Tagged: Missouri House

The Missouri House has approved legislation barring the state Revenue Department from scanning the personal documents of drivers' license applicants into a state computer system.

The House passed the measure 118-40 on Tuesday. It now returns to the Senate.

The Revenue Department began scanning documents, such as birth certificates and concealed weapons permits, in December. Agency officials say it provides more security to licensing. But Republican lawmakers objected to the procedures and argue it is an invasion of privacy.

It appears that Democrats in the Missouri Senate have successfully stopped legislation that would have redefined what constitutes a maintenance project and exempted those being done on public property from the state's prevailing wage requirement.

The Missouri House has passed a $1.2 billion bonding initiative that would finance construction and repairs at public buildings across the state.

The House's 136-23 vote sends the measure to the Senate. But with only one week remaining in the legislative session, the proposed constitutional amendment appears unlikely to win final approval. If it did, the measure would go before voters in 2014.

Supporters cite a backlog of building needs at state facilities and note that low interest rates make this a good time to borrow money.

Missouri House and Senate budget negotiators have crafted a final version of next year's state budget.

The nearly $25 billion spending plan includes a $66 million increase for K-12 schools, and a $25 million hike for state universities and community colleges.  It still does not include the Medicaid expansion proposed by Governor Jay Nixon (D), which disappointed committee member and State Senator Kiki Curls (D, Kansas City).

A Missouri House committee has advanced a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at protecting gun rights.

The amendment approved on Tuesday would define the right to bear arms as "unalienable" and require the state to defend against any "infringement" of that right. It would also include defending one's "family" with a firearm as a guaranteed constitutional right.

Sponsoring Republican Sen. Kurt Schaefer, of Columbia, says the legislation would protect against proposed gun control laws at the state and federal level.

The Missouri General Assembly has sent Governor Jay Nixon (D) legislation that would provide a targeted roll back of the state's prevailing wage.