After spending most of Training Camp in St. Joseph recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson returned to practice last week.  

Watson played through most of last season with a shoulder injury, choosing not to sit out.  

Since returning from the physically unable to perform list near the end of camp, his first practice coming at the start of last week, Watson says it's been a challenge 

"You know the coach is pushing me to get my conditioning back, get my legs back, so it's been going good as of late," Watson tells reporters following practice. 

Watson is competing with players like Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson to earn the number two cornerback spot behind Trent McDuffie.

Watson says the competition has been fun, but it's nothing new.  

"We've been doing this for three years, it's always been healthy competition, we always root for each other's success, and whoever is going to take the spot is going to be willing of it," Watson says. 

On top of a battle for the second cornerback spot, another battle has caught the eyes of fans during Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph.  

The battle for the starting left tackle between second year pro Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia has been one of the biggest camp battles.  

Suamataia got his first bit of game action on Saturday against the Jaguars and says he feels good about his performance 

"I went against one of the pass rushers in the league Josh Allen, he's a dog I've watched him since I was in college and high school, so it was a great experience," Suamataia says. "It's funny, I went against this guy, and I was like 'Ok I belong here, I can play with these guys', but I just can't wait for Detroit now." 

With Morris currently injured, Suamataia has been getting most of the reps with the first team offense and does look poised to earn the starting job.  

The Chiefs were on the practice fields for just over two hours today.  They practice again tomorrow at 9:15.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723574554305.jpeg" alt="Chiefs fans have been treated to several players competing to win a spot at their position during Chiefs Training Camp/ Photo by Alexis Starks" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs fans have been treated to several players competing to win a spot at their position during Chiefs Training Camp/ Photo by Alexis Starks</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post After spending most of Training Camp in St. Joseph recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson returned to practice last week. Watson played through most of last season with a shoulder injury, choosing not to sit out. Since returning from the physically unable to perform list near the end of camp, his first practice coming at the start of last week, Watson says it's been a challenge "You know the coach is pushing me to get my conditioning back, get my legs back, so it's been going good as of late," Watson tells reporters following practice. Watson is competing with players like Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson to earn the number two cornerback spot behind Trent McDuffie.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723574620919.jpeg" alt="Joshua Wiliams, one player competing for the second cornerback spot, walks down the hill to practice/ Photo by Alexis Starks" />
 <figcaption>Joshua Wiliams, one player competing for the second cornerback spot, walks down the hill to practice/ Photo by Alexis Starks</figcaption>
 </figure>Watson says the competition has been fun, but it's nothing new. "We've been doing this for three years, it's always been healthy competition, we always root for each other's success, and whoever is going to take the spot is going to be willing of it," Watson says. On top of a battle for the second cornerback spot, another battle has caught the eyes of fans during Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph. The battle for the starting left tackle between second year pro Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia has been one of the biggest camp battles. Suamataia got his first bit of game action on Saturday against the Jaguars and says he feels good about his performance "I went against one of the pass rushers in the league Josh Allen, he's a dog I've watched him since I was in college and high school, so it was a great experience," Suamataia says. "It's funny, I went against this guy, and I was like 'Ok I belong here, I can play with these guys', but I just can't wait for Detroit now." With Morris currently injured, Suamataia has been getting most of the reps with the first team offense and does look poised to earn the starting job. The Chiefs were on the practice fields for just over two hours today. They practice again tomorrow at 9:15.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721759260951.jpeg" alt="Kingsley Suamataia signs autographs for fans/ Photo by Alexis Starks" />
 <figcaption>Kingsley Suamataia signs autographs for fans/ Photo by Alexis Starks</figcaption>
 </figure>

Chiefs fans see position battles play out during Training Camp in St. Joseph

The ballot question was among four citizen-led measures certified by the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office for the November ballot

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Abortion will be on Missouri’s statewide ballot in November.

A citizen-led initiative petition hoping to enshrine the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability received final approval Tuesday, securing a place on the general election ballot.&nbsp;

The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office had until 5 p.m. to certify all ballot measures that received enough verified signatures to qualify. It certified the measures as sufficient&nbsp;hours before that deadline. Also certified to be on the November ballot were proposals to legalize sports wagering and raise the minimum wage.&nbsp;

In Missouri, the first state to ban abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure two years ago, abortion is expected to be a focal point of the general election campaign.

Missouri is among&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/24/abortion-state-laws-criminalization-roe/" target="_blank">18 states with an abortion ban</a>, and among several states working to put abortion on the ballot. In each state that put the issue on the ballot, citizens ultimately choose to protect the procedure.

Abortion is illegal in Missouri, with limited exceptions only in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.

If the amendment receives more than 50% of votes in approval, the measure would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, an undefined period of time generally seen as the point in which the fetus could survive outside the womb on its own, generally around 24 weeks, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acog.org/advocacy/facts-are-important/understanding-and-navigating-viability#:~:text=Later%20in%20pregnancy%2C%20a%20clinician,fully%20develop%20in%20the%20uterus." target="_blank">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.&nbsp;</a>

Such an amendment would return Missouri to the standard of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which also legalized abortion up to the point of fetal viability. Missouri’s amendment also includes exceptions after viability&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">“to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”</a>

Missouri’s amendment also states that women and those performing or assisting in abortions cannot be prosecuted. Under current Missouri law, doctors who perform abortions deemed unnecessary can be charged with a class B felony and face up to 15 years in prison. Their medical license can also be suspended or revoked.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the coalition leading the reproductive-rights campaigns, is headed by Abortion Action Missouri, the ACLU of Missouri and the state’s Planned Parenthood affiliates.&nbsp;

A decade ago, when abortion was still legal with fewer limitations, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in the state, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. But by 2020, that number dropped to 167 due to a series of “targeted regulation of abortion providers” laws passed, including a mandatory&nbsp;72-hour waiting period between the initial appointment and a surgical abortion and mandatory pelvic exams for medication abortions.

Since the Supreme Court decision in June 2022&nbsp;through March 2024, there were 64 abortions performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;

<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute,&nbsp;</a>a reproductive rights research group, showed that in 2023 alone, 8,710 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 2,860 Missourians went to Kansas for the procedure, which remains legal in both states.&nbsp;

Despite the relative proximity to clinics in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis and the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City, abortion access for Missourians has remained precarious at best.

Missourians hoping for abortions have increasingly found themselves competing for limited resources — including abortion funds and clinic appointment openings — especially as more southern states have outlawed the procedure, making Illinois and Kansas critical access points for women in states like Florida, Oklahoma and Texas.&nbsp;

This has led many Missourians to increasingly rely on self-managed medication abortions. Rather than traveling across state lines, it’s estimated that thousands of Missourians received Mifepristone and Misoprostol to end their pregnancies at home in the past two years according to&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2816817?utm_campaign=articlePDF&amp;utm_medium=articlePDFlink&amp;utm_source=articlePDF&amp;utm_content=jama.2024.4266" target="_blank">JAMA, the American Medical Association’s journal.</a>

The initial attempt to place abortion on the ballot began in March 2023.&nbsp;

Legal fights with Republican state officials over the ballot language and internal disagreements on whether to include a viability ban stalled signature gathering attempts until January.&nbsp;

As a result, the coalition had just 90 days to fundraise and collect signatures across the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers were prioritizing an attempt to raise the threshold for approving citizen-led ballot measures. After a series of Senate filibusters, including one that<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/14/missouri-senate-filibuster-day-two-initiative-petitions/">&nbsp;broke records at 41 hours</a>, the legislation failed on the final day of session.&nbsp;

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/missouri-session-initiative-petition-senate/">Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher&nbsp;</a>on the day of adjournment said that if abortion made it to the ballot and then passed in November under the current initiative petition guidelines, “the burden of abortion falls squarely on the Senate and its leadership.”

