Latest news with #MissouriConstitution
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Black Missouri lawmakers vow to resist Missouri GOP push for new congressional districts
Assistant Missouri House Minority Leader Marlon Anderson of St. Louis speaks during a Thursday news conference on congressional redistricting. He was joined by, from left, state Reps. Michael Johnson, D-Kansas City, David Tyson Smith, D-Columbia, and Melissa Douglas, D-Kansas City. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent) Black leaders in the Missouri legislature said Thursday that they will fight any attempt to redraw the state's congressional districts, pointing to the courts as the venue where they have greatest hopes to prevail. State Rep. Michael Johnson, a Kansas City Democrat who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, said any effort to remake maps is a pure power grab by Republicans seeking to shield President Donald Trump from congressional scrutiny. 'This is a desperate distraction,' Johnson said. 'This move by the Missouri Republicans is a clear intent to shield their national counterparts from impending and inevitable loss that would be suffered in 2026 by an electorate demanding accountability for a hostile administration.' Missouri has eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with six held by Republicans and two held by Democrats. The seat being targeted in an effort to draw a seventh district where the GOP was certain to prevail is the 5th District in Jackson and Clay counties currently held by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. In a little more than two weeks, the possibility of lawmakers meeting later this summer or early fall to redraw the maps has gone from remote to likely. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who would issue the call for lawmakers to meet, told reporters Tuesday that he's generally supportive of the push but didn't give a date for lawmakers to convene. 'We want to keep the House in Republican control, so what we look at, what we're going to do here in Missouri, we'll work with our leadership group and see if there's a path or something that makes sense for Missourians,' Kehoe said, according to KYTV in Springfield. Johnson was joined by three other Black members of the Missouri House for a state Capitol press conference: state Reps. David Tyson Smith of Columbia, Marlon Anderson of St. Louis and Melissa Douglas of Kansas City. They said redistricting now is illegal under the Missouri Constitution. Missouri Senate leader says special session is 'likely' to redraw congressional map The Missouri Constitution directs lawmakers to revise the maps after every census. The text does not grant, and it does not deny, the power to revise it at other times. The silence, taken with how courts have interpreted similar gaps in specific powers, means the courts would toss any new map as unconstitutional, Smith said. 'What's happening right now is disgusting and it's outrageous and it's shameful,' Smith said. The last time lines were redrawn between censuses was in the 1960s, following the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision that districts had to be drawn as closely as possible in population to preserve equal representation, known as the one person, one vote decision. In 2022, when the current districts were drawn, Republican leaders in the Missouri Senate had to resort to little-used maneuvers to outwit opponents within their caucus who wanted to break up the 5th District and push the partisan split to 7-1. The 5th District has been Democratic for decades. The push to redraw district lines is playing out in several states, most dramatically in Texas. Republicans hold a thin 219-212 majority in the U.S. House with four seats vacant, including three previously held by Democrats. The GOP is hoping to add seats to the majority by drawing lines around Republican voters but governors of Democratically controlled states are considering ways to counter the mov. In Texas, every Democratic member of the state Legislature left the state to deny Republicans a quorum to do business. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said the FBI, at his request, is helping track down the missing members. Missouri Democrats hold fewer than one-third of the seats in both chambers and their absence would not prevent the GOP members from passing legislation. The lawmakers at Tuesday's news conference said they are hoping Republicans will join with them to block a revised map. Several Republican members have told The Independent that they question the fairness of congressional redistricting at this time but would likely vote for the bill anyway. Johnson called on those Republicans to resist the new map. 'There are some Republicans, some of our Republican colleagues in this building that don't want to see this happen,' Johnson said. One of the maps touted as 7-1 three years ago would have run from Kansas City to Branson by including all the counties on the western border to the Arkansas line and then running the boundary east to Taney County. Statewide, Missouri is about 40% Democratic. The two seats currently held by Democrats are 25% of the delegation. A fair map would give Democrats three seats, not one, Johnson said. Missourians will see the true reason if lawmakers are called to draw a new map, Smith said. 'This is nothing but a power growth, a power grab by the Trump administration to maintain control of the (U.S.) House,' Smith said, 'and we cannot allow that to happen.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri governor calls special session for Kansas City stadiums, St. Louis disaster funding
