MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
The day after stories were published that other states were discussing a nationwide settlement with the tobacco industry, Missouri's attorney general refused to discuss the matter.
Attorney General Jay Nixon was asked his views at a news conference had scheduled on legislation concerning crime victims. Missouri has not joined with several other states that have sued tobacco companies for health costs arising from smoking.
Meanwhile, legislators expressed differing opinions as to whether Missouri should support a tobacco industry settlement that would protect tobacco industry from future lawsuits.
See our newspaper story and our radio story for further details.
Missouri lawmakers dealt with several of the major issues on its last work day of the week.
By an overwhemling vote, the Senate passed and sent to the House legislation to ban partial-birth abortion.
The Senate also passed to the House a bill to legalize production of industrial hemp.
The House approved legislation to require that health insurance plans include coverage for breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy.
Defeated by the House was a bill strongly pushed by some consumer groups that would have restricted hidden fees for transactions at ATM -- automatic teller machines.
For more information on these issues, see:
For yet another day, the Senate has been unable to vote on a measure designed to continue extra funding to St. Louis and Kansas City schools after court ordered desegregation comes to an end.
At the conclusion of Wednesday's debate, the bill sponsor warned the Senate's inaction may be sending a message to negotiators trying to reach a settlement to end the federal court intervention in St. Louis schools.
Supporters say there would be a catastrophy if there were a sudden end to the extra funds the courts have ordered for St. Louis schools.
But some rural and suburban lawmakers say giving extra money for some students but not others is unfair.
See our newspaper story for further details.
The House Budget Committee has approved a resolution for the legislature to take over the governor's office.
Approved by the committee is a resolution making the entire Capitol building a legislative facility.
Currently, the governor and several other state officials have their central offices in the building.
State law, however, gives the legislature power to sieze any area of the building it desires, if both the House and Senate agree.
And, if the Budget Committee's resolution is approved, the governor would have no authority to veto the resolution. He'd just have to find some other place to locate his office.
See our package of radio stories with digital audio for details.
Also see our newspaper story.
The House passed legislation designed to toughen both the enforcement and penalties for handicapped parking spaces.
For more details, see:
The first independent of Missouri's House in many decades took his seat Monday.
Although he had ties to Democratic party, Denny Merideth ran as an independent to fill the unexpired term for the Carthurthersville House seat.
Merideth indicated he intended to maintain his "independence," not being formally affiliated with either party caucus.
See our radio story for further details.
Just days after the Senate voted to authorize the Social Services Department to test welfare recipients for drug use, a department official questioned whether the department would actual exercise that power.
The drug-testing provision was included in the welfare-reform bill that passed the Senate. In addition to testing, the measure also gives the department power to revoke or reduce welfare benefits to anyone convicted of a drug crime.
See our newspaper story for further details.
The Missouri River crested just outside the state Capitol Monday without incident.
The river rose about one half-foot lower and earlier than had been predicted.
Some state parking spots were flooded, but no major damage was reported.
The House passed and sent to the Senate a measure to require phone companies to provide some sort of way to access live operators.
The bill is similar to a measure approved earlier by the Senate.
While phone companies provide live operators now, bill supporters say they fear that with evolving telecommunications technology, live operators may not be available in the future.
If interested, take a look at the House roll-call vote.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee reported to the full Senate a House-passed bill to cut the sales tax on groceries -- but not before adding a couple of other tax cut ideas onto the package.
The most expensive of the committee add-ons is an income tax exemption for the first $6,000 of private pensions. Currently, the first $6,000 of government pensions are exempt from the state income tax.
See our newspaper story for further details.