Jason Hancock

Missouri’s local news is under pressure — and still essential • Missouri Independent In rapid succession this year, the Washington Post laid off half its newsroom, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution cut 15% of its staff and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced it would close in May. Wh...

Missouri’s local news is under pressure — and still essential missouriindependent.com/2026/03/02/m...

Community-driven pilot program seeks solution to child care scarcity, affordability crisis • Missouri Independent Child Care Works splits costs between employers, families and the state, drawing on yearslong community planning efforts.

78 of Missouri’s 114 counties are child care deserts, where there are more than three times as many children ages 5 and under as there are licensed child care slots. #moleg #mogov

Missouri cannabis regulators target rule-breakers, delays in ownership approval • Missouri Independent Draft rules for Missouri cannabis companies would impose a fine of up to $100,000, or license revocation, for violations.

Missouri cannabis regulators want more power to penalize bad actors in the marijuana industry, according to drafts of proposed rules released last week. #moleg #mogov

Proposal targeting Missouri initiatives lowers penalties for fraud, foreign donations • Missouri Independent A measure making it harder to pass Missouri initiatives actually cuts financial penalties for petition fraud.

While a judge is rewriting the ballot summary for a proposal to put new barriers in front of Missouri initiative campaigns, opponents are focusing on a new line of attack — the measure cuts financial penalties for accepting foreign contributions or committing petition fraud. #moleg #mogov

Federal prosecutors seek 2-year prison sentence for former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl • Missouri Independent Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl to two years in prison in his COVID fraud case.

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to sentence former Missouri House Speaker John Diehl to two years in prison in his federal COVID relief fraud case, arguing his admitted misuse of nearly $380,000 in pandemic aid “should merit a significant punishment.” #moleg #mogov

Missouri Senate committee debates whether to provide livestream video of proceedings • Missouri Independent The Missouri Senate is one of only two legislative chambers in the country that does not provide a video livestream of its proceedings.

The Missouri Senate is one of only two legislative chambers in the country that does not provide a video livestream of its proceedings.

A Senate committee debated a resolution Wednesday that would change that, though its prospects remain uncertain. #moleg #mogov

Emanuel Cleaver, four Republicans file for Missouri’s gerrymandered 5th District • Missouri Independent More than 350 candidates filed for Missouri's national and state races, including four Republicans vying to unseat U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was the first candidate to file for office Tuesday in Missouri, showing the 11-term Democratic incumbent will run for re-election despite uncertainty about the boundaries of the district he represents. #moleg #mogov

Missouri House passes supplemental spending bill that pushes state budget to $55 billion  • Missouri Independent The Missouri House passed a $3.15 billion supplemental budget bill that would push total appropriations for the year ending June 30 to $55 billion.

The Missouri House approved a $3B supplemental budget for the current fiscal year Monday night.

Hours earlier, the chair of the committee overseeing the health, mental health and social services dept. budgets told colleagues they need to come up w/$500M in cuts by noon tomorrow. #moleg #mogov

Bill to publish Missouri voter list online raises bipartisan privacy questions • Missouri Independent Missouri Senators raised privacy concerns during a hearing on a bill that would put personal information about registered voters on a state website.

Missouri Senators raised privacy concerns Monday during a hearing on a bill that would put personal information about every registered voter on a state website. #moleg #mogov

Cannabis and gambling scored wins in Missouri House, but scrutiny still shadows both • Missouri Independent Cannabis and gambling interests had a bit of a roller-coaster week in Jefferson City, with big legislative wins in the Missouri House.

Dozens of lobbyists and nearly $3 million in campaign contributions helped fuel big wins last week in the Missouri House for the cannabis and gambling industries.

But both wins came with asterisks — audits, investigations, legal pressure — and both face steep odds in the Senate. #moleg #mogov

‘Shockingly unique’: Why St. Louis program for antepartum moms is getting national attention • Missouri Independent A longtime antepartum arts and crafts program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis acts as group therapy for expectant moms.

In 2024, more than 7,400 babies born in Missouri — or 11% — were preterm, before 37 weeks gestation. #moleg #mogov

Missouri bill would require reporting, tracking of alpha-gal syndrome • Missouri Independent The tick-borne allergy causes people to have sometimes severe immune responses to mammal products and appears to be spreading in Missouri.

Lawmakers agreed the tick-borne allergy to red meat and dairy is a "huge" problem but questioned state capacity to track cases. #moleg #mogov

‘We’re not done’: Missouri GOP pushes penalties, fetal personhood in renewed abortion fight • Missouri Independent Missouri's latest anti-abortion legislation is being debated ahead of another statewide vote on abortion set for the November ballot.

GOP lawmakers have introduced dozens of new restrictions as courts weigh remaining abortion laws and the issue heads back to Missouri voters in November. #moleg #mogov

Judge strips ‘ballot candy’ from plan to make it harder to amend Missouri Constitution  • Missouri Independent A Republican judge ordered changes to the ballot summary for a proposed constitutional amendment targeting initiative petitions.