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announces Monday that he will call a special legislative session to consider disaster relief, stadium funding and spending items. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent) Disaster recovery, sports stadiums and major capital improvement projects will be on the agenda for a special legislative session that will begin June 2, Gov. Mike Kehoe said Tuesday. At a news conference, Kehoe said he has spoken to legislative leaders in hopes they can act quickly on all three items and set aside hard feelings from the regular session that ended May 15. 'There are some raw nerves out there and some wounded feelings, and I'm asking them to consider that these initiatives that we will put before them are very time sensitive and very needy, especially when it comes to the disaster relief' funding, Kehoe said. A litany of other projects across Missouri that were depending on state funding will not be considered, Kehoe said, including at least two hospitals facing potential closure. Under the Missouri Constitution, lawmakers have 60 days to complete work on items in a special session and Kehoe said he won't try to impose an artificial deadline. But the items on his list all need quick action, he said, especially help for people who lost homes and suffered injuries in the May 16 St. Louis tornado. 'I'm also asking them to consider the tragedy that some of these families have faced in these disasters,' Kehoe said. To help people recovering from tornadoes, flooding and other storms this spring, Kehoe is asking lawmakers to put $25 million into the Missouri Housing Trust Fund and increase the income eligibility threshold for emergency grants. He also wants to enact a tax deduction of up to $5,000 to cover insurance deductibles for people trying to rebuild. Other items on the agenda are: State support for a new Kansas City Royals baseball stadium and major upgrades to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The plan is the same one he unveiled during the final week of the regular legislative session, where it won a strong vote in the Missouri House before dying in the Senate amid bitterness on other bills. Extend the deadline for tax credits related to major amateur sporting events. Allocate $25 million of general revenue funding for the University of MIssouri's research reactor project and $185 million in funding from other sources for capital improvement projects that include a new mental health hospital in Kansas City and new livestock show barn at the Missouri State Fair. Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer, a Parkville Republican, said the items in the call for a special session are all things lawmakers should cooperate on. Because of the acrimony in the Senate, all legislation for the special session will start in the upper chamber, Kehoe said, with the House debating whatever bills can make it through. 'The governor's call focuses on providing disaster relief to families devastated by recent storms, funding cancer research at our state's flagship university, and keeping Missouri's beloved professional sports teams in our state,' Luetkemeyer said. 'I'm hopeful the Senate will rise to the occasion.' Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a Democrat from Affton, could not be reached for comment. Missouri is still waiting for federal action on a request for disaster assistance through FEMA for the May 16 tornado. On Friday, President Donald Trump approved Missouri's request to declare disasters for southeast Missouri counties hit March 14 and again during the first week of April. The tornado cut a 23-mile-long path, touching down in the affluent suburb of Clayton before ripping through the north side of the city of St. Louis then across the Mississippi River through communities in western Illinois. At least five people were killed, 38 more were injured, and about 5,000 structures were damaged with property losses estimated at more than $1.6 billion. 'I've been on the phone, and Adam Gresham in our office and others have been on the phone with the White House constantly on these events,' Kehoe said, explaining his efforts to secure federal aid. Federal disaster response nationwide has slowed under Trump, causing lawmakers from many states to urge the president to release funding for their states. 'I'm very happy that we got what we got, because you saw some other states not get approved,' Kehoe said. The plan for the Chiefs and Royals would take tax money already generated from activities at the stadiums — $28.8 million annually as estimated by the Chiefs and $15 million annually by an estimate from the Royals — and commit it to bond payments for 30 years for the new or upgraded facilities. The economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, Kehoe contends, and a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs. Missouri should treat the teams like any other major employer, he said. 'This is the same amount of revenue the state stands to lose if either team relocates to any other state,' Kehoe said. 'But local support is still critical in this effort, and this plan will require local contributions, so I'm asking legislators to work with us to keep these businesses in the state where they belong, the state of Missouri.' Both the Chiefs and Royals have publicly expressed interest in moving from Missouri to Kansas after Jackson County voters rejected a proposal last year to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax to help finance a downtown Kansas City baseball stadium and upgrades to Arrowhead. Kansas lawmakers responded by expanding a tax incentive program in the hopes of convincing one or both teams to relocate. The leases for both teams' Jackson County stadiums run through the end of the 2030 season. Kansas expects an answer by the end of June, creating the pressure for a special session. The limited funding Kehoe proposed for construction spending means several projects he championed during the legislative session — and more than 60 added by lawmakers — won't be funded. The only general revenue project remaining in the bill under Kehoe's plan is $25 million to support