Despite these obstacles, the initiative petition garnered wide support across the state.&nbsp;

As of July, the campaign raised nearly $7.3 million in donations, according to filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom turned in 380,000 signatures by their May deadline, including from each of Missouri’s 114 counties. To qualify for the ballot, they had to get signatures from 8% of registered voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts, which equates to about 171,000 signatures.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As of mid-July, the campaign had turned in more than enough valid signatures to land on the ballot, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/abortion-minimum-wage-campaigns-missouri-ballot/">preliminary records from Missouri election authorities.</a>

Once all verified signatures were turned in by election authorities in late July, the secretary of state’s office had two weeks to determine whether there were any final issues, like duplicate pages or missing affidavits signed by circulators.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723570570886.png" alt=" Attendees cheer during a Missourians for Constitutional Freedom rally after the campaign turned in more than 380,000 signatures for its initiative petition to enshrine abortion rights in Missouri’s constitution Friday morning (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Attendees cheer during a Missourians for Constitutional Freedom rally after the campaign turned in more than 380,000 signatures for its initiative petition to enshrine abortion rights in Missouri’s constitution Friday morning (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The ballot question was among four citizen-led measures certified by the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office for the November ballot</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Abortion will be on Missouri’s statewide ballot in November.A citizen-led initiative petition hoping to enshrine the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability received final approval Tuesday, securing a place on the general election ballot.&nbsp;The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office had until 5 p.m. to certify all ballot measures that received enough verified signatures to qualify. It certified the measures as sufficient&nbsp;hours before that deadline. Also certified to be on the November ballot were proposals to legalize sports wagering and raise the minimum wage.&nbsp;In Missouri, the first state to ban abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure two years ago, abortion is expected to be a focal point of the general election campaign.Missouri is among&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/24/abortion-state-laws-criminalization-roe/" target="_blank">18 states with an abortion ban</a>, and among several states working to put abortion on the ballot. In each state that put the issue on the ballot, citizens ultimately choose to protect the procedure.<h2>What would the amendment do?</h2>Abortion is illegal in Missouri, with limited exceptions only in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest.If the amendment receives more than 50% of votes in approval, the measure would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability, an undefined period of time generally seen as the point in which the fetus could survive outside the womb on its own, generally around 24 weeks, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acog.org/advocacy/facts-are-important/understanding-and-navigating-viability#:~:text=Later%20in%20pregnancy%2C%20a%20clinician,fully%20develop%20in%20the%20uterus." target="_blank">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.&nbsp;</a>Such an amendment would return Missouri to the standard of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which also legalized abortion up to the point of fetal viability. Missouri’s amendment also includes exceptions after viability&nbsp;<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">“to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”</a>Missouri’s amendment also states that women and those performing or assisting in abortions cannot be prosecuted. Under current Missouri law, doctors who perform abortions deemed unnecessary can be charged with a class B felony and face up to 15 years in prison. Their medical license can also be suspended or revoked.Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the coalition leading the reproductive-rights campaigns, is headed by Abortion Action Missouri, the ACLU of Missouri and the state’s Planned Parenthood affiliates.&nbsp;A decade ago, when abortion was still legal with fewer limitations, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in the state, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. But by 2020, that number dropped to 167 due to a series of “targeted regulation of abortion providers” laws passed, including a mandatory&nbsp;72-hour waiting period between the initial appointment and a surgical abortion and mandatory pelvic exams for medication abortions.Since the Supreme Court decision in June 2022&nbsp;through March 2024, there were 64 abortions performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.&nbsp;<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">A recent study by the Guttmacher Institute,&nbsp;</a>a reproductive rights research group, showed that in 2023 alone, 8,710 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 2,860 Missourians went to Kansas for the procedure, which remains legal in both states.&nbsp;Despite the relative proximity to clinics in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis and the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City, abortion access for Missourians has remained precarious at best.Missourians hoping for abortions have increasingly found themselves competing for limited resources — including abortion funds and clinic appointment openings — especially as more southern states have outlawed the procedure, making Illinois and Kansas critical access points for women in states like Florida, Oklahoma and Texas.&nbsp;This has led many Missourians to increasingly rely on self-managed medication abortions. Rather than traveling across state lines, it’s estimated that thousands of Missourians received Mifepristone and Misoprostol to end their pregnancies at home in the past two years according to&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2816817?utm_campaign=articlePDF&amp;utm_medium=articlePDFlink&amp;utm_source=articlePDF&amp;utm_content=jama.2024.4266" target="_blank">JAMA, the American Medical Association’s journal.</a><h2>Wide support despite initial delays</h2>The initial attempt to place abortion on the ballot began in March 2023.&nbsp;Legal fights with Republican state officials over the ballot language and internal disagreements on whether to include a viability ban stalled signature gathering attempts until January.&nbsp;As a result, the coalition had just 90 days to fundraise and collect signatures across the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers were prioritizing an attempt to raise the threshold for approving citizen-led ballot measures. After a series of Senate filibusters, including one that<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/14/missouri-senate-filibuster-day-two-initiative-petitions/">&nbsp;broke records at 41 hours</a>, the legislation failed on the final day of session.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/17/missouri-session-initiative-petition-senate/">Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher&nbsp;</a>on the day of adjournment said that if abortion made it to the ballot and then passed in November under the current initiative petition guidelines, “the burden of abortion falls squarely on the Senate and its leadership.”Despite these obstacles, the initiative petition garnered wide support across the state.&nbsp;As of July, the campaign raised nearly $7.3 million in donations, according to filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission.Missourians for Constitutional Freedom turned in 380,000 signatures by their May deadline, including from each of Missouri’s 114 counties. To qualify for the ballot, they had to get signatures from 8% of registered voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts, which equates to about 171,000 signatures.&nbsp;&nbsp;As of mid-July, the campaign had turned in more than enough valid signatures to land on the ballot, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/abortion-minimum-wage-campaigns-missouri-ballot/">preliminary records from Missouri election authorities.</a>Once all verified signatures were turned in by election authorities in late July, the secretary of state’s office had two weeks to determine whether there were any final issues, like duplicate pages or missing affidavits signed by circulators.&nbsp;

Missouri voters will decide whether to legalize abortion in November

 The 2024-2025 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report is calling for larger corn supplies, lower domestic use, greater exports, and smaller ending stocks. Corn production is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, 47 million higher than last month. Ending stocks are forecast down 24 million bushels to 2.1 billion. The season-average corn price dropped a dime to $4.20 a bushel. 

The outlook for soybeans includes higher production, exports, and ending stocks. Production is forecast at 4.6 billion bushels, 154 million higher than in July. Ending stocks are forecast at 560 million bushels, 125 million more than last month. The season-average soybean price dropped 30 cents to $10.80 per bushel. 

The wheat outlook is for lower supplies, slightly higher domestic use, unchanged exports, and smaller ending stocks. Projected ending stocks are down 28 million bushels. The season-average farm price is unchanged from last month at $5.70 per bushel.

The 2024-2025 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report is calling for larger corn supplies, lower domestic use, greater exports, and smaller ending stocks. Corn production is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, 47 million higher than last month. Ending stocks are forecast down 24 million bushels to 2.1 billion. The season-average corn price dropped a dime to $4.20 a bushel. The outlook for soybeans includes higher production, exports, and ending stocks. Production is forecast at 4.6 billion bushels, 154 million higher than in July. Ending stocks are forecast at 560 million bushels, 125 million more than last month. The season-average soybean price dropped 30 cents to $10.80 per bushel. The wheat outlook is for lower supplies, slightly higher domestic use, unchanged exports, and smaller ending stocks. Projected ending stocks are down 28 million bushels. The season-average farm price is unchanged from last month at $5.70 per bushel.-NAFB

August WASDE calls for lower corn, higher soybean ending stocks

Senate Agriculture Committee members Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve its process for the electronic submission and retention of foreign-owned farmland disclosures. The bi-partisan letter, signed by a bevy of other senators, follows alleged inaccuracies posted online by the Farm Service Agency, pursuant to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act.  

