Think twice before you grab that margarine from the store shelf -- you're purchasing an illegal substance.

Due to several provisions passed starting in the late 1800s, the sale of certain types of imitation butter were banned from being sold in Missouri stores.

But anyone who has been to the grocery store this century knows these laws have been all but ignored as tubs of Brummel & Brown, Fleischmann's, and Country Crock glisten under florescent lights.

Now, for the second year in a row, Rep. Sara Lampe, R-Springfield, is introducing a bill to repeal the previous legislation, saying it is out of date, written at a time when Missouri's dairy industry felt threatened by the substitute.

Lampe said the inspiration for the bill came after sending out a letter to constituents asking what type of laws they wanted to see.

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With federal health care legislation lingering in Washington, there have been multiple bills pre-filed for the 2010 Missouri legislative session dealing with health care.

Among them is a bill that would allow small businesses to join the same health insurance pool as state and local government workers -- the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan.

Missouri Consolidated provides health care to more than 107,000 state and local government employees. The idea to add various group to the plan has been proposed in years past, but bill sponsor Rep. Sam Komo, D-House Springs, said with the national health care bill in limbo, there's no point in waiting around.

"Until the president has something on his desk, we don't know if we're going to have a bill or what would be in that bill," Komo said. "We can't sit on our hands waiting for what they do."

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A state grounds crew mowed the Capitol lawn Monday, just a week before Christmas and even though there wasn't much grass to cut.

The work won't cost taxpayers much money - only the cost of putting gas in the lawnmowers, state facilities director Jeff Schaeperkoeter said. It's money well-spent to get the Capitol grounds in good shape before lawmakers and visitors return to the statehouse for the start of session in January, he said.

Schaeperkoeter said it was the last grass cutting of the year.

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The Missouri Gaming Commission staff recommends no discipline for former Pinnacle CEO Dan Lee.

However, he will have to pay for the investigation expenses, which totaled $16,800.

Lee was forced to quit Pinnacle after threatening a government official a month and a half ago.

More than 16,000 of the sickest and most uninsurable Missourians could be covered under the state health care pool if it wasn't for high insurance premiums, according to the pool's director.

Vernita Bridges-McMurtrey, executive director of Missouri Health Insurance Pool spoke before the Joint Committee on Tax Policy Tuesday. She said the premium level is set by statute and it is one of the highest premium thresholds in the country.

The premium level is determined yearly by averaging the premiums of the five largest carriers of individual health insurance in the state. By statute the premium must be between 125 percent and 200 percent of the rate charged by a private insurance company.

"We think it could be as many as 20,000 if people had full access to this program," Bridges-McMurtrey said.

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Missouri colleges and universities have been asked to address funding shortfalls for higher education by 2011.

"Revenues for fiscal year 2009 were 7 percent less than the previous year; about the same shortfall is predicted for 2010. Every negative percentage point means $73 million less is available for statewide needs, including public higher education" Robert Stein, Missouri's higher education commissioner said.

Gov. Jay Nixon spoke at Lake of the Ozarks to promote the passage of the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act.

The act would establish a state revenue stream that would help create and expand high-tech jobs - and all without raising taxes.

"This legislations constitutes a comprehensive new plan that would work to attract new investment from outside Missouri, create new companies inside Missouri, and incent our existing companies to expand here" Daniel Mehan, Missouri Chamber President said.

Lobbyist would not be allowed to pay for politicians trips, entertainment, and meals anymore.

Previous legislators have to wait 180 days before they can begin serving as a lobbyist.

Republican Senator Charlie Shields is also working on an ethics bill in the senate.

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In what has been called a glitch, the Department of Social Services has over reported the amount of Missourians receiving food stamps since 2002.

Since that time, Missouri has received over $14 million worth of bonuses from the federal government for giving food stamps to such a large part of the population.

In September, it was found that only 855,000 people were receiving food stamps as opposed to the 1.12 million people that were being reported, according to Department of Social Services spokesman Scott Rowson.

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Funeral services were held Monday for former Sen. Earl Blackwell (D-Jefferson County) who died the prior Thursday.

