The Missouri House chamber during debate on March 12, 2023 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). The Missouri gave initial approval this week to a bill that could protect pesticide manufacturers from some cancer lawsuits. The debate on the House floor wasn’t split along party lines however, as several Republicans cautioned against the risk of cancers caused by pesticides. Legislation sponsored by Rep. Dane Diehl, a Republican from Butler, would protect pesticide manufacturers from claims that they failed to warn consumers of possible cancer risks in their products as long as the federal ..read more

Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks with reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom). WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats on Thursday began coalescing behind Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to provide assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan through a series of three bills, though far-right members of his own party grew increasingly frustrated with the Louisianan’s bipartisan streak. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading an effort to remove Johnson as speaker, told reporters that Johnson is mane ..read more

A sign across from the proposed landfill in south Kansas City implores drivers to help stop the project from moving forward. (Allison Kite/Missouri Independent) Legislation pivotal to killing a proposed landfill project in south Kansas City took a huge step forward this week in the Missouri Senate and is now just one step away from the governor’s desk.  Missouri senators passed the legislation, which would prohibit a landfill from being built in Kansas City within a mile of its borders unless any adjacent municipalities approved the project, by a vote of 24-7 Wednesday night.  The S ..read more

Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, answers questions about his bill that would expand MOScholars during a press conference early in the 2024 legislative session (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). A massive education bill that expands a private school scholarship program and opens up Boone County to charter schools squeaked out of the Missouri House and to the governor’s desk on Thursday, winning the bare minimum number of votes needed for passage.  The 153-page bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Andrew Koenig of Manchester, is estimated to cost taxpayers $468 million when full ..read more

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, right, and Democrat Lucas Kunce (phots by Drew Angerer/Getty Images and Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent). With one seat in Congress up for grabs, an incumbent facing a serious challenge and a former publisher and media personality taking on a long-time officeholder, this year’s federal elections in Missouri promise an interesting summer and fall. Add to that  the U.S. Senate race, where both likely fall contenders have more money already than almost every other candidate running statewide.  In the 3rd Congressional District, where Republican incumbent U.S ..read more

(Chris McGrath/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — U.S. House members tasked with addressing what happens to loads of user data collected by big tech companies see a “long overdue” opportunity for a national privacy standard, particularly for children and teens. Lawmakers on a subpanel of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce met Wednesday to hear from advocates and online safety experts on a series of data privacy bills that are drawing rare bipartisan and bicameral support. The 10 bills discussed by six witnesses and members of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce wo ..read more

People wait for the chance at securing housing in small trailers for $10 a night on August 5, 2021 in Springfield, Missouri (Spencer Platt/Getty Images). On April 22, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that could radically change how cities respond to the growing problem of homelessness. It also could significantly worsen the nation’s racial justice gap. City of Grants Pass v. Johnson began when a small city in Oregon with just one homeless shelter began enforcing a local anti-camping law against people sleeping in public using a blanket or any other rudimentary protection against the e ..read more

Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, answers questions about his bill that would expand K-12 tax-credit scholarships during a committee meeting on Jan. 20 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). The Missouri Senate voted Wednesday night to ensure homeschool families are allowed to own firearms. On a 27-4 vote, lawmakers approved legislation that originally was focused on cleaning up issues with Missouri’s virtual school program.  But over the course of a five-hour recess in the Senate Wednesday, Republicans turned that legislation into a catch-all measure aimed at ensuring the House approv ..read more

U.S. senators being sworn in for the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on April 17, 2024 (Official U.S. Senate photo by Daniel Rios). WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday dismissed two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted, 51-49 along party lines, to adjourn the impeachment trial after finding that the impeachment articles accusing Mayorkas of not complying with federal immigration law and breaching the public trust did not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors a ..read more

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana, center, listens as Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, left, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 16, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Also pictured is House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, right (Win McNamee/Getty Images). WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans unveiled three bills Wednesday that would provide $95 billion overall in assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, instead of voting on a similar bipartisan Senate-approved package that’s been waiting around for months. The Ukraine bill would provide $60.84 bil ..read more