The senators wrote to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, “The current practice of manual data entry, including the re-typing of paper-filed reports into FSA systems, can lead to the publication of problematic and inaccurate information,” 

Senate Agriculture Committee members Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve its process for the electronic submission and retention of foreign-owned farmland disclosures. The bi-partisan letter, signed by a bevy of other senators, follows alleged inaccuracies posted online by the Farm Service Agency, pursuant to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act. The senators wrote to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, “The current practice of manual data entry, including the re-typing of paper-filed reports into FSA systems, can lead to the publication of problematic and inaccurate information,”

FSA under fire for AFIDA mishandling

By RUDI KELLER &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The ballot language written by lawmakers for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=433" target="_blank">proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;stating&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/04/already-outlawed-in-missouri-noncitizen-voting-ban-will-appear-on-statewide-ballot/">“only citizens of the United States”</a>&nbsp;can vote and banning ranked-choice voting is fair and should be on the Nov. 5 ballot without changes, a Cole County judge ruled Monday.

The “fair ballot language” summary written by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft also correctly conveys the central features of the measure, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/petitions/2024BallotMeasures" target="_blank">will be Amendment 7</a>&nbsp;on the ballot, Circuit Judge Cotton Walker wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Judgment_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=19&amp;di=3257565" target="_blank">an 11-page decision</a>.

The summary statement for the proposal, Walker wrote, “is not untrue or partial, and it does not use language that is intentionally argumentative or likely to create prejudice for the measure nor does it incorrectly describe SJR78.”

Two voters, one from St. Louis and one from Webster Groves, sued over the language, arguing that it is imprecise in its references to the current legal status of non-citizen voting and omits the fact that it is currently illegal in Missouri for non-citizens to vote. The lawsuit named legislative leaders and Ashcroft as defendants in their official capacity for the 50-word summary written by lawmakers and the language intended to give a full description written by Ashcroft.

While the attorneys defending the language wouldn’t give a definitive answer on whether non-citizens can currently vote during the July 29 trial, Walker noted, “the court doubts whether the defendants or their counsel actually believe that non-citizens are currently allowed to vote.”

Lawmakers voted to put the measure on the ballot when they were unable to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/05/as-few-as-1-in-5-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-senate-proposal/">a more controversial proposal</a>&nbsp;to change how a majority is calculated on constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition.&nbsp;

That measure also included the provisions barring non-citizens from voting.

The ban on ranked-choice voting is a reaction to a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/16/ranked-choice-voting-proposal-may-miss-missouri-ballot-campaign-says/">failed 2022 initiative</a>&nbsp;to institute the process where voters are allowed to designate candidates as their second and third choices for an office, with votes for candidates who have the fewest votes distributed to their other choices in races where no candidate receives a majority.

The language written by lawmakers asks whether the constitution should be amended to:

The first bullet point “conveys the feature without bias, prejudice, deception or favoritism,” Walker wrote in his ruling.&nbsp;

The challengers wanted “state statute” substituted for “state law” in the first point because a statute currently requires anyone registering to vote to state whether they are a citizen.

“The court does not believe a reasonable voter will be misled or deceived into what the measure will do or that the word ‘law’ is unfair and insufficient as it is used as synonym for ‘state statute’,” Walker wrote.

Missouri allowed non-citizens to vote from 1865 to 1924, when an amendment proposed by a state Constitutional Convention&nbsp;<a href="https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/12864/rec/25" target="_blank">passed with 53.5% of the vote</a>.

The language describing provisions on how elections should be run is also fair, Walker said. He rejected arguments that it should include a reference to a carve-out allowing St. Louis to continue&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/28/st-louis-candidates-mayor-nonpartisan-primary/">using “approval voting” in local elections</a>&nbsp;or that voters might think it allows only one candidate per office in the general election.

“The court does not believe,” Walker wrote, “that any voter will be misled into thinking that when casting future ballots if (the proposal) is adopted, that they can only vote for one specific person on the ballot and no others.”

The decision came a day before Ashcroft is required to certify whether&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/abortion-minimum-wage-campaigns-missouri-ballot/">four measures proposed by initiative</a>&nbsp;had enough signatures to make the ballot. Three measures, to secure abortion rights, legalize sports wagering and allow a new casino near the Lake of the Ozarks, would amend the constitution. The fourth, to increase the minimum wage and require employers to provide paid personal leave, would amend state statute.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723565113046.png" alt=" Ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment banning non-citizen and ranked-choice voting will not be changed, a judge ruled Monday (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment banning non-citizen and ranked-choice voting will not be changed, a judge ruled Monday (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>By RUDI KELLER &nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>The ballot language written by lawmakers for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=433" target="_blank">proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;stating&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/04/already-outlawed-in-missouri-noncitizen-voting-ban-will-appear-on-statewide-ballot/">“only citizens of the United States”</a>&nbsp;can vote and banning ranked-choice voting is fair and should be on the Nov. 5 ballot without changes, a Cole County judge ruled Monday.The “fair ballot language” summary written by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft also correctly conveys the central features of the measure, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/petitions/2024BallotMeasures" target="_blank">will be Amendment 7</a>&nbsp;on the ballot, Circuit Judge Cotton Walker wrote in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Judgment_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=19&amp;di=3257565" target="_blank">an 11-page decision</a>.The summary statement for the proposal, Walker wrote, “is not untrue or partial, and it does not use language that is intentionally argumentative or likely to create prejudice for the measure nor does it incorrectly describe SJR78.”Two voters, one from St. Louis and one from Webster Groves, sued over the language, arguing that it is imprecise in its references to the current legal status of non-citizen voting and omits the fact that it is currently illegal in Missouri for non-citizens to vote. The lawsuit named legislative leaders and Ashcroft as defendants in their official capacity for the 50-word summary written by lawmakers and the language intended to give a full description written by Ashcroft.While the attorneys defending the language wouldn’t give a definitive answer on whether non-citizens can currently vote during the July 29 trial, Walker noted, “the court doubts whether the defendants or their counsel actually believe that non-citizens are currently allowed to vote.”Lawmakers voted to put the measure on the ballot when they were unable to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/05/as-few-as-1-in-5-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-senate-proposal/">a more controversial proposal</a>&nbsp;to change how a majority is calculated on constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition.&nbsp;That measure also included the provisions barring non-citizens from voting.The ban on ranked-choice voting is a reaction to a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/16/ranked-choice-voting-proposal-may-miss-missouri-ballot-campaign-says/">failed 2022 initiative</a>&nbsp;to institute the process where voters are allowed to designate candidates as their second and third choices for an office, with votes for candidates who have the fewest votes distributed to their other choices in races where no candidate receives a majority.The language written by lawmakers asks whether the constitution should be amended to:<ul>
 <li>Make the Constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote;</li><li>Prohibit the ranking of candidates by limiting voters to a single vote per candidate or issue; and</li><li>Require the plurality winner of a political party primary to be the single candidate at a general election?</li>
 </ul>The first bullet point “conveys the feature without bias, prejudice, deception or favoritism,” Walker wrote in his ruling.&nbsp;The challengers wanted “state statute” substituted for “state law” in the first point because a statute currently requires anyone registering to vote to state whether they are a citizen.“The court does not believe a reasonable voter will be misled or deceived into what the measure will do or that the word ‘law’ is unfair and insufficient as it is used as synonym for ‘state statute’,” Walker wrote.Missouri allowed non-citizens to vote from 1865 to 1924, when an amendment proposed by a state Constitutional Convention&nbsp;<a href="https://mdh.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/bluebook/id/12864/rec/25" target="_blank">passed with 53.5% of the vote</a>.The language describing provisions on how elections should be run is also fair, Walker said. He rejected arguments that it should include a reference to a carve-out allowing St. Louis to continue&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/02/28/st-louis-candidates-mayor-nonpartisan-primary/">using “approval voting” in local elections</a>&nbsp;or that voters might think it allows only one candidate per office in the general election.“The court does not believe,” Walker wrote, “that any voter will be misled into thinking that when casting future ballots if (the proposal) is adopted, that they can only vote for one specific person on the ballot and no others.”The decision came a day before Ashcroft is required to certify whether&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/abortion-minimum-wage-campaigns-missouri-ballot/">four measures proposed by initiative</a>&nbsp;had enough signatures to make the ballot. Three measures, to secure abortion rights, legalize sports wagering and allow a new casino near the Lake of the Ozarks, would amend the constitution. The fourth, to increase the minimum wage and require employers to provide paid personal leave, would amend state statute.

