Latest news with #MissouriGeneralAssembly
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
4 The People: What to expect next in Missouri special session
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri General Assembly's special session is halfway home. The Senate got a through after . Next up it's on to the House. Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent, joins FOX4 to talk about how the session got to this point and what to expect in the next week. Meantime, no special session for Kansas lawmakers, who passed a STAR Bonds stadium package last year. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri Senate President Ty Masterson joins FOX4 with his observations on the Missouri package from a Kansas perspective, and with a deadline looming on the STAR Bonds package, when the dust might settle for both states. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prop A repeal awaiting Governor's signature; how it impacts Missourians
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — St. Joseph residents are bracing for potential changes as Missouri moves towards repealing Proposition A. The Proposition, a voter-approved initiative, would have gradually increased the minimum wage and paid sick leave statewide. Passed by 58% of voters in November 2024, Proposition A promised to raise Missouri's minimum wage to $13.75 in 2025 and $15 in 2026, with future increases tied to inflation. It also required employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. However, House Bill 567, passed by the Missouri General Assembly on Wednesday, aims to eliminate the sick leave requirement and remove future wage adjustments after 2026. The bill is now awaiting Governor Mike Kehoe's signature. St. Joseph resident, Dakota Allen, said this move from the government doesn't give him much confidence in the current democracy, and that Missourians should stand up to any party that violates voter rights. It's just kind of one of those things that no matter who's in power when they're looking to abuse their power and overturn the will of the people, it's time for us to step up and make sure that they can never do it again," Allen said. Allen said if this repeal is signed by Governor Kehoe, it will be painful for businesses that are looking to attract employees to the state, especially those in higher professions. "We're going to see this all across the board, there's not going to be those guarantees that make our state appealing for employees, and it's just going to become more and more difficult," Allen said. Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Missouri said in an initial repeals conversation to the legislation in April of 2025, that the language in Proposition A was not made clear enough on the ballot. "When voters saw Prop A on the ballot, they were only given a small summary, but behind the summary was eight pages of statutes," Bernskoetter said. "It creates a one-size-fits-all for all businesses to follow and businesses should be able to tailor their workplace policies to meet the needs of their customers and employees." Opponents argue, combining minimum wage increases with paid sick leave mandates in a single ballot measure violates Missouri's constitutional requirement that initiatives address only one subject. In addition, claiming misleading ballot language, particularly regarding the fiscal impact and the scope of exemptions. Sparking backlash from Missourians everywhere, "SAVE OUR SAY rallies will be held across the state on Saturday, May 17, in St. Joseph, Farmington, Blue Springs, St. Louis and many other cities. If signed into law, the repeal will go into effect on August 28, 2025. Until then, businesses must comply with the sick leave requirements and wage timeline outlined in Proposition A.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill approved to allow MSU to offer doctoral degrees
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri State University (MSU) could soon be adding research-based doctorates to the list of degrees the university offers. The Missouri General Assembly recently approved two bills that allow the university to do so. President of MSU Richard B. Williams says back in 2005, when the college first changed the name to Missouri State University, part of the legislature included a compromise with the University of Missouri. The compromise meant MSU and other state institutions could not claim the land grant title, the flagship title, a research one title, or offer certain programs, including medicine, law, pharmacy, engineering, dental and more. SPS free summer lunches not impacted by federal cuts to school food programs In 2018, there were some changes to the law allowing MSU to offer clinical doctorates, and just recently, the university added a doctoral program in education. 'There still is the stipulation that it's against the state law. We would break the law if we had PhDs that are research PhDs,' said President Williams. 'So this allows us the opportunity to look at the workforce, look at what degrees are actually needed, and then we can offer a Ph.D. in those areas.' House Bill 419 and Senate Bill 160 changed the law to allow MSU to offer research-based doctorates and other professional programs, including a baccalaureate in vet tech. District 30 Senator Lincoln Hough and District 133 Representative Melanie Stinnett sponsored House Bill 616 and Senate Bill 11, which eventually turned into the bills that were recently approved by both the House and Senate. 