construction of a new research reactor at MU. That is half of what he sought originally and was cut to allow spending on disaster aid. The more than 60 projects added by lawmakers ranged from $60,000 for a county maintenance shed in Dallas County to $20 million for redeveloping an historic business district in Cape Girardeau and $20 million to support a new convention center complex in Jefferson City. Kehoe said he thinks he can limit the message to lawmakers outlining the special session agenda to just $50 million in general revenue spending and the projects funded from other sources, including the mental hospital and the livestock barn. The limited funding will dash hopes from many agencies and communities that their project would get a second look. There are at least two hospitals facing potential closure if their funding is not included and a sheltered workshop in Salem that is operating at limited capacity following a devastating fire. Kehoe said he understands the requests but wants to be careful with general revenue spending. 'The state budget years ahead are going to be challenging,' Kehoe said, 'and the amount of general revenue that we have is something that I'm taking very seriously as a businessman, and what it's going to take in future years.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Welcome to Missouri, where the vote of the people is never safe
Jen Kruse, from Tipton, holds up a sign in protest of the Missouri State Legislature's decision to pass legislation to overturn voters' recent ballot measures. "I wish reason would take over," she told The Independent. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Maybe you collected signatures last year so that Missourians could vote to overturn the state's abortion ban. Maybe you walked door to door asking voters to support paid sick leave benefits for lower-wage workers. Maybe you were one of millions of people who successfully voted to pass those measures on the statewide ballot last November. Republicans in the Missouri legislature want you to go pound sand. They are not impressed with your hard work, or the sanctity of your vote, or your show of direct democracy. They have convictions to uphold, special interests to please and power to wield. And so, in a breathtaking show of arrogance, they wrapped up the 2025 legislative session by stomping all over the wishes of the state's voters. First, Republicans passed a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would negate the freedoms won in Amendment 3, which enshrined the right to an abortion in the Missouri Constitution. The just-passed Republican amendment seeks to deceive. Its language — which will likely be challenged in court — creates a narrow window in which victims of rape and incest and women with a medical emergency can obtain an abortion. It doesn't mention that abortion will be banned for everyone else. Following this betrayal of women, lawmakers moved on to workers. They gutted a statute known as Proposition A, initiated by citizens, that passed with a hefty 58% of the vote. No citizens' initiative is safe from the vicissitudes of Missouri's Republican supermajority. Lawmakers struck down a paid sick leave provision. They left intact a minimum wage increase but erased a provision that would have attached future increases to the rate of inflation. By the time the 2025 legislature mercifully adjourned, Prop A was a shadow of what its organizers had intended. This is by no means the first time Missouri's Republican supermajority has overturned the will of voters. Legislators have altered voter-initiated statutes in recent years having to do with puppy mills and redistricting and campaign finance. Constitutional amendments are somewhat less subject to damage, but Republicans nonetheless tried to thwart an amendment calling for expansion of Medicaid eligibility by refusing to grant the funding until ordered to do so by a court. During that fracas, in 2021, a then-Republican legislator said the quiet part out loud. 'I am proud to stand against the will of the people,' Justin Hill, a representative from the St. Louis area, declared from the House floor. There you have it. Most Republicans prefer to frame their disregard for voters a bit more diplomatically. 'Those who support conservative measures and vote us into office expect us to stand our ground on issues which reflect their bedrock beliefs,' Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin said on social media after Republicans gutted the two voter initiatives this month. This willingness of voters to support progressive measures while simultaneously electing rock-solid conservative legislators is indeed the great disconnect in Missouri politics. But almost six of 10 voters supported paid sick leave for low-wage workers. That seems quite bedrock. The people expecting lawmakers to 'stand their ground' on this particular issue are select business interests which are powerful in Jefferson City. 'I am proud of all my colleagues for taking a stand for what we consider right,' O'Laughlin added in her social media post. Which is just a short hop, skip and jump away from 'I am proud to stand against the will of the people.' Republican lawmakers count on voters across the state to not watch what they do too closely, and to forget about their outrages once the session adjourns. But if anything grabs the attention of Missourians, it could be this latest double punch. Prompted by groups such as Missouri Jobs for Justice and the recently formed Respect Missouri Voters, protesters convened at the Capitol and in locations around the state. On the protest lines, they mingled with people out and about objecting to Trump administration policies. That's a willing audience, already in the streets, just waiting to be informed about what the state legislators are up to. And for those who missed the rallies, volunteers are distributing flyers at the homes of voters in