May 19, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
The regular session of the 2021 Missouri legislature has now concluded and is in the books. Last week, I highlighted a few of the high profile bills. Here’s how they turned out. The gas tax increase passed in SB 262. Gas will go up 2½ cents per year for the next...
May 19, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
America’s police officers deserve our respect and admiration. Every day, law enforcement professionals lace up their boots and don the badge knowing this day could be their last. They know that just one call gone wrong or one split second of decision during a traffic...
May 19, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
The 2021 legislative session is now in the history books. The 19 weeks that make up the regular session each year seem to fly by more quickly as each year goes by. By the same token, the issues lawmakers tackle can also seem to be more complex with each year. First...
May 12, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
As is said so often, the Missouri General Assembly has one constitutionally mandated job: create a balanced budget each year. This year, like most, presented a unique challenge. Fortunately, it was not the same type of challenge as last year. The Fiscal Year 2022...
May 12, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
Eighteen weeks of legislative work will come down to one final hectic week, as it always does, this year from May 10-14. Many big issues (and a bunch of little ones) have yet to pass and hang in the balance. Here are a few of them. Gas Tax: A couple years ago, a gas...
May 12, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
BY WILL MORRIS MISSOURI NEWS NETWORK JEFFERSON CITY — A new Missouri Senate bill that was heard in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee today would allow school districts to start offering social studies courses on the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old...
May 5, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
President Biden finally addressed a Joint Session of Congress this week. While we can sit here and debate what the President could’ve said and what he should’ve said all day, it isn’t going to change what he did say. And, it isn’t going to...
May 5, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
Members of the Missouri House took action this week to protect vulnerable Missourians from predatory callers who hid their identities. The bill House Bill 242 would establish the “Caller ID Anti-Spoofing Act.” Spoofing is when a caller deliberately...
May 5, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
One of the fascinating issues for the 2021 legislative session has been the idea of a tax increase. You would think such an idea would be dead on arrival in a Republican-controlled legislature. But the issue is far more complicated. Essentially, it’s a proposal...
May 5, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
In 1937, after a series of rulings undercutting his New Deal legislation, President Franklin Roosevelt proposed expanding the Supreme Court to as many as 15 justices. His attempt to use brute political force to seize control of the Supreme Court was – and still is –...
Apr 28, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
On April 22, the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the 13 bills that comprise the state operating budget for the 2022 fiscal year. Next, this blueprint will move to the full Senate for discussion. After the Senate’s version of the budget...
Apr 28, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
America used to be a country of doers. We built the roads, bridges, and the entire interstate highway system. Now, instead of building, we’re busy digging through endless piles of paperwork. A complex highway project takes an average of seven years to go through the...
Apr 28, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
Entrepreneurship is one of the keys to a well-functioning society. Brave individuals or willing to put out their shingle to open or expand a business can create jobs and prosperity in our state. But sometimes, the financial risk appears too great for the possible...
Apr 28, 2021 | Legislation
By Kelly Dereuck Missouri News Network A bill to require out-of-state retailers to pay sales tax on online purchases passed the House Ways and Means Committee on April 21. If passed, Missouri would be the last state to tax out-of-state businesses selling online...
Apr 28, 2021 | Legislation
By Lianna Kowalke, Missouri News Network Lawmakers largely agreed upon the idea of requiring public schools to allow homeschooled students to participate in extracurriculars during a debate April 20. The division occurred with the part of the proposal that would take...
Apr 28, 2021 | Legislation
By Caitlin R. King Missouri News Network A bill that would prevent construction of the Grain Belt Express was debated by the Committee for Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment on April 21. Sponsored by Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb), Senate...
Apr 21, 2021 | Legislation
A bill that aims to add Missouri to the list of states that allow public school open enrollment was heard in a Senate committee after narrowly passing through the House. House Bill 543, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt (R-Sedalia) would allow students to attend public...
Apr 21, 2021 | Legislation
A general disdain for “falling back” has Missouri lawmakers pushing to establish permanent daylight saving time. Missouri is one of 28 states considering such legislation. Fifteen other states have enacted legislation or passed resolutions to allow for year-round...
Apr 21, 2021 | Legislation
As long as I have been in the Missouri Legislature, it has been my consistent goal to improve our state’s business climate. Fortunately, over the past several years, I believe we have enacted several new laws that make the Show-Me State more attractive in the eyes of...
Apr 21, 2021 | Legislation
On Sept. 17, 1787, delegates left the Constitutional Convention in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. As they exited, Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government do we have? “A Republic,” he replied, “if you can keep it.” For months,...