'I believe that both Senator Hough and myself worked really hard to try and collaborate and try and find a way to get this across the finish line,' said Representative Stinnett. 'And so the initial bill that we filed looks a little bit different than what was passed. But I think that that's the outcome of everyone coming to the table and having conversations.' Springfield man admits to burglary and theft at U.S. Post Office Representative Stinnett says ultimately this bill can help encourage students to choose MSU and stay in the area, but can also benefit the community. 'It's kind of twofold, making sure that the student is able to take a look at what university they want to attend and make that choice for themselves,' Representative Stinnett said. 'But then also really that economic driver in that economic piece as well, meeting the needs of our community and our business community and allowing them the opportunity to get those degrees.' President Williams says it can also be beneficial for the students to complete their degree at the same university they started at without needing to move to a new city or even a new state. 'They have a mentor that's a faculty member. They have a line of research that they're working. There is an expert in that area with that faculty member,' President Williams said. 'They're comfortable. They've written grants together, they've written papers together. And so that's a very big benefit for these individuals because they're established.' The two bills will still need to be signed into law by Governor Mike Kehoe, but both President Williams and Representative Stinnett say passing these bills is a big milestone in a years-long journey. 'Many people are excited. This is history. For us to be able to offer a Ph.D. is a very large win,' said President Williams. 'Not only for the university, not only for our faculty and staff, but for the community, for our economy, and for the state of Missouri.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dysfunction makes path to keeping Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County ‘rough'
A rendering of the Royals proposed downtown ballpark (image submitted). For more than 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals have called adjacent stadiums in eastern Kansas City home. The teams' future at Truman Sports Complex, though, is increasingly in doubt as the franchises ponder options on both sides of the state line and as officials in the Jackson County Legislature and Missouri General Assembly struggle to coordinate a 'Missouri solution' to keep the teams in the state. Stadium uncertainty surged after the Royals announced they were exploring stadium options elsewhere, including downtown and North Kansas City. The Chiefs, meanwhile, said they were exploring ways to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium as well as other options, including moving to Kansas. Both teams said they would stay in Jackson County if voters renewed a 3/8-percent sales tax to help them upgrade or build their stadiums. But an overwhelming majority of Jackson County voters rejected that idea in April 2024. The debate comes at a time when stadium costs are soaring. Washington, D.C., just announced a deal to build a new football stadium for the Washington Commanders, which comes with a $3.7 billion price tag. The District of Columbia will contribute $1.1 billion in public financing to help cover costs of the stadium and surrounding housing and commercial projects, including $500 million from a city tax on large corporations. This year, Kansas City-area lawmakers in the Missouri General Assembly have coalesced around two main efforts to keep the teams in the state. But a push to make state funding available to the teams appears doomed as the legislature enters the final weeks of session. In February, three Kansas City-area lawmakers proposed identical bills to create a state assistance program for stadiums and other event venues. Under the bills filed by Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat, Rep. Sherri Gallick, a Belton Republican, and Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, the state would incentivize investment in new and existing facilities through grants, withholding-tax retention and tax-increment financing. To participate in the program, the project must be at least one-third privately funded, be able to seat at least 20,000 people and have a minimum $250 million price tag. Those bills were filed days after House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican, said he believed 'time is running out' on keeping the teams in Missouri but said 'this is going to be something that has to happen in the county first and then the state.' None of those bills has been referred to a committee, even as the legislative session enters its final weeks. When asked why there had been little movement on the bills, House Majority Floor Leader Alex Riley, a Republican from Springfield, said that 'as of now, that's not something I've spent a lot of time looking at. I haven't heard a lot about those bills.' Sharp said House and Senate leadership have declined to move forward with his, Gallick's and Washington's bills until Jackson County passes a new sales tax. 