legislative districts where Proposition A garnered more support in November than the Republican lawmakers representing the district. That includes House Speaker Jon Patterson's district in Lee's Summit. Patterson didn't vote for the House measure seeking to reinstate an abortion ban, but he didn't do much to slow it down, either. And his explanation that he supports paid sick leave but voted to gut Prop A because he doesn't think state government should mandate the benefit is double talk. Across Missouri, workers who are finally accruing sick time are being told that the benefit will be taken away from them. And people who only a few months ago celebrated the end of an abortion ban are finding out that they'll have to go back to work to preserve a right they legitimately won. A simple question keeps coming up: How can they do this to us? They do it because they can. Until enough voters decide they can't.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
At a Missouri Prison, Inmates Fear for Their Lives in Sweltering Cells
Inmates at a Missouri prison have filed a lawsuit claiming they're suffering from life-threatening extreme heat in their un-air-conditioned cells during the summer. The suit claims that the sweltering heat violates the Missouri Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act. "Without court intervention, it is not a question of whether someone will get sick and die due to heat-related conditions," the suit reads, "but rather when." Algoa Correctional Center in Missouri is one of four prisons in the state where none of the housing units have air conditioning. And, due to the building's design, it is frequently hotter inside the prison than outside. Even at night, temperatures remain high because the building continues to release daytime heat. While the prison has some practices for helping inmates deal with extreme temperatures, the suit claims they are ineffective. "Algoa's informal heat-mitigation practices include providing incarcerated people with limited access to ice in a cooler; access to warm showers; the option to purchase one small, personal fan; and unreliable, highly limited access to a few cooler rooms," the suit reads. "These practices are grossly inadequate…the ice in these small coolers is insufficient for the 100-plus people in each housing unit and runs out quickly. Not only is the amount insufficient, but it also melts within minutes." The lawsuit includes vivid reports from several men incarcerated at Algoa. One man, who suffers from a medical condition that causes "mini strokes," claims that "the hotter the temperature, the more severe these strokes get. When it is hot out and my heart begins to race, I start having a mini stroke almost immediately," adding that he is "scared of what might happen if [he has] a bad stroke." Another inmate described the conditions as "if you were put in a coffin with a heat lamp in there." Conditions for inmates in solitary confinement are particularly severe. Due to a lack of outlets in solitary confinement, inmates there are unable to use fans. "People are quite literally trapped in a burning hot cell," the suit reads. "During the summer, the floors in [solitary] are literally soaking wet from humidity and sweat." Prisoners at Algoa are far from the only inmates without adequate temperature control during the summer months. Only about 30 percent of prisons in Texas, for example, are fully air-conditioned. According to legal documents related to a 2023 lawsuit, some prison units in Texas reached 149 degrees Fahrenheit in 2023. The post At a Missouri Prison, Inmates Fear for Their Lives in Sweltering Cells appeared first on
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florissant dispensary challenges St. Louis County's authority to tax marijuana sales
FLORISSANT, Mo. – A Florissant dispensary's lawsuit is pushing the Missouri Supreme Court to decide whether incorporated cities and counties may both impose a 3% marijuana sales tax under the state constitution. The challenge comes Florissant-based dispensary Robust Missouri 3 LLC, which argues the state's marijuana amendment permits either a city or a county to levy a local sales tax on recreational marijuana purchases, but not both in the same area. The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday, per state records. A ruling could have significant financial implications and bring clarity to hoe marijuana tax authority is interpreted across the state. Missouri Highway Patrol reopens probe into Crocker overdose death Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution explicitly states, in connection with marijuana taxing: ''Local government' means, in the case of an incorporated area, a village, town, or city and, in the case of an unincorporated area, a county.' According to Missouri Department of Revenue data, adult-use marijuana purchases in Florissant are currently subject to a total sales rate of of 20.988%, including a 3% sales tax imposed by both the City of Florissant and St. Louis County. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now In November, a Missouri court of Appeals panel died with the dispensary, finding the amendment's wording unambiguously bars dual taxation for a city and county in the same location. That decision reversed a lower court ruling an led to the case's transfer to the Missouri Supreme Court. Missouri's constitutional amendment legalizing recreational marijuana sales took effect in December 2022. Since then, St. Louis County and several of its incorporated municipalities, including the City of Florissant, have enacted their own 3% local sales taxes on adult-use marijuana, as permitted under the amendment. The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association estimates that the state's cannabis industry generates $241 million in sales tax revenue annually for state and local governments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
