Jefferson City, MO – The Missouri Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that public defenders cannot use heavy caseloads as an excuse to turn down entire categories of cases.
The decision strikes down rules that allowed overworked offices to turn away cases that involved probation violations and turn away defendants who had once hired private lawyers.
Attorney Antwaun Smith represented the Public Defender Commission before the High Court:
Kansas City, MO – Senate budget writers say that the state of Missouri will likely have one billion dollars less to work with than it did prior to the 2009 legislative session.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is taking testimony this week from various people and agencies who want at least the same amount of funding for the next fiscal year, if not more.
Committee member and GOP Senator David Pearce believes revenues will continue to trend downward.
Jefferson City, MO – An arrest warrant has been issued for former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton in Scott County, for allegedly assaulting an unidentified female.
According to court documents, on or about November 15th, Jetton is alleged to have caused serious physical injury to the woman by, quote, "hitting her on the head and choking her, resulting in unconsciousness and the loss of the function of a part of her body," end quote.
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says he's still determined to boost the number of poor Missourians eligible for Medicaid.
The Democratic governor failed to persuade the GOP-led General Assembly earlier this year to expand Medicaid coverage to 35,000. He says he'll try again when the 2010 session begins next month.
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and several lawmakers from both parties are backing legislation next year to provide insurance coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism.
The legislation would also require state-regulated group insurance plans to cover the costs of "Applied Behavioral Analysis" for up to $72,000 annually for children younger than 21 with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
GOP Senator Eric Schmidt of St. Louis County has a son with autism.
Jefferson City, MO – An Audrain County prosecutor is asking the Missouri Supreme Court to let him prosecute a convicted sex offender for violating a state law that bars offenders from taking part in Halloween activities.
Charles Raynor of Mexico, Missouri, was arrested in 2008 after a woman at his house handed out candy to trick-or-treaters.
Jefferson City, MO – An environmental advocate is calling on Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to return a campaign contribution made last year from a company that owns eleven hog farms in the northern part of the state.
Premium Standard Farms is under a court order to make improvements to its operations.
Ken Midkiff with the Missouri Clean Water Campaign says Koster accepted a $2500 donation from Smithfield Foods, which owns Premium Standard Farms, just days before the 2008 Democratic Party primary:
Jefferson City, MO – Bills addressing campaign finance reform in Missouri have been pre-filed, just over a month before the start of the 2010 legislative session
One bill would restore campaign contribution limits that were removed in 2007, restored by the Missouri Supreme Court later that same year, and then removed again by GOP lawmakers and former Governor Matt Blunt in 2008. The proposal to again restore limits is sponsored by Democratic Floor Leader Paul LeVota:
Jefferson City, MO – The board that oversees Missouri's State Employees Retirement System, or MOSERS, is crafting a proposal that would bar employees from receiving bonuses during years when the pension fund loses money.
Earlier this year, MOSERS staff members received around $400,000 in performance incentives, even though investments made by the system lost money in 2008. Democratic State Treasurer Clint Zweifel sits on the board and voted in favor of ending that practice.
Jefferson City, MO – Jefferson City Police are investigating what led to a false alert of a hostage situation at an office building two blocks away from the State Capitol Tuesday.
The Governor Office Building is home to the Public Service Commission and houses other state offices. Someone in the building activated an alarm system that alerted police to a hostage situation. But after a thorough search of the building, police found nothing to indicate that anyone had been taken hostage.
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Democratic Congressman Ike Skelton is taking some heat for voting against his own party's health care overhaul bill that passed late Saturday.
About a dozen protesters showed up outside Skelton's Jefferson City office today.
Some of them arrived in a Cadillac, to symbolize what they call the "Cadillac of insurance plans" that Skelton and other members of Congress have.
Robin Acree heads the group Grass Roots Organizing, or GRO.
Jefferson City, MO – The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments over whether a convicted killer's death sentence should be commuted to life without parole.
Andrew Lyons was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter for the 1992 shotgun killings of his girlfriend, her mother, and the couple's 11-month-old son. Lyon's attorney, Frederick Duchardt argued before the High Court that his client is, quote, "mentally retarded:"
Jefferson City, MO – Several state and local officials, activists and attorneys met in Jefferson City ) to discuss ways to keep drunk drivers off Missouri's roads.
Dwight Scroggins is a prosecuting attorney from St. Joseph. He told the gathering that one of the biggest problems is that those pulled over for DWI are often treated as first-time offenders who just made a mistake.
Scroggins: "The reality is someone who gets arrested on a first-offense DWI is in all likelihood a multiple-time repeat drunk driver who has just gotten caught for the first time."
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has announced more cuts to the state budget, due to the ongoing decline in state revenues.
Nixon is slashing nearly $204 million out the current budget. He's eliminating nearly 700 state jobs, most of them part-time, and shrinking numerous programs within state agencies.
The governor says the cuts don't include reductions to education funding, scholarships, or to crucial public safety needs.