'The state legislature won't do anything until Jackson County renews the 3/8-percent sales tax,' Sharp said. 'There is no reason why the state needs to wait. The state could move forward with this legislation as it currently stands. They're just choosing not to.' 'You have people — mainly Republicans — who looked at the failed vote last year and think, 'Oh well, people must not want these sports teams anymore,' which could not be further from the truth,' Sharp added. Citing conversations with his constituents and other local residents, Sharp believes most residents want the teams to stay in the county, ideally at their current stadium locations. The April 2024 ballot question had included a proposal for a new Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City. 'Most folks who paid any attention know that the vote failed last year because people didn't want a Royals stadium where they were trying to put it, not because we don't want professional sports teams in our city,' Sharp said. 'It was a shame those two things were coupled together.' After voters rejected the proposal to build a new Royals stadium at a site in the Crossroads, Kansas City officials began exploring the possibility of a new stadium at Washington Square Park instead. A local firm entered a contract to buy part of the site and began working with investors to get the pieces in place to pitch the new location to the Royals. After eight months with no concrete commitment from the team, the firm decided to terminate its contract. Jackson County — which is currently mired in a battle over the county budget — will not be able to get something over the finish line in time and hasn't shown interest in doing so, Sharp said. Asked why, he replied, 'Dysfunction.' Because the Chiefs set a deadline of June 20 — when they want to be able to announce a decision about future stadium plans — the path forward looks 'rough,' Sharp said. 'June? We're not going to have anything done by June. June? That's almost like a slap in the face. There's no way we can get anything done by June,' he said. Caleb Clifford, the chief of staff for Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr., said that while White had been involved in discussions with the Chiefs and Royals, 'there are not active discussions happening right now.' However, he said it is probable that the teams are involved in discussions with members of the county Legislature. 'That is part of what led us to the situation that we had last year where they stopped talking with the administration because they weren't getting the answers they wanted, then they went to the Legislature and got everything they wanted and more,' he said. Clifford said that since White hadn't supported the initial plan out of concern that the county and residents would bear a disproportionate burden, the vote only affirmed his opposition to the plan. But he said White was open to working with the teams and other stakeholders to create a new plan and put the question on the ballot again in the future. 'The county executive's position has been clear from the beginning. We will not start planning for an election until we have an agreement in place, and at this point, that agreement's not in place,' Clifford said. 'Once that happens, we will work collectively with the teams and other interested parties to determine the best timing of an election.' Asked what the plan would need to look like, Clifford said, 'It would have to be a detailed plan that's substantive and provides significant benefits to the community while balancing the amount of investment that the taxpayers are making to these facilities.' White 'is not interested in moving forward with the status quo,' Clifford added. 'He believes that Jackson County deserves better, and he thinks they can get better.' Another bill before the Missouri legislature has gotten considerably more traction. It would establish a Clay County Sports Authority, a regulatory body responsible for developing and maintaining sports and other event venues in the county. Identical bills were sponsored by Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat, Sen. Kurtis Gregory, a Marshall Republican, and Rep. Bill Allen, a Kansas City Republican. Since the Royals began looking at potential sites for a new stadium, Clay County has vied to be a contender and has pushed to create a sports authority to help it work with and attract the team, Nurrenbern said. She said a new stadium — which she and others in the county envision as a Wrigley Field-esque ballpark district, with shops and restaurants surrounding the facility — would bring new life to 70 acres of predominantly industrial land in North Kansas City and drive economic development in the area. 'When we look at a sports team, the reality is there are hundreds of people employed by those teams,' she said. 