Missouri Legislature 2011

It’s been a roller-coaster year for higher education funding. As the legislative session comes to a close, there are twists and turns yet to negotiate.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri House committee reviewing the state's response to recent natural disasters is wrapping up its work.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Legislation offering new tax incentives for Missouri businesses officially died Tuesday as the Missouri Senate ended a special legislative session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The tab for Missouri's special legislative session has reached nearly $280,000.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri's Senate leader says he intends to end a special legislative session next week without approving a package of business incentives.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Unwilling to acknowledge defeat Thursday, the Missouri House sought more negotiation with senators over a package of business incentives that now seems all but dead.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers appear increasingly likely to end their special session without passing an economic development bill that had been their main objective.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is criticizing a proposal by Republican lawmakers to cancel next year's presidential primary elections.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Senate Republicans will make one more attempt to negotiate a business-incentive bill with the House during Missouri's special legislative session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A new wrinkle of disagreement has emerged in Missouri’s special legislative session on business incentives: State lawmakers and Gov. Jay Nixon now apparently are at odds over the production of military fighter jets.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri House leaders are planning to revive a dormant special session by bringing representatives back to the Capitol next week to vote on legislation creating new incentives for businesses that hire workers and export products internationally.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Concerns appeared to multiply Thursday about an economic development bill at the center of Missouri’s special legislative session, leading majority party Republicans to cancel a scheduled vote and causing many lawmakers to wonder if it was time to simply give up on negotiations and go home.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s special legislative session teetered between collapse and compromise on Tuesday as lawmakers were at loggerheads over a job-creation proposal backed by Gov. Jay Nixon that would revamp the state’s business incentives.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri House committee has approved legislation revising a new state law restricting teachers' online communications with students.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — An effort to provide tax relief to businesses destroyed by the deadly Joplin tornado has stalled under opposition in the Missouri Senate and is in danger of failing during a special legislative session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri senators passed a sweeping revision to the state's tax credit programs on Wednesday that immediately was questioned by House leaders.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers have opened and closed their annual veto session without attempting to override any of Gov. Jay Nixon's vetoes.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House moved quickly Friday to approve many of the non-economic development issues on the agenda for the special legislative session that started this week.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Although Missouri has hosted amateur sporting events such as NCAA Final Four basketball games and U.S. Olympic trials, some public officials say if the state wants to continue to draw such events, it must be willing to put some cash on the line.  ... Read more
The 2012 General Assembly won’t be called to the state capital for another 19 weeks, but a sentencing reform group is working to address penal issues that will likely come up in the form of House and Senate bills next year.  ... Read more
The St. Joseph delegation of lawmakers heading to the special session on Sept. 6 discussed the outlook Tuesday at a St. Joseph Metro Chamber event.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon set an expansive agenda Monday for a special legislative session to begin Sept. 6.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon told Missouri legislative leaders Friday that he would not include the expansion of a tax credit for assembling and maintaining large swaths of land in his planned call for a special legislative session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon pledged Wednesday to call a special session to overhaul the state’s business incentives after legislative leaders outlined a plan that would reward international trade and high-tech companies while scaling back tax breaks for building developers and low-income residents living in rented homes.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed legislation Friday that could have required voters to show photo identification and created a no-excuses-needed period in which Missouri residents could have cast ballots before Election Day.  ... Read more
Ten days after wrapping up the 96th General Assembly, four Northwest Missouri legislators took time Monday to reflect on the issues that passed and what is likely to come back next year.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Some legislative issues came down to the wire for Northwest Missouri lawmakers at the Capitol.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — St. Joseph’s representation in the state Capitol pushed through several pieces of legislation aimed at the city and Buchanan County in the session that ended Friday.  ... Read more
Missouri’s prescription drug assistance program lives to see another year.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The prospects for an overhaul of Missouri's economic incentive programs waned Friday as lawmakers neared the end of the last day of their 2011 session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Over three-plus decades in education, State Rep. Mike Lair, R-Chillicothe, has seen his share of “pass the trash.”  ... Read more
