Apr 21, 2021 | Legislation
To use a football term, with four weeks left in this session, we are in the fourth quarter and set for an exciting finish. So far, 120 of the 1,558 House bills that have been filed have made their way to the floor for debate. Three of those bills have been passed by...
Apr 21, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
The Missouri House refusal to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion reminds me of a long Missouri legislative tactic of “kicking the can down the road” involving state funding for Medicaid. The Federal Medicaid program requires a state to provide matching...
Apr 14, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
We are coming down to the final weeks of the 2021 legislative session, and some of the most important work is still to come. By law, the Missouri General Assembly has only one job, which is to craft the state’s operating budget each year. The budget always starts in...
Apr 14, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
“Shall not be infringed” is a critical phrase in the 2nd Amendment. Our right to keep and bear arms is one held dear across North Missouri. Hunting, target shooting, and most importantly, self-defense, are just a few of the reasons why. When President Biden ran for...
Apr 14, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
Last year, the federal government passed the CARES Act as a reaction to the Covid outbreak. One component of the CARES Act was to mail out checks to millions of Americans to try to make up for a loss of income and spur spending that might help businesses. These...
Apr 9, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
Several years ago, I walked into a fellow legislator’s office to ask her a question, and on her desk I saw a four-feet tall stack of about 20-30 books. When I asked what the books were for, she said, “I’m on the Budget Committee, and that’s the budget.” There is...
Apr 9, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
The debate about changing U.S. Senate filibuster rules demonstrates how different that chamber is from Missouri’s Senate. Missouri Senate rules make it more difficult to kill a bill by a filibuster. Unlike the U.S. Senate, a filibustering Missouri senator must...
Apr 9, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
On March 29, 1973, the last US combat troops left Vietnam, ending eight years of direct intervention in the war and decades of American involvement in the conflict. All told, the conflict cost more than 58,000 American lives, and tens of thousands more returned home...
Mar 31, 2021 | Legislation, Opinion
By Taylor Freeman, Missouri News Network Missouri lawmakers are considering a bill that would overturn a voter-approved minimum wage increase plan after only its third year in action. The Special Committee on Small Business has heard House Bill 726. The bill proposes...
Mar 31, 2021 | Legislation
As we begin the second half of the 2021 legislative session, my colleagues and I approved important legislation this week designed to move our state forward. This was an incredibly tall order and was only made possible thanks to a lot of people getting together and...
Oct 23, 2019 | Legislation, Opinion
In the past, it’s been easy for folks in rural America to feel like they’ve been written off, left behind, and forgottenespecially when it comes to our infrastructure. Weight limited roads, one lane bridges, deteriorating shouldersthe list goes on. Finding the means...
Oct 31, 2018 | City/Local Government, Legislation
Next Tuesday’s election ballot puts numerous decisions before those eligible to vote in Daviess County. According to the county clerk’s office, there are 5,325 people registered to vote. Historically, a mid-term election attracts a 35% to 40% turnout but...
Aug 22, 2018 | City/Local Government, Legislation
Governor Mike Parson recently signed legislation to modify age requirements for marriage licenses in Missouri that will take effect on August 28. Senate Bill 655, which was passed by the Missouri Legislature and signed into law, prohibits marriage licenses from being...
Feb 14, 2018 | Legislation
by State Rep. J. Eggleston The House side of the Missouri legislature has been very busy moving bills to improve the lives of Missourians and our communities through the lawmaking process. Several that have passed the House have been about education, and one about...
Mar 15, 2017 | Legislation, Opinion
by Phill Brooks This March, Missouri lost one of the most effective state senators I’ve seen, and one of the most complex, fascinating and dedicated. He was John Schneider, a St. Louis County Democrat, who died on March 2 at the age of 80. Until voter-approved...
Mar 15, 2017 | Legislation, Opinion
by State Rep. J. Eggleston The federal minimum wage is currently at $7.25 per hour. Our Missouri minimum wage is adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index, and now stands at $7.70 per hour. This week, the House dealt with a minimum wage issue not regarding the amount...
Mar 8, 2017 | Legislation, Opinion
by State Rep. J. Eggleston One of the issues that has come up at the capitol in the last two sessions is Real ID. This specifically involves the federal government’s threat to not allow Missourians on airplanes or military bases unless we change our system of issuing...
Mar 8, 2017 | Legislation, Opinion
by Phill Brooks As legislators begin the arduous task crafting next fiscal year’s multi-billion dollar budget for state government, they are facing an historic challenge. Revenue shortfalls have forced the governor to propose some of the deepest spending cuts I...
Mar 1, 2017 | Legislation, Opinion
by State Rep. J. Eggleston When someone is laid off or fired from a job, it is possible they may be able to collect unemployment money from the government. The government collects that money from Missouri businesses, primarily the former employers of those who are now...
Mar 1, 2017 | Legislation, Opinion
U.S. Representative Sam Graves issued the following statement after President Trump took a step towards permanently eliminating the Obama Administration’s Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule. Trump instructed federal authorities to review and work towards repealing WOTUS,...