'Eighty-two games a year brings in a lot of people to your area, people who are going to stop and grab a bite to eat (or) run by a grocery store and (get things to) have a tailgate.' Jerry Nolte, presiding commissioner of the Clay County Commission, has visited Jefferson City several times this session to testify in favor of the sports authority legislation. He's been very encouraged by the lack of pushback on the proposal, which was recently passed by the Senate and voted out of a House committee. The Royals recently polled Clay County residents about whether they would support the team coming to the county, as well as a new sales tax to help fund stadium construction. The poll's findings are not yet publicly available, but Nurrenbern said her 'understanding is that the polling results have been favorable.' Nurrenbern — who said she has not been in touch with either team this legislative session — said constituents 'reach out constantly about this,' with many 'interested in learning more.' 'Many of them shared reservations about spending significant state revenue on the stadium when, for example, the governor's (budget) proposal didn't fully fund the (public school) foundation formula. We fund a lot of our social services at rates lower than nearly every other state in the nation,' she said. 'A lot of my constituents wanted to make sure that we continue to make investments in vital services and really were hesitant to see any state funding go towards the stadium.' Nurrenbern said she understood and shared these concerns, which is why she did not ask for any funding to be appropriated in the 2026 budget for the Clay County Sports Authority. But if the bill passes, the sports authority would legally be able to get upwards of $3 million annually from the state legislature. She also said she understood constituents' concerns about giving financial incentives to teams specifically. 'While I get that some might have frustrations about why we make special exceptions for professional sports teams, if we were talking about any other type of business that employs hundreds of (people) and injects millions and millions of dollars into our revenue every year, we would certainly be having those conversations about how to keep them here,' she said. The path forward should be put to a vote, Nurrenbern said. 'It's up to our county commissioners to put it to a vote of the people. I think voters deserve a voice in this,' she said. 'If this is something they want for their region, this is something they should be able to think about and make a decision (on) at the ballot box.' Nolte said he and other county officials are planning to 'open the process up' for more public comment once the team makes a decision. 'I would hate to build up people's hopes and then not be able to deliver,' Nolte said. 'If we should continue forward on this, we need to have as much public input as we possibly can.' If the bill is passed and signed into law, Nolte said he didn't think there would be a 'terribly long process' to get the authority established and operating. From there, he said, the county would need to figure out what funding a new stadium in the Northland would look like. He said solid numbers about cost and other factors are needed to know what the best approach could be, but said one option would be a sales tax, which would have to be approved by voters. 'I think it's certainly doable,' he said. 'We need to make sure that we are able to provide (residents) with information that would convince people that this was indeed a benefit to them, but I think there's a good deal of excitement.' Nolte said that had the sales tax vote succeeded in Jackson County, 'we might not be having this conversation. But here we are.' Nurrenbern said she's tried to push back against the idea that Clay County's efforts are creating a competition between it and its southern neighbor. 'This is simply another option for the teams, (so) that if they choose to move north, we have this in place for them,' she said. 'I always wanted to make clear that this wasn't going to be Clay vs. Jackson. It's up to the Royals to choose where they want to move their team.' Nolte said he doesn't see it as a competition between counties, either. 'We very much look at this in terms of being a team, part of a Missouri solution to retain the teams,' he said. 'We're all just trying to put out the best set of options to keep these institutions in Missouri and to keep that economic engine and those jobs here in Missouri.' As different governments and groups on the Missouri side of the border work to keep the teams in the Show-Me State, the Sunflower State last year made its move to attract the teams, passing a law during an emergency session to enable the use of STAR bonds to help cover the cost of building new stadiums. STAR bonds — or sales tax and revenue bonds — are used to pay for tourist attractions and are paid off through sales taxes on products sold at those sites and nearby businesses. For a new sports stadium, that could include taxes on tickets, food and merchandise. The bonds have been marketed as a way to cover upwards of 70% of the cost of a new stadium without diverting taxpayer dollars from the state's general revenue fund. But they still divert a portion of state revenue that might have otherwise been used to pay for public services. While the Kansas Department of Commerce said most of the state's STAR bond-funded projects are expected to be paid off early — including Children's Mercy Park, home of Sporting KC — a 2021 audit found some projects may need over a century to do so, and several prominent projects have in recent years defaulted on their bonds. The 2021 audit also found most STAR bond projects in Kansas haven't drawn much out-of-state tourism, limiting their ability to generate enough tax revenue to pay off their bonds in a timely manner. Given the potential limitations of Kansas' plan, Sharp said he believes Missouri legislative leaders and other lawmakers 'are just hoping that Kansas can't or won't follow through on what they proposed.' 