Judge Daniel Green ordered the first three bullet points of the summary voters will see on the ballot to be removed, saying they were misleading because they tout provisions already in state law — such as a ban on foreign campaign contributions and penalties for signature fraud. #moleg #mogov

Missouri House passes legislation banning intoxicating hemp products • Missouri Independent If Congress decides to allow the sale of these products, the House bill would only permit them to be sold in Missouri dispensaries.

The Missouri House approved a bill Thursday that would ban all intoxicating hemp products — things like THC seltzers or hemp-derived THC edibles currently sold at gas stations and smoke shops — beginning in November. #moleg #mogov

Bills targeting deepfakes, AI liability spark debate among Missouri lawmakers • Missouri Independent Lawmakers said they want to lay out penalties for sharing AI-generated images of people without consent. First they have to agree on goals.

As the proposals move through the legislative process, some lawmakers questioned whether the bills have had enough discussion, pointing to the complexity and rapid development of AI technologies. #moleg #mogov

Audit finds flawed scoring cast ‘shadow’ over Missouri medical marijuana licensing • Missouri Independent Missouri’s ‘blind scoring’ system could be circumvented, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick found, which clouded the process and sparked costly litigation.

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released a scathing report Wednesday on the state’s marijuana program, concluding that missteps in the 2019 licensing process triggered costly litigation and raised persistent questions about whether licenses were awarded fairly. #moleg #mogov

Audit finds flawed scoring cast ‘shadow’ over Missouri medical marijuana licensing • Missouri Independent Missouri’s ‘blind scoring’ system could be circumvented, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick found, which clouded the process and sparked costly litigation.

Missouri’s “blind scoring” system for marijuana licenses could be circumvented, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said, which clouded the process and sparked costly litigation. #moleg #mogov

Key differences emerge in Missouri House, Senate bills to create A-F school grades • Missouri Independent Missouri's lawmakers are drawing up their plans for grading public schools 'A' through 'F,' with key distinctions emerging between proposals.

House and Senate proposals both create an A–F report card, but they split on how grades are calculated, whether low test participation should lower scores, and how to structure incentives for high-performing districts. #moleg #mogov

Missouri property tax overhaul bill may inadvertently move municipal elections to November • Missouri Independent A property tax overhaul moving through the Missouri House includes provisions that could push all elections to August and November.

A property tax overhaul moving through the Missouri House includes provisions that would potentially push all elections to August and November. The bill’s sponsor, however, said that’s not his intent and will make any changes necessary to prevent it. #moleg #mogov

Missouri House once again approves bill clarifying divorce rules during pregnancy • Missouri Independent State Rep. Cecelie Williams, who co-sponsored the legislation, spoke of the dangers of keeping women legally tied to abusers for an extended time.

A bill seeking to clarify that Missouri women are legally allowed to get divorced while pregnant received unanimous approval Thursday from the House for the second year in a row. #moleg #mogov

Permanent ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors clears Missouri House • Missouri Independent Restrictions on gender-affirming care for Missourians under the age of 18 could become permanent as the House votes to remove the sunset.

The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would permanently bar doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to transgender minors, sending the bill to the Senate for approval. #moleg #mogov

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Proposal to ban intoxicating hemp products stalls in Missouri Senate • Missouri Independent Democratic state Sen. Karla May led two-hour resistance to an immediate ban on hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles.

A push for Missouri to immediately adopt planned federal limits on intoxicating hemp products ran into a filibuster in the state Senate Wednesday, with critics demanding any changes wait until national regulations go into effect in November. #moleg #mogov

Partisan clash erupts in Missouri Senate education hearing on transgender students • Missouri Independent Democrats on the Missouri Senate Education Committee speak out against the chairman's choice of divisive bills over bipartisan reforms.

What began as a public hearing on a parental rights bill quickly went off the rails on Tuesday as the Missouri Senate Education Committee veered into talk of furries and allegations of homophobia. #moleg #mogov

Missouri House moves ahead on bill to silo property tax rates, move tax elections to November • Missouri Independent Missouri property tax bills would look different next year, with separate rates for each type of property, under a plan given first-round approval in the Missouri House.

Missouri House moves ahead on bill to silo property tax rates, move tax elections to November #moleg #mogov

‘It sure looks like a crisis’: Lawmakers confront mental health backlog in Missouri jails • Missouri Independent There were 524 Missourians as of last week charged with crimes and awaiting mental health treatment designed to move their cases forward.

There are 524 Missourians on a waitlist for treatment and services from the Department of Mental Health. Of those, 446 are in jails throughout the state — incarcerated indefinitely without being convicted of their alleged crimes. #moleg #mogov

‘It sure looks like a crisis’: Lawmakers confront mental health backlog in Missouri jails • Missouri Independent There were 524 Missourians as of last week charged with crimes and awaiting mental health treatment designed to move their cases forward.

‘It sure looks like a crisis’: Lawmakers confront mental health backlog in Missouri jails #moleg #mogov

Missouri AG files first lawsuits in promised crackdown on unregulated slot machines • Missouri Independent Five retail shops in Dunklin County were sued Tuesday by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who alleges the businesses are operating illegal gambling machines on their premises.

The lawsuits follow comments Missouri AG Catherine Hanaway made last week to the Missouri House Budget Committee, where she vowed to shut down so-called “gray market” games in bars, restaurants and convenience stores across the state. #moleg #mogov