Chief justice says lawmaker tied court budget to judges’ endorsement of new plan to fill vacancies on the bench, which the lawmaker denies. But selection plan is unlikely to pass because Kansas Bar Association opposes it.
Missouri House members have passed the bill and the Senate seems receptive to the changes they made. But only three days remain in the 2013 legislative session, so time is running short. And the long wait to get it across the finish line has left some wondering whether passage will have any real impact in the Kansas City district.
A penny sales tax that would be dedicated to state and local transportation projects cleared the Missouri House on Tuesday, but it immediately ran into resistance in the Senate.
The House Agriculture Committee is set to consider small cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program in an effort to appease conservatives who say the food aid has become too expensive.
Gov. Sam Brownback has said the measure on Tuesday’s agenda in the Senate will fulfill the state’s commitment to fund part of the cost of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility at Kansas State University.
The Missouri Legislature is sending a bill to Gov. Jay Nixon that would make public employee unions ask their members each year if they want to continue being members.
Missouri lawmakers hope the third time will be the charm in their quest to reinstate local taxes on cars, trucks and boats purchased from out-of-state dealers or in private transactions.
Legislators who believe the Kansas Senate should have the power to confirm appellate court judges, including Supreme Court justices, have a new plan they hope will get approved before lawmakers adjourn this year.
John Moretina, an uncle of Missouri Rep. John Joseph Rizzo, admitted in federal court that he claimed a false address before the 2010 primary and voted in a district where he should not have. Rizzo won the Democratic nomination by a single vote.
A measure that would significantly change how unions representing Missouri's public employees can collect and spend members' fees was sent to the governor Monday.
Jackson County is sending 18,000 letters to households where recent valuations may not be accurate, and those properties will get extra scrutiny. Taxpayers also can call the county for an informal review and formally challenge their valuations with the Board of Equalization.
Missouri lawmakers have given final approval to legislation that would require doctors to be present for the initial dose of an abortion-inducing drug.
Gov. Sam Brownback wouldn't predict when party leaders might agree on a plan to cut income taxes further. The Republican governor on Monday declined to discuss the details of what's under consideration in his talks with Senate President Susan Wagle and House Speaker Ray Merrick. Brownback has proposed canceling a decrease in the sales tax scheduled in July.
Missouri lawmakers have approved legislation allowing veterans to qualify for lower, in-state tuition rates at public universities immediately after leaving the military.
Turns out that cutting was the easy part. Now Republicans who control a majority of the state capitols in the United States face a far greater philosophical dilemma – what to do with all the money when an improving economy suddenly creates a surplus in revenues? Save it? Refund it though tax cuts? Or spend it?
The budget passed last week by the Legislature would make about $20 million of funding for the First Steps program contingent on repealing a tax break for low-income seniors and disabled people who live in rental housing.
Monday was the 80th day of the session, and Republican leaders of the GOP-dominated Legislature didn’t expect an agreement on tax cuts and a state budget until later in the week.