Judge upholds ballot language to ban noncitizen voting, already illegal in Missouri

(Radio Iowa) - A writer of historical fiction from the West Coast will make several appearances in Iowa this week to launch her latest novel, which takes place in eastern Iowa more than a century ago. 

Rachel Fordham, who lives in Washington state, has set many or her books in Iowa. "Beyond Ivy Walls" follows a young woman in 1903 who lives in the town of Monticello and works in a feather duster plant, which Fordham says was a real factory at that time. She says extensive research is key, as helpful folks at the Monticello library were able to connect Fordham with a descendant of the factory's owners, and others, who knew a wealth of information about the town's history. 

The author will make stops over the next several days at libraries and book stores in Anamosa, Monticello, Iowa City and Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) - A writer of historical fiction from the West Coast will make several appearances in Iowa this week to launch her latest novel, which takes place in eastern Iowa more than a century ago. Rachel Fordham, who lives in Washington state, has set many or her books in Iowa. "Beyond Ivy Walls" follows a young woman in 1903 who lives in the town of Monticello and works in a feather duster plant, which Fordham says was a real factory at that time. She says extensive research is key, as helpful folks at the Monticello library were able to connect Fordham with a descendant of the factory's owners, and others, who knew a wealth of information about the town's history. The author will make stops over the next several days at libraries and book stores in Anamosa, Monticello, Iowa City and Des Moines.

Small town Iowa is setting for new novel, as well as locale for book's launch

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man and woman now have been charged in connection with a knife assault on Aug. 5, 2024, on a KCATA public bus as it ran its route with multiple passengers, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Shaunte L. Washington faces Assault in the 1st Degree and Mohummah S. Baker faces Assault in the 1st Degree.

According to court records, Washington boarded a KCATA bus and began wielding a knife and making threatening stabbing motions toward another female passenger. The victim confronted Washington and&nbsp; Baker t struck the victim several times with a fist. Washington then began stabbing the victim. One stab wound severed an artery.&nbsp;

Prosecutors asked for $75,000/10 percent bonds for each defendant..

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723558799265.png" alt="Washington-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Washington-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man and woman now have been charged in connection with a knife assault on Aug. 5, 2024, on a KCATA public bus as it ran its route with multiple passengers, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Shaunte L. Washington faces Assault in the 1st Degree and Mohummah S. Baker faces Assault in the 1st Degree.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723558924081.png" alt="Baker photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Baker photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>According to court records, Washington boarded a KCATA bus and began wielding a knife and making threatening stabbing motions toward another female passenger. The victim confronted Washington and&nbsp; Baker t struck the victim several times with a fist. Washington then began stabbing the victim. One stab wound severed an artery.&nbsp;Prosecutors asked for $75,000/10 percent bonds for each defendant..

2 charged for knife attack on Kansas City bus 

NEW YORK — Donald Trump discussed the assassination attempt,&nbsp; shared a plan to shut down the U.S. Education Department and much more during an online visit with&nbsp;X, formerly Twitter, owner Elon Musk Monday evening.&nbsp;

The  conversation had technical glitches but was viewed by over a billion, according to Musk.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723512136730.png" alt="Photo by Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Deputy Director of Communications, Donald J. Trump for President&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK — Donald Trump discussed the assassination attempt,&nbsp; shared a plan to shut down the U.S. Education Department and much more during an online visit with&nbsp;X, formerly Twitter, owner Elon Musk Monday evening.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/cPUMFx9Qu5">pic.twitter.com/cPUMFx9Qu5</a>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1823254086126608862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The conversation had technical glitches but was viewed by over a billion, according to Musk.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Combined views of the conversation with <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> and subsequent discussion by other accounts now ~1 billion <a href="https://t.co/s8x8QmdmnY">https://t.co/s8x8QmdmnY</a>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1823249070296797515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 A billion combined views: The Trump-Musk full conversation

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The next personalized license plate will feature the Flint Hills design after more than 30,000 Kansans&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/05/kansas-invites-voting-on-five-design-options-for-states-new-personalized-license-plate/">voted among five potential designs</a>.

Kansas Department of Revenue spokesman Zach Denny said the design was the “clear favorite,” receiving more than 56% of the vote.

The new design will be ready for purchase in 2025 for $45.50 at county treasurer’s offices.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/press/2020/pr01132020.html" target="_blank">“Powering the Future”</a>&nbsp;personalized plate, the 2020 design that featured a sunset and wind turbines, will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2025. Kansans with the “Powering the Future” plate must replace their plate during their next renewal period to keep their personalized plate text, Denny said.

“We know how passionate Kansans are about license plates, and this initiative aims to give the public a direct say in selecting the next personalized plate design that will be featured on vehicles across the state for years to come,” KDOR Division of Vehicles director David Harper said in a statement at the beginning of the vote.

The new personalized plate, which is available along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/dovplates.html" target="_blank">many distinctive plates</a>, comes after last year’s controversy around the standard plate design.

The first design for the state’s new standard plate was met with bipartisan criticism, with complaints that it looked too much like the University of Missouri’s colors and that it looked like the state of New York’s standard plate. Gov. Laura Kelly pulled the plate from production and allowed Kansans to vote on alternate designs. More than half the votes went to a design featuring the state Capitol.

As of January 2024, KDOR started to replace the old standard plate with the new one.

A KDOR statement said feedback during the voting process for the standard plate led to the decision to hold another vote for the personalized plate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723474905874.png" alt="&nbsp;Kansans voted for the new personalized license plate, with the design of the Flint Hills winning more than 56% of the vote.&nbsp; (Kansas Department of Revenue)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Kansans voted for the new personalized license plate, with the design of the Flint Hills winning more than 56% of the vote.&nbsp; (Kansas Department of Revenue)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a> TOPEKA — The next personalized license plate will feature the Flint Hills design after more than 30,000 Kansans&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/05/kansas-invites-voting-on-five-design-options-for-states-new-personalized-license-plate/">voted among five potential designs</a>.Kansas Department of Revenue spokesman Zach Denny said the design was the “clear favorite,” receiving more than 56% of the vote.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723544227052.png" alt=" The Kansas Department of Revenue is had Kansans take part in an online vote to select a new background for the state’s personalized license plates. There were five options. (Kansas Department of Revenue)" />
 <figcaption> The Kansas Department of Revenue is had Kansans take part in an online vote to select a new background for the state’s personalized license plates. There were five options. (Kansas Department of Revenue)</figcaption>
 </figure>The new design will be ready for purchase in 2025 for $45.50 at county treasurer’s offices.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/press/2020/pr01132020.html" target="_blank">“Powering the Future”</a>&nbsp;personalized plate, the 2020 design that featured a sunset and wind turbines, will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2025. Kansans with the “Powering the Future” plate must replace their plate during their next renewal period to keep their personalized plate text, Denny said.“We know how passionate Kansans are about license plates, and this initiative aims to give the public a direct say in selecting the next personalized plate design that will be featured on vehicles across the state for years to come,” KDOR Division of Vehicles director David Harper said in a statement at the beginning of the vote.The new personalized plate, which is available along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevenue.gov/dovplates.html" target="_blank">many distinctive plates</a>, comes after last year’s controversy around the standard plate design.The first design for the state’s new standard plate was met with bipartisan criticism, with complaints that it looked too much like the University of Missouri’s colors and that it looked like the state of New York’s standard plate. Gov. Laura Kelly pulled the plate from production and allowed Kansans to vote on alternate designs. More than half the votes went to a design featuring the state Capitol.As of January 2024, KDOR started to replace the old standard plate with the new one.A KDOR statement said feedback during the voting process for the standard plate led to the decision to hold another vote for the personalized plate.