As Senate President Pro Tem in 1970, Black led the referendum proposal that over-turned legislative passage of an income tax increase pushed by Gov. Warren Hearnes.

Blackwell soon was ousted as pro tem of the Senate as Hearnes pushed the legislature to re-pass the tax hike -- the last time lawmakers have raised the income tax.

Blackwell became an outspoken critic of Hearnes as well as his fellow Democrats in the legislature who had bowed to the pressure from the governor to raise taxes.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced a $12 million grant for community colleges to train students in high-tech fields.

Speaking at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Nixon said that "to turn this economy around, more Missourians need access to training programs in high-tech, high-demand fields," according to a news release from his office.

The grants, which are part of a program Nixon's office is calling Training for Tomorrow, will be awarded on a competitive basis. Community colleges applying for the money will be required to:

• Outline specific actions to expand the capacity of high-demand programs

• Detail market demand for the programs

• Identify business and industry partners who can help with the programs design

• Link expansion of the programs to local economic-recovery efforts

• Show the expanded programs will create or add to specific local high-demand careers

• Draft a plan to implement the programs

Nixon was also planning on discussing the grants at a stop later in the day at Moberly Area Community College in Moberly.

Rep. Tim Flook, R-Liberty, and Rep. Jason Kander, D-Jackson County, announced they have filed a bipartisan bill that would strengthen existing ethics laws.

According to a news release, the bill would:

• Allow only candidate committees to receive donations from other committees
• Make the transfer of funds through political committees with the intention of hiding the money's original source a felony.
• Require all committees to file electronic disclosure reports that would be available for on-line searching
• Make existing "pay to play" laws clearer
• Require staff also involved in political activities to file financial disclosures
• Require consultants who are not currently covered by lobbing disclosure laws to register as "de facto lobbyist"
• Make the obstruction of an ethics committee investigation a felony
• Prohibit individuals from serving as the treasurer or deputy treasurer of multiple committees.

In a news conference, Flook said that the bill had the support of both House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, and Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Jackson County. Flook added later that Majority Leader Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, may wish to make a few changes to the bill and that it may be combined with other proposed ethics bills.

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Republican House Speaker Ron Richard's spokesperson says little time was spent discussing former Speaker Rod Jetton's recent assault allegations.

Instead, as planned, the Caucus spent time discussing plans for the approaching legislative session, which begins Jan. 6.

The caucus did discuss ethics for state lawmakers, according to Richard's spokesperson.

A bill filed for the 2010 legislative session would give Missourians the chance to vote on whether the state participates in federal health care reform.

State Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, the bill's sponsor, says many of her constituents are concerned about the national health care plan and want the freedom to choose their own health care.

But State Sen. Robin Wright-Jones, D-St. Louis, says Missouri needs to give the federal government a chance to reform the health care system.

The bill is a strong political move against the president, she said.

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The Missouri Roundtable for Life filed litigation against Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and State Auditor Susan Montee over the ballot summary of their most recent initiative.

The initiative would prevent the use of health care dollars on abortion and stem cell research.

The coalition says the wording was biased against the bill and would cause voters to vote against it.

Carnahan's office denies these claims, citing a similar lawsuit which was denied earlier in the summer.

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Springfield-based, not-for-profit Alternative Opportunities Inc. originally won the management contract bid, but failed to disclose its work with a for-profit corporation, according to the state's Revenue Department.

In effect, 10 motor vehicle and license offices across the state will have their management contracts re-bid.

Those include offices in Ava, Camdenton, Creve Coeur, Joplin, Nevada, Olivette, Poplar Bluff, Republic and Springfield.

Past governors used a patronage system to award fee offices, but Gov. Jay Nixon decided this year to bid them out.

"After studying the issue, we determined that re-bidding the offices was the right thing to do," Revenue Department director Alana Barragan-Scott said in a news release.

Scott said the new bidding system will ensure accountability and enable the Revenue Department to deal with problems fairly.

The Missouri Capitol Police announced it received accreditation recognition from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies on Tuesday.