'We're not taking a position of being aggressive. We're taking a position of being passive, which I think will ultimately have us end up looking like St. Louis,' he said, referring to the Rams NFL team, which moved from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016. Sharp said that despite his efforts, the teams 'won't speak to us.' 'They haven't spoken with me. They haven't spoken with folks in the Democratic caucus. They probably have talked with the (Kansas City) mayor. They probably have talked to the Jackson County (Legislature's) Chairperson DaRon McGee. They probably have talked to some other folks. But they haven't talked to anybody in Jeff City about (our) bill,' he said. Gov. Mike Kehoe and legislative leaders hosted a closed-door meeting in February to discuss the situation with Kansas City and Jackson County officials. The teams were not present at the discussion. Kehoe — who also met with representatives from the Royals in February — in January told reporters he is 'not a fan of just throwing money at stadiums, but I'm a fan of keeping the economic activity that those two teams provide, and we're going to continue to work and put our best foot forward to make sure they stay.' This article first appeared on Beacon: Kansas City and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
KC mom got a raise at Arby's after voters passed Prop A. Now efforts aim to strike it down
Kaamilya Hobbs received a small pay raise when Missourians voted to increase the state's minimum wage and guarantee paid sick leave for workers in November. Hobbs, a 33-year-old mother of three, made $13.44 an hour working behind the register and the drive-thru window at Arby's along North Oak Trafficway in Kansas City. Thanks to the voter-approved Proposition A, she now makes the state-mandated minimum wage of $13.75 an hour and could make at least $15 an hour by next year. It's not a lot. But the raise gave Hobbs and her family some extra money to lean on. Some breathing room. Diapers, wipes, formula, milk. It all adds up at the end of the month. 'It's still something to help give us a little bit more leniency on things that we need to take care of,' Hobbs told The Star in a recent interview. 'I would hate for them to have to take that away.' Hobbs and other low-wage employees who live and work in the sprawling Kansas City metro are now left waiting to see whether the voter-approved minimum wage increase and paid sick leave will survive the courts and the GOP-controlled Missouri General Assembly. In the wake of Proposition A, which 57% of voters approved in November, a coalition of the state's largest business advocacy groups sued to strike down the election results. The state Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the election challenge, which argues that the proposal violated a requirement that ballot measures only deal with one subject. At the same time, Republican state lawmakers are weighing a raft of legislation that would weaken the new state law. House lawmakers earlier this month passed a bill that would strip away the paid sick leave provision, arguing that the policy would hurt businesses if it were allowed to take effect in May. The dueling efforts to strike down Proposition A mark a continuation of Republican attempts to curtail direct democracy in Missouri, as voters have repeatedly passed policies seen as progressive at the ballot box, including abortion rights, Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization. The voter-approved minimum wage increase is the latest target. When asked about the push to overturn a ballot measure that helped her family, Hobbs was frank: 'It pisses me off.' 'We've been trying to get this into effect for a very long time,' said Hobbs, who advocates for higher wages with groups Stand Up KC and Missouri Workers Center. 'We finally get to see some kind of positive outcome from it and then they just want to rip it out of our hands. It's not fair.' As judges and lawmakers consider whether to strike down Proposition A, Hobbs and other supporters of the measure are left frustrated. Thousands of workers across the Kansas City metro make less than $15 an hour with nearly 44,000 in Jackson County alone, according to data from the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. Another nearly 20,000 work in Clay and Platte counties. Hobbs began working at Arby's roughly five years ago after a stint at McDonald's. Her boyfriend, Allen Strickland, referred her for the job. She wears a lot of different hats: preparing food, talking with customers and, overall, keeping products moving smoothly. 'Usually they'd have me on either the front counter register or the drive-thru because I'm pretty good with the customer,' she said. With three young kids at home — a 6-month-old, a 1-year-old and a two-year-old — Hobbs requested to work the morning shift. It gives her some time to see her family before they go to bed in the evenings. 