May 26, 2021 | Courthouse News, Opinion
Growing up on our farm near Eagleville, I never had a fleeting thought of becoming an attorney. I did not have any relatives who were lawyers, and, in fact, we did not even know any lawyers. My summers were spent picking up hay, building fence, and playing baseball....
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...