Kansas reveals winning personalized license plate design

&nbsp;Perrigo Company plc is issuing a voluntary recall at the retailer and warehouse level of three lots within one batch, or 16,500 cans, of store brand Premium Infant Formula with Iron Milk-Based Powder due to levels of Vitamin D above the maximum level permitted, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration.&nbsp;

The recalled product was shipped to H-E-B Grocery Company, LP in TX ; and CVS Missouri, Florida, California, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. No other products or retailers are impacted by this recall.

The Company is initiating this voluntary recall in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There have been no reports of adverse events to date attributed to the elevated levels of Vitamin D in the product subject to this recall, which was determined through routine testing.

For the vast majority of infants, short-term consumption of the affected lot codes is unlikely to cause adverse health implications. In a small subset of physiologically vulnerable infants (e.g., impaired renal function), there is the potential that consumption of the recalled product could result in health complications. Parents and caregivers who may have purchased the product should look for the lot codes below with “use by” dates, which can be found on the bottom of the package and should contact their health care provider if they have any concerns.

Perrigo has taken immediate action by notifying H-E-B Grocery Company, LP and CVS directly and asking them to examine their retail and warehouse inventory and isolate the product.

Product shipped to CVS beginning February 6, 2024, being recalled:

T11LMYC – USE BY 11NOV2025(Material: 975261, UPC: 050428318034)

Product shipped to H-E-B Grocery Company, LP beginning February 2, 2024, being recalled:

T11LMXC – USE BY 11NOV2025T09LMXC – USE BY 09NOV2025(Material: 788362, UPC: 041220164578)

No other lot codes are impacted by this recall.

If infants experience any symptoms while using the product, report them to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm">www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm</a>. Additionally, please contact your healthcare provider.

Any questions or concerns regarding the recall or adverse events associated with these lot codes can be communicated to Perrigo Consumer Affairs at 1-800-538-9543, M-F from 8:00am-5:00pm EST.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723490770406.png" alt="Photo FDA" />
 <figcaption>Photo FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Perrigo Company plc is issuing a voluntary recall at the retailer and warehouse level of three lots within one batch, or 16,500 cans, of store brand Premium Infant Formula with Iron Milk-Based Powder due to levels of Vitamin D above the maximum level permitted, according to a statement from the Food and Drug Administration.&nbsp;The recalled product was shipped to H-E-B Grocery Company, LP in TX ; and CVS Missouri, Florida, California, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. No other products or retailers are impacted by this recall.The Company is initiating this voluntary recall in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There have been no reports of adverse events to date attributed to the elevated levels of Vitamin D in the product subject to this recall, which was determined through routine testing.For the vast majority of infants, short-term consumption of the affected lot codes is unlikely to cause adverse health implications. In a small subset of physiologically vulnerable infants (e.g., impaired renal function), there is the potential that consumption of the recalled product could result in health complications. Parents and caregivers who may have purchased the product should look for the lot codes below with “use by” dates, which can be found on the bottom of the package and should contact their health care provider if they have any concerns.Perrigo has taken immediate action by notifying H-E-B Grocery Company, LP and CVS directly and asking them to examine their retail and warehouse inventory and isolate the product.Product shipped to CVS beginning February 6, 2024, being recalled:T11LMYC – USE BY 11NOV2025(Material: 975261, UPC: 050428318034)Product shipped to H-E-B Grocery Company, LP beginning February 2, 2024, being recalled:T11LMXC – USE BY 11NOV2025T09LMXC – USE BY 09NOV2025(Material: 788362, UPC: 041220164578)No other lot codes are impacted by this recall.If infants experience any symptoms while using the product, report them to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm">www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm</a>. Additionally, please contact your healthcare provider.Any questions or concerns regarding the recall or adverse events associated with these lot codes can be communicated to Perrigo Consumer Affairs at 1-800-538-9543, M-F from 8:00am-5:00pm EST.

Recall: Baby formula sold at CVS, H-E-B in Missouri, 11 other states

In October,&nbsp; the world's largest steam locomotive will return to Kansas City and travel across Kansas.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm">Click here&nbsp;</a>to additional details.

Big Boy No. 4014 will depart on the "Heartland of America Tour" on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and travel across nine additional states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. The eight-week tour concludes in late October. No. 4014 will be on display in the following locations:&nbsp;&nbsp;

The train stops in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm" target="_blank">Kansas and Missouri</a>&nbsp;are listed below.

Note: All schedule times and locations are subject to change.&nbsp;Please check back periodically for updates and be aware there is&nbsp;no public access&nbsp;to the Big Boy outside these listed stops. Overnight stops are closed to the public unless otherwise noted; afternoon arrival times&nbsp;are not available

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574297319646.png" alt="File photo by Bryan Dennett" />
 <figcaption>File photo by Bryan Dennett</figcaption>
 </figure>In October,&nbsp; the world's largest steam locomotive will return to Kansas City and travel across Kansas.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm">Click here&nbsp;</a>to additional details.Big Boy No. 4014 will depart on the "Heartland of America Tour" on Wednesday, Aug. 28 from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and travel across nine additional states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. The eight-week tour concludes in late October. No. 4014 will be on display in the following locations:&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723494736139.png" alt="map Union Pacific" />
 <figcaption>map Union Pacific</figcaption>
 </figure>The train stops in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm" target="_blank">Kansas and Missouri</a>&nbsp;are listed below.Tuesday, Oct. 15<ul>
 <li>9 a.m. departure — Coffeyville, Kan. to Kansas City, Mo.</li><li>2:15 p.m. arrival; 2:45 p.m. departure — Osawatomie, Kan. (West Pacific Avenue Crossing)</li><li>6:45 p.m. arrival — Kansas City, Mo. (Union Station – 30 W. Pershing Road)</li>
 </ul>Wednesday, Oct. 16<ul>
 <li>Viewing only — Kansas City, Mo. (Union Station – 30 W. Pershing Road)</li>
 </ul>Thursday, Oct. 17<ul>
 <li>9 a.m. departure — Kansas City, Mo. to Salina Kan.</li><li>12:15 p.m. arrival; 12:45 departure — Topeka, Kan. (Great Overland Station – 701 N. Kansas Avenue)</li>
 </ul>Friday, Oct. 18<ul>
 <li>Viewing only — Salina Kan. (Salina Depot – 400 N. 13th Street)</li>
 </ul>Saturday, Oct. 19<ul>
 <li>9 a.m. departure — Salina Kan. to Hays, Kan.</li><li>11 a.m. arrival; 11:30 a.m. departure — Wilson Kan. (Avenue East Crossing)</li>
 </ul>Sunday, Oct. 20<ul>
 <li>9 a.m. departure — Hays, Kan. to Sharon Springs, Kan.</li><li>Noon arrival; 12:30 p.m. departure — Grainfield, Kan. (Main Street Crossing)</li>
 </ul>Monday, Oct. 21<ul>
 <li>9 a.m. departure — Sharon Springs, Kan. to Denver, Colo.</li>
 </ul>Note: All schedule times and locations are subject to change.&nbsp;Please check back periodically for updates and be aware there is&nbsp;no public access&nbsp;to the Big Boy outside these listed stops. Overnight stops are closed to the public unless otherwise noted; afternoon arrival times&nbsp;are not available

Union Pacific’s ‘Big Boy’ will steam into Kansas City this fall

(Radio Iowa) - Classes resume in most Iowa schools in the next week or two, and Iowa parents are being warned to be careful with what they share online about their children. 

Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says those cute social media posts about your kid's first day in their new grade give away a lot of key details of their lives that could be misused by scammers or predators. 

Photos of a kid holding up a chalkboard showing their name, age, height, grade and other information could be used, Temmer says, to steal their identities or even gain your child's trust. He says if you are going to share those pictures on social media, make sure they're only going out to actual friends.

(Radio Iowa) - Classes resume in most Iowa schools in the next week or two, and Iowa parents are being warned to be careful with what they share online about their children. Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says those cute social media posts about your kid's first day in their new grade give away a lot of key details of their lives that could be misused by scammers or predators. Photos of a kid holding up a chalkboard showing their name, age, height, grade and other information could be used, Temmer says, to steal their identities or even gain your child's trust. He says if you are going to share those pictures on social media, make sure they're only going out to actual friends.

Iowa parents need to regulate who sees those back-to-school photos

The Bureau of Land Management announced its intent to develop a Federal Advisory Committee to engage the public and help inform the BLM’s implementation of the Public Lands Rule. The committee will allow the agency to continue working with and hearing from a range of experts and the public to support successful rule implementation.  BLM Director Tracy Manning-Stone says “The Public Lands Rule provides essential tools to help the Bureau improve and conserve the health of the lands we’ve been entrusted with for present and future generations.”  

In the weeks ahead, BLM will publish a call for nominations and a charter for the committee to the Federal Register. The BLM also released a set of initial guidance documents to support clear and consistent implementation of the rule across the Bureau’s 12 state and 175 field offices. The guidance documents will give direction to field personnel on how the rule will work.

The Bureau of Land Management announced its intent to develop a Federal Advisory Committee to engage the public and help inform the BLM’s implementation of the Public Lands Rule. The committee will allow the agency to continue working with and hearing from a range of experts and the public to support successful rule implementation. BLM Director Tracy Manning-Stone says “The Public Lands Rule provides essential tools to help the Bureau improve and conserve the health of the lands we’ve been entrusted with for present and future generations.” In the weeks ahead, BLM will publish a call for nominations and a charter for the committee to the Federal Register. The BLM also released a set of initial guidance documents to support clear and consistent implementation of the rule across the Bureau’s 12 state and 175 field offices. The guidance documents will give direction to field personnel on how the rule will work.-NAFB

Bureau of Land Management lands rule implementation

Leaders of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council were not happy about the indictment of Charles and Heather Maude, family ranchers in western South Dakota. “I’m deeply disgusted by the Forest Service’s persecution of Charles and Heather,” says NCBA President Mark Eisele. On June 20, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota indicted them on charges of theft of government property related to a small piece of Forest Service land surrounded by the Maude’s private land. 

The family has stewarded that government land for generations. “The Forest Service’s deference to the heavy-handed special agent with a long history of abusing permittees is unconscionable,” says NCBA V.P. of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. The groups say the Forest Service has a long and shameful history of confronting ranchers in South Dakota, and their escalation to imprisonment over a century-old fence line has shaken the confidence of every permittee.

Leaders of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council were not happy about the indictment of Charles and Heather Maude, family ranchers in western South Dakota. “I’m deeply disgusted by the Forest Service’s persecution of Charles and Heather,” says NCBA President Mark Eisele. On June 20, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota indicted them on charges of theft of government property related to a small piece of Forest Service land surrounded by the Maude’s private land. The family has stewarded that government land for generations. “The Forest Service’s deference to the heavy-handed special agent with a long history of abusing permittees is unconscionable,” says NCBA V.P. of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. The groups say the Forest Service has a long and shameful history of confronting ranchers in South Dakota, and their escalation to imprisonment over a century-old fence line has shaken the confidence of every permittee.-NAFB

Cattle industry leaders react to rancher persecution

TOPEKA —Kansas Governor Laura Kelly made a guest appearance on the CBS public affairs program Face the Nation on Sunday.

Kelly is the new chair of the Democratic Governors Association. She assumed leadership of the organization last week when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz resigned to join the Kamala Harris campaign as her running mate.

Kelly told Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan that Walz "is the epitome of the Midwestern dad" and "understands rural America."

Kelly also addressed abortion in the 2024 campaign.

Kelly served as vice chair of the DGA since December 2022.

TOPEKA —Kansas Governor Laura Kelly made a guest appearance on the CBS public affairs program Face the Nation on Sunday.Kelly is the new chair of the Democratic Governors Association. She assumed leadership of the organization last week when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz resigned to join the Kamala Harris campaign as her running mate.Kelly told Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan that Walz "is the epitome of the Midwestern dad" and "understands rural America."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovLauraKelly</a> of Kansas, a Democrat, says Tim Walz &quot;is the epitome of the Midwestern dad&quot; and &quot;understands rural America.&quot; &quot;You could put him at any state fair on any Main Street, and certainly in a Friday night football game in rural Kansas, and he would fit right in.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1UTc00ihJj">pic.twitter.com/1UTc00ihJj</a>&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1822667416909791273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kelly also addressed abortion in the 2024 campaign.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovLauraKelly</a> of Kansas, where voters upheld the right to abortion, says she does not think Democrats are miscalculating by putting abortion front-and-center as an issue, citing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as a successful example. &quot;They have moved the needle in Michigan and… <a href="https://t.co/OMoAV7iqIe">pic.twitter.com/OMoAV7iqIe</a>&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1822667133718802747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kelly served as vice chair of the DGA since December 2022.

🎥Kan. governor talks 2024 campaign, abortion on 'Face the Nation'

Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves says the United
States must back Israel in its fight against Hamas.

And, the Republican Congressman who serves on the House Armed
Service Committee, is puzzled by the reaction of some Americans.

“And I think it’s fascinating, too, what we’re seeing in the
country in terms of this support for the terrorists, for Hamas in Gaza as if somehow,
they were attacked when in fact they attacked Israel,” Graves tells host Barry
Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “It wasn’t even a military attack. It was targeted to
citizens, at a concert.”

Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing more than 1,100
and kidnapping around 250.

The war that sparked has killed 10s of thousands.

Graves is bucking a sentiment forming in his party, backing
Ukraine as it attempts to repel the invasion by Russia.

Many Republicans in Washington have soured on the war in
Ukraine, questioning its relevance to national security.

Graves says there is no question the U.S. wants to stop Russia
from moving into NATO member countries. Graves isn’t sure what the intent of
Russian President Vladmir Putin.

“I have the burden and the privilege of seeing the intelligence
when it comes to what we believe Putin intends to do, what he wants to do,” Graves
says. “That would ultimately mean men and women, United States soldier, sailors,
airmen, Marines fighting Russians. That is the last thing that we need.”

Graves has been impressed by Ukraine’s response to the invasion
by Russia, which he believes caught Putin by surprise.

“Putin, he never expected Ukraine to last as long as it has
and continue to fight back and continue to be able to push back on what is
believed one of the strongest militaries in the world,” according to Graves. “He
basically ran into a buzzsaw and he’s still in it.”

Graves says the United States must make every effort to keep
Russia from extending the war into NATO aligned countries.

You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723227497367.jpeg" alt="Congressman Sam Graves/file photo" />
 <figcaption>Congressman Sam Graves/file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostNorthern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves says the United
States must back Israel in its fight against Hamas.And, the Republican Congressman who serves on the House Armed
Service Committee, is puzzled by the reaction of some Americans.“And I think it’s fascinating, too, what we’re seeing in the
country in terms of this support for the terrorists, for Hamas in Gaza as if somehow,
they were attacked when in fact they attacked Israel,” Graves tells host Barry
Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “It wasn’t even a military attack. It was targeted to
citizens, at a concert.”Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing more than 1,100
and kidnapping around 250.The war that sparked has killed 10s of thousands.Graves is bucking a sentiment forming in his party, backing
Ukraine as it attempts to repel the invasion by Russia.Many Republicans in Washington have soured on the war in
Ukraine, questioning its relevance to national security.Graves says there is no question the U.S. wants to stop Russia
from moving into NATO member countries. Graves isn’t sure what the intent of
Russian President Vladmir Putin.“I have the burden and the privilege of seeing the intelligence
when it comes to what we believe Putin intends to do, what he wants to do,” Graves
says. “That would ultimately mean men and women, United States soldier, sailors,
airmen, Marines fighting Russians. That is the last thing that we need.”Graves has been impressed by Ukraine’s response to the invasion
by Russia, which he believes caught Putin by surprise.“Putin, he never expected Ukraine to last as long as it has
and continue to fight back and continue to be able to push back on what is
believed one of the strongest militaries in the world,” according to Graves. “He
basically ran into a buzzsaw and he’s still in it.”Graves says the United States must make every effort to keep
Russia from extending the war into NATO aligned countries.You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Graves backs Israel, military aid to Ukraine

(Radio Iowa) - Authorities are searching for suspects after two men from Omaha were shot and killed in the parking lot of a race track in southwest Iowa this weekend. 

According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, a concert was about to begin at the I-29 Raceway in Pacific Junction when the shooting happened. Late Saturday night, KMA Radio reported authorities were searching for at least three suspects in a black Mercedes sedan on and near the property. 

The facility has a drag racing strip and a more than two-mile long road racing course. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the shootings to call the Mills County Sheriff's Office.

(Radio Iowa) - Authorities are searching for suspects after two men from Omaha were shot and killed in the parking lot of a race track in southwest Iowa this weekend. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, a concert was about to begin at the I-29 Raceway in Pacific Junction when the shooting happened. Late Saturday night, KMA Radio reported authorities were searching for at least three suspects in a black Mercedes sedan on and near the property. The facility has a drag racing strip and a more than two-mile long road racing course. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the shootings to call the Mills County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities search for suspects in fatal shootings at western Iowa raceway

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — Congress plans to spend just 35 days between now and the end of the year in the nation’s capital, a fitting end to one of the least productive sessions in decades.

The deeply divided 118th Congress so far has placed just 78 public laws on the books, a fraction of the hundreds enacted during prior sessions, regardless of whether one party held control or voters elected a divided government. While there’s time left to enact a handful of laws, the number is nearly certain to remain low.

Over the past several decades, lawmakers have become accustomed to bundling several bills together into sweeping legislative packages instead of voting on them individually, but that doesn’t entirely account for how unproductive this Congress has been.

Members have sought to approve bipartisan legislation on immigration policy and border security, railway safety, the farm bill, tax law and children’s online safety at various points during the last 19 months — but all those major initiatives failed to make it across the finish line.

Lawmakers have been able to reach consensus on must-pass items like the annual government funding bills, but did so six months behind schedule. They are on track to miss their deadline again this year, which will mean yet another stopgap spending bill.

While election-year politics and a truncated amount of time on Capitol Hill hampered lawmakers’ productivity, there are numerous other factors dragging down this Congress.

Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the nonprofit Brookings Institution, said Democrats are working to flip control of the House away from Republicans’ narrow majority, while at the same time the GOP is projecting it will push Democrats out of power in the Senate.

Those ambitions add “an additional structural layer” to the typical disagreements within Congress, she said.

Infighting within each of the political parties, as well as Democrats and Republicans moving further away from each other on policy goals, has contributed to the intransigence, she said.

“Those divisions within the parties pale in comparison to the size of the difference between the parties,” Reynolds said. “And so, that does make it more challenging to find issues on which both sides are willing and interested to come to the table.”

A bipartisan trio of senators spent months negotiating a deal on immigration just to have the agreement disintegrate when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump came out in opposition. That disappointing outcome makes members of Congress reluctant to tackle tough issues, she said.

“When members put in the hard work to try and reach a compromise and then don’t have the backing of their leadership, it doesn’t necessarily incentivize them to come back to the table and try to do that same thing again in the future,” Reynolds said.

The 118th Congress included more than its fair share of drama and bickering. The turmoil prevented the Republican House and Democratic Senate from agreeing on much of anything other than the bare minimum, with even must-pass legislation finalized months behind schedule.

House Republicans set the tone for their razor-thin majority in January 2023 when they trudged through 15 rounds of voting over several days and nights before California Rep. Kevin McCarthy secured the speaker’s gavel.

McCarthy made several backroom deals during the stalemate and elicited anger from members of the party’s right flank, who nearly came to blows on the floor as he sought to lock in the necessary support.

Less than nine months later, the House voted to oust McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The GOP then kept the chamber frozen for several weeks as members voted behind closed doors to put forward four nominees, before Louisiana’s Mike Johnson garnered the votes necessary on the floor to lead his party and the chamber.

McCarthy, who repeatedly swore he would never quit, then did just that in December.

The Senate has spent much of its time confirming President Joe Biden’s nominees, rarely breaking from that pattern to negotiate necessary items like the annual defense policy bill, government funding measures and legislation that avoided a default on the national debt.

Senators appeared to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/details-proposed-major-overhaul-us-immigration-law-global-aid-package-unveiled" target="_blank">on the cusp of making bipartisan changes</a>&nbsp;to the nation’s border security and immigration policy following painstaking negotiations between Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. It would have been the most sweeping immigration legislation in years.

But that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-kills-immigration-overhaul-hits-stalemate-israel-ukraine-aid" target="_blank">fell apart in February&nbsp;</a>after Trump signaled he didn’t want to lose the border and immigration as an election issue or see Biden claim a victory.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, had said the deal was necessary to move an emergency spending bill for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan through the chamber, though he later reversed course.

Congress finally&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-sends-foreign-aid-bill-biden-mcconnell-chides-gop-isolationist-movement" target="_blank">approved $95 billion</a>&nbsp;in military and humanitarian assistance in April after House Republicans added in a ban on the social media app TikTok that would kick in if ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, didn’t sell the platform — one of the most significant laws of the year as it turned out.

Congress has also failed to negotiate a new version of the five-year farm bill, following months of delays and differences of opinion on how much nutrition assistance for low-income Americans should be in the package.

The 78 laws&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/laws/current.html" target="_blank">enacted</a>&nbsp;this Congress pale in comparison to earlier sessions.

During the 116th Congress, when the GOP controlled the Senate and Democrats held the House, lawmakers reached agreement on 344 measures that went on to become law.

When Democrats held control of both chambers and the presidency during the 117th Congress, they approved more than 360 measures that would later become law, the vast majority of which required bipartisan support to move through the Senate.

Lawmakers have consistently enacted more than 280 public laws during their two-year sessions, going back to at least the 82nd Congress, which began in 1951 and ended the following year.

During that seven-decade span, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/public-laws/84th-congress" target="_blank">number of laws</a>&nbsp;enacted per Congress fluctuated, reaching a low of 283 during the 112th Congress, which lasted from January 2011 through January 2013, and a high of 1,028 during the 84th Congress, which took place in 1955 and 1956. The number of laws enacted was consistently in the 400s or 500s, if not higher, during those years.

Reynolds pointed out during her interview with States Newsroom that not all laws are created equal — some simply rename post offices or are confined to one issue, while others bundle several major pieces of legislation together in one package and have a much greater impact than other public laws.

Congress, she noted, used to pass the annual government spending bills individually, but over time has settled into a pattern of approving just one or two omnibus spending packages, which roll together all dozen of the bills.

Other examples of this include the Democrats’ signature health care, tax and climate change package, approved in the summer of 2022, known as the Inflation Reduction Act. When the GOP had unified control of Congress during the first two years of the Trump administration, they passed an overhaul of the nation’s tax code in just one bill.

“If we look at the data on the number of public laws, and we look at the data on the number of pages of public laws, we do see that, on average, they have been getting longer,” Reynolds said. “Having said all of that, when we actually do dig into what the 118th Congress has been up to, it has not been an especially productive Congress.”

Lawmakers are set to return from their summer recess for a three-week session in September, before breaking again until after Election Day.

Members are expected to draft and vote on a stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. But not much else is likely to move through as attention turns even more toward Nov. 5.

The House Appropriations Committee has approved all 12 of its spending bills for fiscal 2025 while the Senate committee has voted to send 11 to the floor. The two chambers, however, are working off very different spending levels and don’t seem inclined to conference their bills until after they learn who will control Congress next year.

The lame-duck session, which spans the time between the election and when the new Congress convenes, is scheduled to last five weeks spread through late November and December.

During that time, GOP leaders in the House and Democratic leaders in the Senate may seek to pass their overdue government funding bills and the annual defense policy bill.