The accreditation comes after a three-year process of an "agency-wide self-evaluation, an exacting outside review by an independent assessor and an examination of Capitol Police standards and practices by a (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement) panel of law enforcement professionals," according to a release by the Public Safety Department.

This recognition will last for three years and will be reviewed again in November 2012 when the Capitol Police will be eligible for full law enforcement accreditation status.

Missouri Capitol Police Chief Todd Hurt called the accreditation recognition "a great step for Capitol Police."

To get the recognition, the department had to review their current practices and procedures and add ones they didn't have.

Over the next three years the department must go through the total 100 standards and fulfill what is needed to order to get full accreditation, Hurt said. 

Gov. Jay Nixon announced the details of a new bill that would overhaul the way driving while intoxicated offenses are handled.

Nixon presented the bill as part of a three stop tour through the state. Beginning in Hannibal, Nixon also made stops in St. Louis County and Cape Girardeau County.

Among the legislative steps proposed in the bill are:

• Requiring offenders with a blood-alcohol level of .15 and above, as well as those who decline to submit to a blood-alcohol test, to be tried in state as opposed to municipal courts;

• Making it a crime to refuse to submit to a blood-alcohol test. Currently, the penalty for refusal to submit to the test is a one-year administrative suspension of a driver's license, said Scott Holste, a spokesman for the governor. This new legislation would change the administrative suspension to a criminal penalty;

• Requiring first offenders with a blood-alcohol level of .15 and those who refuse to submit to a test to install an interlock device. Current law only requires these devices for repeat offenders;

• Requiring all DWI information to be entered into the State Highway Patrol's Driving While Intoxicated System; and

• Prohibiting defendants from withdrawing guilty pleas when reaching the end of a probation period under a suspended imposition of sentence.

The new DWI legislation will be sponsored by Rep. Brian Stevenson, R-Joplin, and Rep. Rachel Bringer, D-Palmyra. While it has not yet been filed, Holste said he expects the legislation to be filed very soon.

This legislation follows a summit on DWI enforcement on Nov. 4 that was prompted by a series of stories in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch detailing problems with DWI enforcement, especially in the St. Louis area.

The attorneys general of Ohio and Connecticut have sued three of the largest credit rating agencies on behalf of their state employees' pension funds. Chris Rackers, manager of investment policy and communication for MOSERS, the state employees' pension fund, said the fund is not considering asking Missouri's Attorney General Chris Koster to do the same.

The lawsuits from Ohio and Connecticut focus on ratings for investments that involved mortgage-backed securities. Rackers said MOSERS held investments in mortgage-backed securities, these investments came from external managers. The external managers, she said, have told the firm that their investment decisions were made independent of credit rating agencies, instead using their own internal "underwriting for risk and stress testing."

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During the Senate Appropriation Committee's hearing, several people gave testimonies to receive state funding.

Among those requesting funding were economic development centers.

Sen. Tim Green, D-St. Louis County, said he would like to see results from economic developments centers before they receive more state funding.

Center for Emerging Technologies spokesman Jim Farrell said the company helped create 35 new businesses this year.

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According to the Cole County sheriff, former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton turned himself in at 11:53 p.m. on Dec. 7 and was released about a half hour later.

He was released after a bail bondsman posted $2,500 dollars bail.

An e-mail from Jetton's attorney released on the afternoon of Dec. 8 said Jetton was dissolving his political consulting firm and leaving politics to be with his family. Jetton has advised several Republicans since leaving office a year ago.

Sen. Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, a former client of Jetton's, said that he has not used Jetton's services since January of 2009, and tried to get his name off Jetton's client list.

Calls to previous clients of Jetton's and politicians he worked with were not immediately returned.

Jetton's current and past clients included Sens. Jason Crowell, Rob Mayer and Luann Ridgeway, House Majority Leader Steven Tilley and Majority Whip Brian Nieves, as well as Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

Jetton has not yet been arraigned. The Scott County circuit clerk's office said it is waiting for the return of service back on the warrant, at which time it will schedule a court date.

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Sen. Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, was listed as a recent client of the Rod Jetton & Associates political consulting firm before the Web site was taken down sometime Tuesday.