Tenure doesn’t protect bad teachers, at least not in the St. Joseph School District, says Lindsey Minson.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Although already rare in Missouri, women seeking late-term abortions would face even more restrictions under legislation given final approval Thursday by state lawmakers.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Two nearly identical omnibus agriculture bills that aim to protect farmers have passed through the Missouri House, with only two days remaining in the legislative session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — St. Joseph residents are a step closer to deciding if they want to impose up to a half-cent sales tax to benefit city public safety departments.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers have given final approval to a bill allowing drug testing of welfare recipients if the state suspects they're using illegal drugs.  ... Read more
Five legislative days remain for Missouri lawmakers to push through major issues remaining on the calendar.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. Casey Guernsey. R-Bethany, got a nod Thursday for freeing up approximately $1 million in state funds.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Just ahead of today’s deadline, Missouri lawmakers on Thursday passed a $23 billion budget.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A 13-plus-hour stance against federal spending was worth the effort, said St. Joseph Sen. Dr. Rob Schaaf.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri's Republican-led Legislature voted Wednesday to override Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a congressional redistricting plan, allowing the new map to take effect despite objections from the Democratic governor.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Confident that his No. 1 legislative issue won’t be vetoed a second time, state Rep. Casey Guernsey’s Agriculture Business Committee is moving forward on a bill that seeks to protect farmers from repeated lawsuits.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed legislation Friday that would have changed the legal standard workers must meet when they file discrimination lawsuits against former employers.  ... Read more
Check the oil and air the tires. The backroads just got longer in representing Missouri’s 6th Congressional District.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri's Republican-led Legislature passed what it touted as a compromise plan to redraw the state's congressional districts Wednesday night, but some Democrats decried it as a partisan map and urged the governor to veto it.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House has approved additional changes to the state's dog breeding regulations in a deal with Gov. Jay Nixon to sign separate legislation repealing key parts of last year's voter-approved law.  ... Read more
Missouri House members passed a public safety bill Tuesday that would make it illegal for drivers of any age to text while operating a motor vehicle.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers trying to negotiate a compromise on how to redraw the state's congressional districts quit in frustration early Friday morning, as some left town for a long Easter weekend.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The state Senate has voted to trim the number of potential election days in Missouri.  ... Read more
Legislators in opposite chambers are having a tough time agreeing on the new congressional district map. But a piece of legislation passed in the Missouri Senate Thursday could lead to much more redistricting.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says officials are making progress toward completing an agreement on a dog-breeding law to make revisions embraced by the governor.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The state Senate has passed legislation requiring a comparative audit of Missouri's largest agencies in a search for cost-savings.  ... Read more
The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act (Prop B) could get a new name if Gov. Jay Nixon signs a bill approved by legislators.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A proposal to redraw Missouri's congressional map ran into opposition in the state Senate on Tuesday because of regional disputes.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers have given final approval to a bill renewing federally funded jobless payments for thousands of people who lost their benefits because of a protest against federal spending by several Republican state senators.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Senate has passed legislation extending federally funded jobless benefits to thousands of people who were cut off from payments earlier this month.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Breaking months of silence, Missouri's Democratic attorney general asserted Monday that Congress overstepped its constitutional powers when it mandated that most Americans have health insurance or pay a penalty.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Some Missouri lawmakers want graphic photos and videos from crime scenes to be exempt from the state's open records laws.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Several Missouri state senators who have been blocking a vote on extending federally funded jobless benefits say they will only relent if the governor agrees to the elimination of $300 million in federal stimulus spending.  ... Read more
Rep. Delus Johnson, R-St. Joseph, asked for “outside the box” thinking on how to deter funeral protestors in February as the Missouri House considered a bill putting restrictions on the practice. He got several responses that will allow for free speech — but at a price.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri Senate committee is preparing to consider a plan for developing new congressional districts.  ... Read more
St. Joseph’s four state legislative representatives met in a public forum Friday, outlining the issues in the first half of the 96th General Assembly.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer says he is looking for around $500 million of savings in the state budget over the next several years.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri House members have approved legislation expanding the state's concealed gun laws.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A man who described himself as a former member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Muslim Brotherhood said Wednesday that he supports a Missouri proposal to bar courts from considering international law or Sharia, which is the Islamic religious law.  ... Read more
