Missouri Politics Archives

Parson says funding restrictions will be necessary if Medicaid tax isn’t reauthorized

June 21, 2021 4:05 PM ABC 17 News Team

Parson’s office said in an advisory sent Monday that the event will focus on the federal reimbursement allowance that helps fund Medicaid.

Decision expected later this week on Medicaid expansion lawsuit

June 21, 2021 12:19 PM Matthew Sanders

The lawsuit, filed last month by three people who would be eligible for coverage under expansion, seeks to force the state to enroll the newly eligible in Medicaid despite the legislature not appropriating money for expansion and the governor withdrawing plans to open up Medicaid rolls to more people.

Missouri risks Medicaid funding over contraceptive fight

June 17, 2021 11:27 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is at risk of losing $4.5 billion in tax revenue and federal funding for Medicaid health insurance. At issue is an effort by some Republican lawmakers to stop Medicaid coverage for some contraceptives. They want to attach the ban to a tax that provides a significant chunk of Medicaid

Missouri responds defiantly to Justice Dept. over gun law

June 17, 2021 5:03 PM Associated Press

Missouri’s Republican governor and attorney general have told the U.S. Department of Justice that they stand by the state’s new law that would ban police from enforcing federal gun rules.

St. Louis gun-waving couple pleads guilty to misdemeanors

June 17, 2021 2:07 PM Matthew Sanders

A St. Louis couple who gained notoriety for pointing guns at social justice demonstrators last year have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Justice Dept.: Missouri governor can’t void federal gun laws

June 16, 2021 9:30 PM Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is warning Missouri officials that the state can’t ignore federal law, after the governor signed a bill last week that bans police from enforcing federal gun rules. A top Justice Department official sent a letter Wednesday night saying the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution outweighs the measure that

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Did some health officials go too far with orders?

June 16, 2021 2:10 AM ABC 17 News Team

Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill into law Tuesday that places limits on local health officials’ ability to issue extended orders such as those seen in the coronavirus pandemic.

The city of Sturgeon to use grant to tear down homes due to asbestos

June 15, 2021 8:44 PM Karl Wehmhoener

STURGEON, Mo. (KMIZ) The city of Sturgeon was awarded $128,643 from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The money is going towards the demolition of nine homes. The homes are being torn down due to environmental concerns saying they have asbestos. The project will also include verifying ownership of each property and conducting environmental assessments.

Parson says new law limiting health order power was ‘consequence’ of coronavirus pandemic overreach

June 15, 2021 4:11 AM Ben Fein

Gov. Mike Parson said a new law limiting local health authorities’ powers to enact orders is needed after some overstepped their bounds during the coronavirus pandemic.

Former state senator to seek 4th District congressional seat

June 15, 2021 10:48 AM Associated Press

A former state lawmaker is the first candidate to announce a run for the U.S. House seat that will become open with Rep. Vicky Hartzler’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate.

Schmitt closes Sunshine complaint against Missouri governor

June 14, 2021 3:03 PM Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s attorney general has closed an open-records complaint filed against Gov. Mike Parson. Records provided to The Associated Press show Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s office last week closed the complaint filed by a Missouri news outlet. A Missouri Independent reporter had asked Schmitt’s office to investigate after Parson’s office refused to

Missouri to end all federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits Saturday

June 11, 2021 4:16 AM Meghan Drakas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Starting tomorrow, the state is set to end all federal pandemic-related unemployment benefits. Missouri is among the first states to end pandemic-related programs for people who are out of work. At least 24 states led by Republican governors have decided to end pandemic-related unemployment benefits early for residents. The federal program, which

Missouri GOP Rep. Hartzler officially joins Senate race

June 10, 2021 11:27 AM Associated Press

Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who represents a very conservative and mostly rural area of central and western Missouri in Congress, has officially entered the state’s crowded Senate race.

Woman: Missouri lawmaker told her to deny allegations

June 10, 2021 3:48 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A woman says a former Missouri police officer campaigning for a state House seat last year repeatedly told her to deny that they had sex years ago while she was drunk and he was on duty. Emily Orf spoke to The Associated Press about her interactions with now-Rep. Chad Perkins.

Missouri Department of Natural Resources director dies

June 9, 2021 5:17 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Carol S. Comer has died. According to the Associated Press, officials did not release a cause of death but Comer announced in July 2019 that she was undergoing chemotherapy to fight cancer. Comer was named director in Jan. 2017 by former Gov. Greitens. The Department

Federal appeals court blocks sweeping Missouri abortion law

June 9, 2021 11:21 AM Associated Press

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis handed down the ruling Wednesday.

WATCH: Governor signs prescription drug monitoring bill

June 7, 2021 4:39 PM ABC 17 News Team

Missouri will end its status as the only state without a prescription drug monitoring program once the bill becomes law.

Missouri’s Democratic state auditor won’t seek reelection

June 4, 2021 4:20 PM Associated Press

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway, the only statewide Democratic officeholder, won’t seek reelection in 2022. Galloway announced her decision Friday on Twitter. She called serving as state auditor “the honor of my life,” but wrote that she is ready “for the next chapter of service and life with my family.” Galloway was

Gov. Parson announces 15 appointments to boards and commissions

June 3, 2021 6:26 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced 15 appointments to various boards and commissions. Six of the appointments are either from the Mid-Missouri area or to a Mid-Missouri institution. Spencer Bartlett, of Jefferson City, was appointed to the Administrative Hearing Commission.Kristina Bernskoetter, of Jefferson City, was appointed to the Children’s Trust Fund Board.Eric

U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler at women in agriculture event

Hartzler announcement next week on potential US Senate bid

June 3, 2021 2:57 PM Associated Press

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a western Missouri Republican and a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, may be on the verge of joining the growing field of candidates for U.S. Senate in 2022. Hartzler said Thursday she’ll make an announcement June 10 at Frontier Justice, a firearms store and shooting