. Parson on Friday, May 19, will announce his pick to serve out the remainder of Kim Gardner’s term as the chief prosecutor in St. Louis, following her sudden departure earlier this week. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri governor picks ex-federal prosecutor to replace Kim Gardner as St. Louis circuit attorney

Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday named Gabe Gore, a former assistant U.S. attorney, as the new chief prosecutor in St.

FILE - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., Jan. 3, 2023. On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Missouri officials abruptly terminated an unusual emergency rule proposed by the Republican attorney general that would have placed limits on transgender care for minors and some adults. The move was announced without explanation on the Missouri Secretary of State’s website, which said “This emergency rule terminated effective May 16, 2023.” (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

Missouri terminates emergency rule to limit trans care for minors, some adults

Missouri officials terminated the Republican attorney general’s emergency rule that would have placed limits on transgender care for minors and some adults.

FILE - St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner sits behind her attorneys in a courtroom on April 18, 2023, in St. Louis, in the first hearing of a lawsuit by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey seeking to remove Gardner from office. Gardner, who had announced she would resign effective June 1, said Tuesday, May 16, 2023, that she is leaving office immediately, and that the St. Louis County prosecutor will take over until the governor appoints her replacement. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, Pool, File)

Kim Gardner steps down as St. Louis prosecutor 2 weeks sooner than planned

Embattled St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who this month announced she would resign effective June 1, says she is leaving office immediately, ending a turbulent tenure marked by frequent criticism, especially from Missouri’s Republican leaders.

FILE - Supporters and opponents of a GOP-backed measure that would make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution packed the statehouse rotunda Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio ahead of the Ohio House's vote. Ohio has joined a growing number of Republican-led states moving to restrict citizens’ ability to bypass lawmakers through ballot initiatives. A resolution passed last week will ask Ohio voters in August to boost the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60% instead of a simple majority. (AP Photo/Samantha Hendrickson, File)

GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections

Ohio has joined a growing number of Republican-led states moving to restrict citizens’ ability to bypass lawmakers through ballot initiatives.

The Missouri Senate meets on the final day of its session on Friday, May 12, 2023, at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. The Senate passed no bills Friday, because some conservative Republicans stalled debate in frustration that their colleagues had not taken up some of their priorities. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

Missouri lawmakers fail to raise bar to amend constitution, easing path for abortion rights

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chaos in Missouri’s Republican-led Senate on the final day of session Friday meant the failure of a longtime GOP priority to make it harder to amend the state’s constitution, which lawmakers predicted could ease the path to restoring abortion rights in the state.

FILE - Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., Jan. 3, 2023. A Kansas City Council committee will consider a resolution on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, that would designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, even as the state's attorney general is proposing a new restrictions on the procedures for adults and children. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

Kansas City declares itself a LGBTQ+ sanctuary city

Officials in Missouri’s largest city approved a resolution Thursday to declare it a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, defying state lawmakers who voted a day earlier to ban such care for minors and restrict it for some adults.

FILE - Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., Jan. 3, 2023. A Kansas City Council committee will consider a resolution on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, that would designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, even as the state's attorney general is proposing a new restrictions on the procedures for adults and children. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

Defying the state, Kansas City would be a sanctuary for people seeking gender-affirming health care

Officials in Missouri’s largest city are moving to declare it a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care.

Missouri lawmakers pass tax breaks for seniors

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s senior homeowners would be spared from rate hikes on property taxes under a bill passed by state lawmakers Monday.

FILE - The Missouri State Capitol stands on Sept. 16, 2022, in Jefferson City, Mo. Missouri's Interstate 70 will be expanded to three lanes across the state as part of a roughly $50 billion state budget approved Friday, May 5, 2023, by lawmakers. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri lawmakers send Parson $2.8B to expand Interstate 70

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Interstate 70 will be expanded to three lanes across the state as part of a roughly $50 billion state budget approved Friday by lawmakers.

Missouri lawmaker arrested, released for past court no-shows

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri state lawmaker said she takes “full responsibility” for neglecting court cases over moving violations, which led to her arrest this week.

Transgender North Carolinians and their supporters raise their fists in the air and chant let us speak after a House committee did not allow public comment on a bill banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors, Tuesday, May 2, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Transgender surgery ban advances in North Carolina House

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Dozens of transgender North Carolinians and their supporters spoke out against state lawmakers Tuesday as a House committee advanced legislation banning gender-affirming surgeries for minors without allowing members of the public to testify.

Transgender woman Stacy Cay displays some of the hormone therapy drugs she has stockpiled in fear of losing her supply, Thursday, April 20, 2023, at her home in Overland Park, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Judge blocks Missouri rule that would limit transgender care

A Missouri judge has blocked a unique rule that would restrict access to gender-affirming health care to children and adults. St.

FILE - Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks to reporters after taking the oath of office in Jefferson City, Mo., on Jan. 3, 2023. The Missouri ACLU on Monday, April 24, sued to block new state restrictions on both adults and children seeking gender-affirming health care, which are set to kick in Thursday. They argue that Bailey has no authority to use a state consumer-protection law to regulate gender-affirming care through emergency rule-making. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb, File)

Missouri governor pushes ban on kids’ gender-affirming care

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican governor on Thursday said he’s ready to force lawmakers to keep working if they do not send him bills putting limits on transgender kids’ health care and participation in sports by the session’s upcoming end.

FILE - Police take up positions near the scene of a shooting Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in St. Louis. Ten years after gaining local control of its police for the first time since the Civil War, the city of St. Louis has even more murders than before — and Missouri lawmakers are again considering a state takeover of the police force. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

GOP lawmakers push for state control of St. Louis police

Republican lawmakers in Missouri are pushing for a state takeover of the St. Louis police department.

Review finds no misconduct at Missouri trans youth clinic

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri university said Friday that an internal review has found allegations of improper care at a center for young transgender patients were “unsubstantiated,” after a former employee made claims of poor treatment — leading the state’s attorney general to investigate.

Jay Devineni, right, a student at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, talks with fellow medical school student Supriya Vuda in the hallway of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo., on March 28, 2023. Devineni and Vuda testified against legislation in a Senate committee that would restrict diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in medical schools and among health care providers. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

GOP states targeting diversity, equity efforts in higher ed

Republican governors and lawmakers are increasingly targeting “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives in public colleges and universities.