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If approved by voters, the petition would raise the state’s minimum wage to $13.75 beginning in January 2025 and $15 in 2026, with annual cost-of-living increases after that. It also seeks to set the minimum paid sick leave to one hour per 30 hours worked.
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Missouri is shaping up to be big battleground over abortion rights in November. Even in this solidly Republican state, where the procedure is almost entirely illegal, many Catholics say they support a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution.
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Missouri voters passed a constitutional amendment in November 2022 that required Kansas City to increase its minimum funding of the police department. But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the language on the original measure was so inaccurate that it casts doubt on the fairness of the election.
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Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would have blocked teenagers from receiving hormone therapy and other gender-affirming treatments recognized as necessary by medical professionals. The Senate voted to override her veto, but the House fell short.
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Missouri House ethics panel ends investigation into Dean Plocher, after blocking release of evidenceThe committee voted to dismiss the ethics complaint, after removing language that blamed the result on “the inability of the committee to finish the investigation as a direct result of obstruction of the process and the intimidation of witnesses by” Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher.
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On May 7, voters in Kansas City, Kansas, will decide whether to approve a ballot measure that would raise property taxes for the next 30 years. The bond would pay to consolidate elementary schools, build new buildings, increase early childhood education, and fund additional renovations.
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In order to work in Missouri, 14 and 15-year-olds must obtain a certificate from their school, with information from their prospective employer about the job, as well as parental consent and age verification. But a Republican-sponsored bill would eliminate that formal process, and only require a signed permission slip.
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The Missouri Freedom Caucus, a faction of the state GOP, has vowed to debate the budget in detail and attempt to cut hundreds of millions in spending. That could push final votes on spending past the constitutional deadline of May 10.
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El Concejo Municipal de Kansas City renovó su contrato anual con el Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA-organismo de transporte del Área de Kansas City), que mantiene la tarifa de transporte en cero, pero da instrucciones al Gerente Administrativo de la Ciudad, Brian Platt, para considerar los costos y beneficios de un programa alternativo de “una tarifa gratuita funcional”.
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The Missouri House Speaker is already being accused of obstructing the work of an ethics committee. Recently, lawmakers have raised concerns about whether the ethics rules in the House need to be reworked in cases where the chamber’s most powerful member is the focus of an investigation.
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The lawsuit, led by Republican attorneys general from 17 states, comes after federal regulations were published on implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The language means workers can ask for time off to obtain and recover from an abortion.
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Missouri House votes to make it harder to amend constitution, with controversial language reinstatedCurrently, a simple majority of votes is needed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment once it makes it onto the ballot. The proposed resolution would increase that threshold to both a simple majority of votes and the majority of Missouri’s eight congressional districts — but the bill also includes unrelated "ballot candy."
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The two-page proposal states that beginning in the 2026 federal elections, a candidate running to represent a congressional district in Missouri may do so only if they live in that district. But it may violate the U.S. Constitution.
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Kansas City Council renewed its annual contract with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, which keeps zero-fare in place but directs City Manager Brian Platt to weigh the costs and benefits of an alternative "functional free fare" program.
Government
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The police raid on the Marion County Record potentially violated federal law and constitutional rights. It could leave taxpayers covering a big legal settlement.
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Mirroring federal legislation passed on Dec. 8, Missouri Rep. Chris Sander, a Republican from Lone Jack, has pre-filed a bill to recognize marriage between two individuals.
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The proposal by Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft would threaten the funding of libraries over "non-age-appropriate materials" for minors. But former library administrators say the rules are "redundant and unnecessary."
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The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer's latest book examines the moral evolution of the 16th president from childhood through his time in office.
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The comprehensive collaborative plan would work on reducing homelessness not only in Kansas City but in the region.
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Kansas City attorney Stacy Lake has a plan to do better than the incumbent. That plan focuses on putting county residents first.
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David A. Paterson says he was ready to be governor, but the media's focus on his blindness obscured what he was trying to accomplish.
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Mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have reinvigorated gun control advocates across the country. March For Our Lives rallies in hundreds of U.S. cities will take place Saturday to 'demand a nation free of gun violence.'
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A deep dive from the 2020 election through Joe Biden's first year as president reveals the struggle to hold the country together.
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Veterans were exposed to toxic air from burn pits overseas and comedian Jon Stewart and the Veterans of Foreign Wars say Congress needs to approve funds to treat them.
Elections
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Five candidates are vying for three seats on the fractious Hickman Mills school board. Here's what they have to say about recent board decisions, technology in schools and mental health for students.
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Here’s what nine North Kansas City school board candidates think about mental health, cellphones in school and removing books from libraries.
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Three newcomers are competing for two open seats on the Center School District board of education in south Kansas City. Here's what they think about key issues like social emotional learning and how to improve student performance.
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Every four years, the 2nd Congressional Districts in Nebraska and Maine become mini swing states in the presidential election. That’s because those states can split their electoral vote by district, instead of giving all the votes to the popular vote winner. Does the split vote approach offer a better option for the electoral college?
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A recent poll said nearly a third of voters didn't support either former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden. But third-party or independent candidates still don't have a serious path forward, and in Kansas, lawmakers want to make it more difficult for them to make the ballot for statewide office.
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The Kansas legislature has taken up several bills this session that the ACLU says would make casting ballots harder. The House Committee on Elections' chair says the goal is to improve Kansans' confidence in elections, and that many of the measures won't make it to a vote on the floor.
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Jackson County voters will see a question in the April 2 election asking to repeal and replace a sales tax, which would help pay for a new Royals ballpark. Here is a guide to the stadium ballot measure, including whether the Royals needs taxpayer dollars and who would own it.
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Big wins in statewide offices and the legislature have helped create bitter factionalism within the Missouri GOP. But since former President Trump is likely to take the state easily in November, many GOP officials aren’t worried about what’s to come.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.