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The budget bills come as the Missouri Senate is expected to make changes to the House’s legislation. Senators have expressed frustration at the House taking what they believe is longer than normal on the budget with only six weeks left in the 2022 session.
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Republicans voted down Democratic amendments for transportation aid and a $100 million boost to higher education campuses.
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On the last day before the legislature takes a week off, the House also passed legislation including banning discrimination in schools against traditionally Black hairstyles and creating nurseries in women’s prisons.
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The Democrat, who represents part of St. Louis, spoke on what he believes is a more fractious than usual legislature. He also delved into the Missouri budget, including the Senate’s decision to fully restore funding for state employee raises.
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The Missouri House also passed a resolution that makes several changes to the state’s initiative petition process. It would make it tougher for proposed amendments to the state’s constitution to make it on the ballot and for voters to pass them.
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The original supplemental budget bill included both a 5.5% cost-of-living adjustment and a baseline of $15 an hour for all state employees. Now, those across-the-board raises are out.
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The emergency supplemental budget also includes almost $2 billion in federal money for schools and funding for Missouri’s Medicaid program.
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The map keeps Missouri’s congressional makeup intact, with six Republican seats and two Democratic ones. The plan now goes to the Senate.
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Missouri governor demanded the investigation of a journalist who alerted the state to a website security flaw, pegging the cost to the state at $50 million. Democrats say that number is unrealistic, and it’s not clear what the money would be used for.
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Despite the Missouri House taking action to override four of Gov. Mike Parson’s vetoes, the Senate did not, so the vetoes stand.