missouri legislature

The Missouri Senate has endorsed legislation that would require local elections authorities to phase out the use of some electronic voting machines. Under the bill, voters could only use electronic machines that produce a paper trail of marked votes. All other types of electronic voting machines currently in use for elections could still be used, but could not be replaced once they malfunction.

The legislation given first-round approval Monday also declares the paper ballot as the official ballot of Missouri elections. It needs one more Senate vote before moving to the House.

Missouri had expected to receive about $130 million this April under an annual settlement payment from tobacco companies.

Missouri's Capitol will be quieter this week as state lawmakers take a weeklong spring break.

The first half of Missouri's 2014 legislative session is over, and lawmakers have left Jefferson City for their annual spring break.

  A Missouri Senate committee has slashed the amount of money that’s to be used to keep Normandy schools open the rest of the school year.   

  Missouri residents and government agencies could not use drones to conduct surveillance without a warrant under legislation advanced by the state House.

The measure would also prevent journalists and other organizations from using drones to observe private property without an owner's consent. State universities could still use unmanned aircraft to conduct educational research.

The Missouri House has passed legislation to create tax incentives to lure wealthy high-tech investors to the Show-Me State.

Missouri lawmakers have given final approval to a bill limiting the ability of Missouri cities and counties to restrict cellphone towers.

Without one word of debate, the Missouri Senate Thursday passed legislation to nullify federal gun-control laws in Missouri.

  Missouri senators have given first-round approval to legislation that would reward the state's four-year institutions for good performance with more funding.

Under the measure endorsed Tuesday, public universities would establish performance criteria. The criteria would be used to determine how much extra money the institutions get during years the state can afford to increase college funding.

Missouri lawmakers appear to agree with Gov. Jay Nixon that public colleges and universities should get more money next year.

But some lawmakers want to put part of that money toward building improvements, instead of devoting it to operations as proposed by Nixon.

House Budget Committee Chairman Rick Stream says he wants to make use of a 2012 law that authorizes state money for college building projects that generate a 50 percent match through private donations.

Republican leaders in the Missouri House have scrapped the budget being proposed by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat. Instead they will use last year's budget bills as a starting point for crafting their fiscal year 2015 spending plan.

House Budget Chair Rick Stream, R-Kirkwood, says their budget bills contain none of the governor's spending proposals for the fiscal year (FY2015) that begins July 1.

Snow, bitter cold and high winds are not enough for a snow day at the Missouri Capitol.

Some cancer patients want Missouri legislators to make chemotherapy pills more affordable.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has swiftly attacked a state Senate panel’s action to approve a phased-in tax cut that he estimates will cost the state $1 billion a year when fully implemented.

Nixon called it a “fiscally irresponsible tax experiment.”

A bill to turn Missouri into a right-to-work state was the subject of a hearing in Jefferson City Monday.

As written, the so-called "Freedom to Work Act" (House Bill 1099) would bar workers from being required to "engage in or cease engaging in specified labor organization practices" as a condition for employment.  It's sponsored by State Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield.

The Missouri General Assembly's 2014 session is underway, and the first day sounded a lot like last year's session.

In his opening remarks, House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, laid out his agenda for this year's regular session: medical malpractice reform, making Missouri a right-to-work state, and cutting taxes.

As the Missouri General Assembly prepares to open on Wednesday for its five-month session, those involved – in and out of the state Capitol – say the big unknown about this year’s proceedings centers on one major question:

Will the session be about the past – the continued debates over Medicaid expansion and tax cuts? Or will it be controlled by new matters – notably, the unrest over student transfers from failed districts and the looming 2014 elections?

Updated at 12:30 a.m. on 1/4/14.

The nationwide chase for Boeing's 777X is over.

That's because Washington State machinists narrowly approved a contract on Friday to build the airplane near Seattle. It's a move that concludes Missouri's high-profile bid at landing a significant economic development opportunity for the St. Louis region.

A new lawsuit seeks to compel Governor Jay Nixon to call special elections to fill four vacant legislative seats.

The lawsuit filed Thursday in Cole County claims Nixon is shirking his duties by not setting special elections.

The 120th House District has been vacant since June, when Republican Representative Jason Smith of Salem won a special election to Congress.

A Missouri senator is proposing legislation that would require a 72-hour wait before an abortion.

The state currently has a 24-hour informed consent law. Republican David Sater of Cassville says extending that period would provide additional time for reflection. He said he hopes it would reduce the number of abortions.

The legislation has been proposed for the 2014 legislative session starting January 8th.

Opponents contend a longer waiting period would not decrease the number of abortions but simply cause them to happen later in pregnancy, which can increase risk.

Missouri lawmakers plan to make another attempt at cutting income taxes during their 2014 session.

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon vetoed an income tax cut bill passed earlier this year, and majority party Republicans were unable to override it.

House and Senate leaders say an income tax cut will be an early priority when lawmakers convene January 8th.

The opportunity was too good to pass up. 

When Boeing decided to move production of its 777X passenger plane out of Seattle, states across the country were eager to offer their services. Missouri's political and business leaders were no exception.  They simply couldn't miss out on the chance to cement thousands of high-paying jobs for decades to come.

A series of hearings by state lawmakers into Missouri's Medicaid system has begun.

A St. Louis lawmaker provided a couple of key votes to override vetoes of bills on which her son had recently been hired as a lobbyist.

From gun control to a controversial tax cut, this year's veto session in the Missouri Legislature was one to watch.

We had a live blog during all of the developments, which you can read through still below our summaries. Here are a few things to take away: