Missouri House of Representatives

Planned Parenthood To Missouri Lawmakers: End The "Campaign Against Women's Health"

The Missouri legislative session ended last week and one of the many successes the state GOP is celebrating is the passage of a bill to add restrictions to the "abortion pill." It's one of several Republican initiatives that Planned Parenthood is now slamming in the aftermath of the session. It's no ... More >>

Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Finally Gets Hearing on Last Day of Missouri Session

A proposal to decriminalize marijuana across the state will have a hearing this morning at the Missouri House of Representatives -- which appears to be the farthest this effort has ever gone in the legislature. It will not, however, make it much farther this time around given that today is the las ... More >>

There's A (Fake?) Body On The Glass Ceiling Of the Missouri House of Representatives

It's the second to last day of the Missouri legislative session, and things are getting pretty weird. And, no, we're not talking about seersucker suits. This morning, a body appeared on the glass ceiling of the Missouri House of Representatives in Jefferson City. It is hopefully just a dummy of so ... More >>

Gun Controversy: Missouri House Source Tries Accessing Confidential Data to Prove a Point?

One of the most hotly debated issues at the Missouri legislature this session is the question of whether the state is violating the privacy of residents with concealed-carry permits by way of some sort of "gun registry" conspiracy. The concern is that -- in the context of gun control -- officials in ... More >>

Answers to the Riverfront Times 2012 News Quiz

In January Riverfront Times published its annual "News Challenge" -- 78 multiple-choice questions testing how well readers paid attention to current events over the past twelve months. Within a week, more than 100 of you submitted your answers to us. A few weeks later a dozen readers e-mailed a simi ... More >>

A Brief History of the Universe According to Representative Todd Akin

Daily RFT was tickled by New Yorker's recent timeline of "A Conservative History of the United States". St. Louis' own Phyllis Schlafly got a thoughtful shout-out for bashing airing her concerns about high-efficiency light bulbs: 2011: Fluorescent bulbs cause epilepsy: "...broken C.F.L. bulbs alle ... More >>

Missouri House Passes "Ag Gag" Bill Designed to Stop Factory-Farm Investigations

The Missouri House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill designed to thwart undercover investigations into big agriculture. The legislation (HB 1860) mirrors a similar bill signed into law this year in Iowa and creates the crime of "Agricultural Production Facility Fraud" for anyone who obtains ... More >>

Birther Bill Gains Initial Approval in Missouri House -- Are You Shitting Me?

​Representative Lyle Rowland (R-Cedarcreek) successfully moved his "birther" bill through its initial reading in the Missouri House of Representatives yesterday. The bill (HB1046, read it here)  would require any presidential or vice presidential candidate to prove via birth certificate and a ... More >>

Senate Passes Bill Criminalizing Protests Outside Churches

​State Senator Robert N. Mayer (R-Dexter) successfully passed his bill (SB755) yesterday that makes it illegal to disrupt religious services at any church, mosque, temple or other place of worship. The bill was inspired by the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church at the funeral of Christina Gree ... More >>

America's Got Talent Winner Runs for Missouri Office: Eight Musicians He Should Learn From

Neal Boyd's American dream includes serving in Missouri House of Representatives.​Neal E. Boyd of Sikeston has already won lots of American votes. Enough to win the 2008 season of America's Got Talent, when he wowed audiences with his pop opera skills. Before finding reality-show fame, Boyd ... More >>

Local Control Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate

The local control bill's passage seems like a sure bet... but then again, so was Tyson over Douglas. Its fate lies in the hands of the State Senate. ​On Friday the Missouri House of Representatives passed the bill that would return control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department back to th ... More >>

Let the Dems keep hating: Jamilah Nasheed could pull off the political coup of the century

Top Missouri GOP Consultant Hasn't Paid His Taxes

courtesy of Fired Up! MissouriDavid Barklage (right) with Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder​As the main political consultant to Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder -- and a key strategist for the Missouri Republican Party -- David Barklage preaches the gospel of financial responsibility and ac ... More >>

Effort Underway to Shrink Missouri House From 163 Reps to 103

Missouri voters would be asked to trim the fat. ​If you work in the private sector in Missouri, chances are pretty good that your business experienced some downsizing (a.k.a. layoffs) over the last few years. That's not the case, though, for those public sector employees who happen to work on the ... More >>

Brian Nieves Named One of Southern Poverty Law Center's "Dirty Dozen"

Brian Nieves earns another honor.​Brian Nieves is no fan of the Riverfront Times. And, today, we're guessing the same can be said about the Southern Poverty Law Center. This week the the civil-rights organization named the Missouri state senator (R - Washington) as one of its "Dirty Dozen" associa ... More >>