'At the end of the month, we are short on things — like short on funds to be able to get the diapers and wipes and the formula and stuff that we need for the kids,' she said. 'Along with keeping up with the milk and everything.' When Missouri voters soundly passed Proposition A in November, the ballot measure gave Hobbs and her family some extra change to work with. It provided added security to a life she described as busy but worth it. Hobbs expressed frustration at recent efforts to strike down the minimum wage increase and paid sick leave through the courts and legislature. Hobbs said that while other employees need sick time off, only managers at her store currently receive paid leave. Under Proposition A, the state's minimum wage jumped from $12.30 an hour to $13.75 an hour in January. It will then increase to $15 an hour in January 2026. In subsequent years, the wage will be adjusted based on inflation. The measure also requires employers with 15 or more workers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. That provision does not apply to government workers, retail or service employees who work for a business that makes less than $500,000 a year, people who are incarcerated, golf caddies, and babysitters, among others. 'They just want to just take away everything that we're working so hard to provide for our family and everything,' Hobbs said. 'I'd really hate to see them win. We need this difference.' Despite broad support for the minimum wage increase, Republican lawmakers and business advocacy groups remain steadfast in their push to overhaul Proposition A. In the days after voters approved the measure, House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee's Summit Republican, told The Star that there 'will not be an effort to overturn something that the people passed with over 57% of the vote.' However, at a news conference earlier this month, Patterson was less definitive. He argued that the bill to strike down the paid sick leave provision was a form of compromise with voters. 'I think what you're seeing here is that we are compromising,' he said. 'We want to keep the minimum wage piece in place. We don't want to delay that, but the onerous burdens of the sick leave part, I think we're compromising with the people and saying this really is not sustainable.' Gov. Mike Kehoe, a staunch opponent of raising the minimum wage, told reporters at the same news conference that increases should be 'market-driven.' Kehoe appeared to throw his support behind the bill to eliminate the paid sick leave requirements. 'The biggest piece that's a problem with Proposition A are the benefits that go along with it,' he said. 'I've heard from employers in Missouri, again, both large and very small, about the problems that that could produce.' The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, one of the groups that sued to overturn the election results for Proposition A, is also backing the Republican bill. In a statement shortly after the House passed the legislation, Kara Corches, the organization's president and CEO, said the bill would 'give employers the flexibility to tailor workplace policies to meet the needs of their workforce.' 'We have heard from hundreds of business owners across the state,' Corches said. 'Implementing this mandate is not just a burden – it will force many to reduce their workforce or close their doors entirely.' Despite the intense focus on Proposition A, the majority of Kansas City's workforce already earns more than the minimum wage outlined in state law, said Brent Never, an associate professor of public affairs at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The minimum wage increase itself, Never said, will likely have very little effect on Kansas City's economy. Instead, the concern among businesses is the paid sick leave requirement, a benefit that minimum wage employees have traditionally never had access to, he said. However, he added that many businesses affected by the requirement — those that make at least $500,000 a year — often already offer some form of paid sick leave. He estimated that the measure will have less of an impact on Kansas City compared to other parts of Missouri. Overall, he said, raising the minimum wage will likely result in increased prices. He pointed to businesses that offer day care as an example, saying that Proposition A would lead to higher charged prices for families. 'But on the other side, you have to think about having employees who are making a better wage, who most likely have an incentive to stay with an organization longer,' Never said. 'When you talk about sick leave, you have people who have an incentive to also stay longer.' For Hobbs, the Arby's worker in Kansas City, the effort to strike down Proposition A won't just affect her family. It will impact her friends, her fellow low-wage workers and families all over the state. She urged others to continue to fight to keep the measure in place. Because, she said, 'we need this.' 'It's not going to help us in any kind of way if they decide to take it away from us,' Hobbs said. 'We need to keep this going for as long as we can so they don't succeed in taking it away.'