The Missouri House of Representatives advanced a package of gun laws Wednesday after hours of debate.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Almost every legislature in the country is talking about cutting costs and services because of budget problems, but a few also are talking about downsizing themselves.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri House committee has approved a state budget that would hold funding steady for public K-12 schools while following Gov. Jay Nixon's proposal to cut aid for colleges and universities.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Two Missouri lawmakers are proposing measures aimed at barring courts in the state from applying laws from other countries and those based on Sharia, the Islamic religious law.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House gave preliminary approval Wednesday to legislation that would require driver's license tests to be administered only in English.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Law officers from around Missouri are encouraging legislators to require a doctor's prescription for certain cold medicines that can be used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Senate has endorsed legislation repealing many parts of a dog-breeding law passed by voters last November.  ... Read more
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. — Missouri’s 6th Congressional District needs a few good people.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri businesses would eventually no longer pay a state tax on their assets under legislation approved by the state House.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Teachers would no longer have tenure and student test scores would play a larger role in teacher evaluations under legislation considered Wednesday by a House committee.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri House members have endorsed legislation to offer amnesty to delinquent taxpayers.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House gave first-round approval Tuesday to new restrictions for protesting at funerals after the state's previous ban was ruled unconstitutional.  ... Read more
A Southern Missouri state representative and a St. Joseph state senator are introducing bills that would make K2 alternatives and Ivory Wave illegal.  ... Read more
The debate was more spirited than he expected, but Rep. Casey Guernsey’s controversial agriculture bill passed out of the state House of Representatives Thursday by a wide margin.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House is to begin debate soon on a plan to use $189 million of additional federal stimulus money for public schools.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A legislative panel this week heard a slew of firearms-related bills, ranging from taxes on ammunition to allowing people diagnosed with mental health issues to buy guns, to lowering the legal age for conceal-carry.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers touted legislation Monday that was designed to help prevent schoolchildren from being bullied.  ... Read more
ST. LOUIS — Several state lawmakers have been targeted by hackers who posted messages on at least two legislators' Facebook pages that they love getting free gifts from lobbyists.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers have rejected part of the rules developed by utility regulators for a renewable energy mandate.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri business owners and hourly workers voiced mixed opinions Wednesday about whether the state should change its minimum wage law.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri Senate committee has approved legislation that bars all drivers from texting while driving.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri House endorsed a bill Wednesday to conduct drug tests of welfare applicants if the state suspects that they are using illegal drugs.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri House committee is taking up a proposal to overturn a new dog-breeding law approved by state voters last year.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon is urging lawmakers to reinstate Missouri's limits on campaign donations, but Republican lawmakers are cool to the idea.  ... Read more
Taxes and jobs. A smattering of talk about energy, school consolidation, education, health care and then more about taxes and jobs.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Despite 7-plus inches of snowfall on Wednesday night, most of Mike Thomson’s higher education committee members (eight of 11) made it to their first committee meeting Thursday morning.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Advocates for Missouri programs and services that receive money from the state are defending their projects as lawmakers consider next year's budget.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri House leaders made a bipartisan pledge Monday to block Gov. Jay Nixon from billing state agencies for his airplane flights.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri Senate committee plans hearings around the state to gather suggestions about redrawing congressional districts.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A high-profile supporter of Missouri's new dog-breeding law is meeting with lawmakers to discourage them from repealing the voter-approved initiative.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri senator has outlined about $80 million of potential cuts in the public school formula as senators begin a review of cost-saving suggestions from the general public.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri legislators want to strengthen the economy with job growth and hope to effect some change in the 2011 legislative session.  ... Read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Northwest Missouri legislators joined their colleagues Wednesday for the opening session of the 96th General Assembly.  ... Read more
Three new legislators from Northwest Missouri will take office Wednesday as the 96th Missouri General Assembly convenes.  ... Read more

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