English-Only Driver's License Tests in Missouri? House Committee Says Yes

Image via​A committee of the Missouri House of Representatives has approved a bill requiring that driver's license testing be conducted in English -- and only in English -- sending the measure on to the full House for its vote.The House Transportation Committee yesterday voted 8-3 for the bill, fo ... More >>

MO House Hearings on Prop B Repeal Continue Today

Jennifer SilverbergCowboy, pictured here with his owner Floyd Dunlap, spent most of his life in the kind of puppy mill that would be made illegal by Prop B. State lawmakers are now seeking to gut the voter-approved initiative.​At 11 a.m. today, the Missouri House of Representatives will continue i ... More >>

The potentially explosive "shake-and-bake" method is burning its way through meth land

The Humane Society and big agriculture slug it out over animal rights

Hey, Uncle Sam, Missourah Goes All Constitutional On Your Ass!

Image viaSelf-explanatory.​The Missouri House of Representatives today endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to invoke the 10th Amendment right here in the fine Show-Me State. When it comes to hate crimes, abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage, health-care reform, church 'n state, home-s ... More >>

Missouri Representatives "Draw A Line in the Sand" On Federal Health Care Reform

Image Via Do not snort this line​The Missouri House of Representatives has launched a preemptive strike against Obamacare, passing legislation intended to make sure the Show-Me State is not affected by any federal health care reform efforts.Yesterday, the House approved a state constitution ... More >>

Tax-Exempt Missouri Yacht Buyers Might Be Drowned by Bills

Wikimedia CommonsAhoy, Jeff City! Days may be numbered for yacht owners' tax exemptions.​OK, what's more surprising about this scoop from the Kansas City Star? A) that Missouri is home to some 16,000 yachts, or, B) that none of 'em are subject to state sales taxes.The Star reports that as Jeff Cit ... More >>

Missouri's Pettis County Bans K2 Synthetic Marijuana

Image via Wikipedia​Let the fake reefer madness continue: Pettis County -- located about 75 miles southwest of Columbia -- became the first municipality in America to ban the synthetic marijuana product K2 yesterday.The AP picked up the story this morning from the Sedalia Democrat:Prosecuting Atto ... More >>

Has Republican State Rep. Mike Cunningham Proposed a Bill to Save Christmas?

house.mo.gov/gallery/010203-142.jpgThe Missouri House of Representatives in Jefferson City​Missouri formally recognizes only four public holidays. Martin Luther King Day and Columbus Day, you're already familiar with. Jefferson Day (April 13) or Lincoln Day (February 12), perhaps not. And that's i ... More >>

Butt Heads: At the State Capitol, a Different Set of Smoking Rules Applies

Missouri House Considers Barring Felons From Bail Bond Industry

It's the final week of the legislative session in Jeff City. This usually means two things: it's the final chance for passage of important and controversial laws related to issues like education (merit-based pay for teachers at St. Louis public schools anyone?), and the time when pet/pork/grand ... More >>

Missouri House Votes To Let College Students Pack Heat Along With Textbooks

Employing the same sort of logic that St. Louis alderman Quincy Troupe used when he suggested earlier this year that every north St. Louisan should pack a pistol in order protect themselves from crime, the Missouri House of Representatives gave final passage yesterday to an amendment that would allo ... More >>

Perverts Beware: St. Louis area police have your number

Red Alert: Everything they really don't want you to know about those pesky traffic-light cameras

Libertarians shun Chief Wana Dubie.

Critics say he's just blowing smoke.

Dubie vs. Blunt

Cedric the Keggler

Bring Back Juneteenth!

Curtis Faulkner wants to throw a $2 million party celebrating the end of slavery — and he wants you to pay for it.

Using Their Noodle

Ever catch a 50-pound catfish with your bare hands? He has. So has his dad. And his granddad. And his aunts.

Under-represented

Dustin Mitchell is anything you want him to be

Choke the Chicken

Adult businesses fear the "Smut Shop" bill will tax them into oblivion

Bush Strikes Out

Our commander in chief takes to the mound, Missouri gets its very own dinosaur, an Old Kid on the Block remembers when he was New, and Unreal learns a little something about love and basketball

Get on the Good Foot

Breakin' it down old-school

You Don't Know Dick

He's for tort reform but takes trial lawyers' money and sues docs

Power Play

California's troubles slowed deregulation here, but Ameren is preparing to turn up the juice

Letters

Week of February 28, 2001

Hunting for the Smoking Gun

An Alabama lawyer with St. Louis ties takes on big oil

Golden Heart

The late Gov. Mel Carnahan was a political warrior who had the right priorities in life

Easy Money

Developers like the Sansone Group are using a state law to rake in millions of tax dollars for retail projects in the burbs. Trouble is, the legislation was designed to help blighted inner cities.

Felonies and Misdemeanors

Alarm Clock

With the implementation of term limits just four years away, Missouri Pro-Vote is looking for a few good men and women to consider entering politics