Mayer says he hasn't used Jetton's services since January and even asked the former speaker numerous times to remove his name from the Web site.

After being charged with assault, Jetton turned himself in to the Cole County Sheriff's Office late Monday night and was released on bond early Tuesday morning.

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All state departments want for Christmas is to keep funding at current levels.

Facing revenue collections that are expected to decrease close to $1 billion compared with fiscal year 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday to hear testimony on funding for state departments. While most of those who testified acknowledged the state's dire financial situation, they also asked the committee to keep their funding at current levels.

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One Missouri state representative has sponsored legislation that would give voters a choice when it comes to the national health care bill.

Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, has sponsored legislation that would allow voters to effectively put a halt on the national health care legislation. Davis said her intent was to give voters a way to protect themselves.

"We (Missourians) don't like it when people try to take away our freedom. We will maintain the right to purchase health care however we chose," Davis said. "This national health care debate is not about health care as much as it is about redistribution of the wealth. This resolution allows voters to say don't redistribute our wealth here in Missouri. We have the ability to make choices, and we want to preserve that."

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An immediate arrest warrant has been filed in southeast Missouri for former House speaker Rod Jetton for second-degree felony assault.

According to the alleged victim, Jetton hit and choked her at her home Nov. 15. Jetton and the alleged victim were drinking wine and watching football after agreeing earlier in the day to have sex, according to the probable cause statement. The woman told police she and Jetton had never previously dated or been in a relationship.

The woman told police she drank a glass of wine Jetton had poured for her, then began losing consciousness. When she awoke, Jetton was hitting her "very hard," according to the probable cause statement. She said after drifting in and out of consciousness again, she awoke to Jetton choking her and having sex with her.

The statement says photographs of the bruises were taken.

Jetton, who is recently divorced, runs a political consulting business in Jefferson City. He was seen in Jefferson City just hours before news of his arrest warrant was issued. A call to Jetton's cell phone was not immediately returned.

Several high profile Missouri politicians are listed as clients of Jetton's consulting firm, including Majority Floor Leader Steven Tilley and Majority Whip Brian Nieves.

Eric Brooks, Vice President of Rod Jetton & Associates, said he did not know Jetton's whereabouts or how to contact him. 

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Gov. Jay Nixon, joined by legislative supporters, traveled across the state Thursday to announce support for legislation that would require health insurance cover treatment of autism up to $72,000 per year.

Nixon argued it was not fair to deny coverage to parents. But Missouri Insurance Coalition spokesman Calvin Call said the autism bill would cause a three percent increase to insurance policy holders across the board.

Republican Senator Delbert Scott had another problem with the proposal.

Scott said to eliminate his concerns with the bill there would need to be a certified training program to provide equal and competent service across the state.

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The Sierra Club says that donation could make prosecuting make it harder for Koster to enforce possible litigation of Premium Standards Foods.

Sierra Club's Ken Midkiff says it's unethical to accept money from an entity that the attorney general could possibly be pursuing a case against.

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Captain Tammy Spicer with the Missouri National Guard says it will not send troops to Afghanistan "any time soon."

The MO National Guard has had a plan to replace a current team of troops sometime next year but that was in the works long before President Barack Obama decided to deploy more troops.

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Columbia Rep. Chris Kelly will lose his designated title as the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

Kelly will now serve on both the Budget and Judiciary committees but is relinquishing his responsibilities as the ranking Democrat -- a position charged with assisting and communicating with the Budget chair and coordinating among the caucus.

"The minority leader and I, I agree with him, that you can't do everything," Kelly said. "If I want to go to judiciary, I give up being a ranking member on budget. It doesn't change anything for me, and it's at my request."

Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Jackson County, has designated Rep. Sara Lampe, D-Springfield, as the new ranking Democrat. She has served on the committee for two years.

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In preparation for the Congressional redistricting required following the 2010 Census, President Pro Tem Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, announced the members of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting.

The General Assembly is responsible for redrawing Missouri's 34 Senate districts and 163 House districts before the end of 2011 for the following year's Congressional elections.

Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles County, is to be the chairman of the committee. Senate Minority Leader Victor Callahan, D-Jackson County, will be th