There are several other bills that have passed one chamber or the other with bipartisan majorities or have strong bipartisan support through co-sponsors, which lawmakers could seek to move through to the president’s desk. But much of that will be determined by the outcome of the elections as well as whether there is any violence or unrest connected with the results.

Members of Congress interviewed by States Newsroom had varying answers for what they tell constituents back home about this Congress’ accomplishments.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614817353591.png" alt="File photo Members of the Kansas Congressional delegation - Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes, Jerry Moran, Sharice Davids, Roger Marshall and Tracey Mann&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo Members of the Kansas Congressional delegation - Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes, Jerry Moran, Sharice Davids, Roger Marshall and Tracey Mann&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — Congress plans to spend just 35 days between now and the end of the year in the nation’s capital, a fitting end to one of the least productive sessions in decades.The deeply divided 118th Congress so far has placed just 78 public laws on the books, a fraction of the hundreds enacted during prior sessions, regardless of whether one party held control or voters elected a divided government. While there’s time left to enact a handful of laws, the number is nearly certain to remain low.Over the past several decades, lawmakers have become accustomed to bundling several bills together into sweeping legislative packages instead of voting on them individually, but that doesn’t entirely account for how unproductive this Congress has been.Members have sought to approve bipartisan legislation on immigration policy and border security, railway safety, the farm bill, tax law and children’s online safety at various points during the last 19 months — but all those major initiatives failed to make it across the finish line.Lawmakers have been able to reach consensus on must-pass items like the annual government funding bills, but did so six months behind schedule. They are on track to miss their deadline again this year, which will mean yet another stopgap spending bill.<h2>What is the problem?</h2>While election-year politics and a truncated amount of time on Capitol Hill hampered lawmakers’ productivity, there are numerous other factors dragging down this Congress.Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the nonprofit Brookings Institution, said Democrats are working to flip control of the House away from Republicans’ narrow majority, while at the same time the GOP is projecting it will push Democrats out of power in the Senate.Those ambitions add “an additional structural layer” to the typical disagreements within Congress, she said.Infighting within each of the political parties, as well as Democrats and Republicans moving further away from each other on policy goals, has contributed to the intransigence, she said.“Those divisions within the parties pale in comparison to the size of the difference between the parties,” Reynolds said. “And so, that does make it more challenging to find issues on which both sides are willing and interested to come to the table.”A bipartisan trio of senators spent months negotiating a deal on immigration just to have the agreement disintegrate when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump came out in opposition. That disappointing outcome makes members of Congress reluctant to tackle tough issues, she said.“When members put in the hard work to try and reach a compromise and then don’t have the backing of their leadership, it doesn’t necessarily incentivize them to come back to the table and try to do that same thing again in the future,” Reynolds said.<h2>Speaker drama set the tone</h2>The 118th Congress included more than its fair share of drama and bickering. The turmoil prevented the Republican House and Democratic Senate from agreeing on much of anything other than the bare minimum, with even must-pass legislation finalized months behind schedule.House Republicans set the tone for their razor-thin majority in January 2023 when they trudged through 15 rounds of voting over several days and nights before California Rep. Kevin McCarthy secured the speaker’s gavel.McCarthy made several backroom deals during the stalemate and elicited anger from members of the party’s right flank, who nearly came to blows on the floor as he sought to lock in the necessary support.Less than nine months later, the House voted to oust McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The GOP then kept the chamber frozen for several weeks as members voted behind closed doors to put forward four nominees, before Louisiana’s Mike Johnson garnered the votes necessary on the floor to lead his party and the chamber.McCarthy, who repeatedly swore he would never quit, then did just that in December.<h2>Senate border deal goes to pieces</h2>The Senate has spent much of its time confirming President Joe Biden’s nominees, rarely breaking from that pattern to negotiate necessary items like the annual defense policy bill, government funding measures and legislation that avoided a default on the national debt.Senators appeared to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/details-proposed-major-overhaul-us-immigration-law-global-aid-package-unveiled" target="_blank">on the cusp of making bipartisan changes</a>&nbsp;to the nation’s border security and immigration policy following painstaking negotiations between Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. It would have been the most sweeping immigration legislation in years.But that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-kills-immigration-overhaul-hits-stalemate-israel-ukraine-aid" target="_blank">fell apart in February&nbsp;</a>after Trump signaled he didn’t want to lose the border and immigration as an election issue or see Biden claim a victory.Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, had said the deal was necessary to move an emergency spending bill for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan through the chamber, though he later reversed course.Congress finally&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-sends-foreign-aid-bill-biden-mcconnell-chides-gop-isolationist-movement" target="_blank">approved $95 billion</a>&nbsp;in military and humanitarian assistance in April after House Republicans added in a ban on the social media app TikTok that would kick in if ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, didn’t sell the platform — one of the most significant laws of the year as it turned out.Congress has also failed to negotiate a new version of the five-year farm bill, following months of delays and differences of opinion on how much nutrition assistance for low-income Americans should be in the package.<h2>Few laws passed</h2>The 78 laws&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/laws/current.html" target="_blank">enacted</a>&nbsp;this Congress pale in comparison to earlier sessions.During the 116th Congress, when the GOP controlled the Senate and Democrats held the House, lawmakers reached agreement on 344 measures that went on to become law.When Democrats held control of both chambers and the presidency during the 117th Congress, they approved more than 360 measures that would later become law, the vast majority of which required bipartisan support to move through the Senate.Lawmakers have consistently enacted more than 280 public laws during their two-year sessions, going back to at least the 82nd Congress, which began in 1951 and ended the following year.During that seven-decade span, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/public-laws/84th-congress" target="_blank">number of laws</a>&nbsp;enacted per Congress fluctuated, reaching a low of 283 during the 112th Congress, which lasted from January 2011 through January 2013, and a high of 1,028 during the 84th Congress, which took place in 1955 and 1956. The number of laws enacted was consistently in the 400s or 500s, if not higher, during those years.Reynolds pointed out during her interview with States Newsroom that not all laws are created equal — some simply rename post offices or are confined to one issue, while others bundle several major pieces of legislation together in one package and have a much greater impact than other public laws.Congress, she noted, used to pass the annual government spending bills individually, but over time has settled into a pattern of approving just one or two omnibus spending packages, which roll together all dozen of the bills.Other examples of this include the Democrats’ signature health care, tax and climate change package, approved in the summer of 2022, known as the Inflation Reduction Act. When the GOP had unified control of Congress during the first two years of the Trump administration, they passed an overhaul of the nation’s tax code in just one bill.“If we look at the data on the number of public laws, and we look at the data on the number of pages of public laws, we do see that, on average, they have been getting longer,” Reynolds said. “Having said all of that, when we actually do dig into what the 118th Congress has been up to, it has not been an especially productive Congress.”<h2>Lame-duck session on the way</h2>Lawmakers are set to return from their summer recess for a three-week session in September, before breaking again until after Election Day.Members are expected to draft and vote on a stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. But not much else is likely to move through as attention turns even more toward Nov. 5.The House Appropriations Committee has approved all 12 of its spending bills for fiscal 2025 while the Senate committee has voted to send 11 to the floor. The two chambers, however, are working off very different spending levels and don’t seem inclined to conference their bills until after they learn who will control Congress next year.The lame-duck session, which spans the time between the election and when the new Congress convenes, is scheduled to last five weeks spread through late November and December.During that time, GOP leaders in the House and Democratic leaders in the Senate may seek to pass their overdue government funding bills and the annual defense policy bill.There are several other bills that have passed one chamber or the other with bipartisan majorities or have strong bipartisan support through co-sponsors, which lawmakers could seek to move through to the president’s desk. But much of that will be determined by the outcome of the elections as well as whether there is any violence or unrest connected with the results.<h2>How to explain it</h2>Members of Congress interviewed by States Newsroom had varying answers for what they tell constituents back home about this Congress’ accomplishments.Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, said that he speaks with voters about the laws enacted during the previous Congress, when Democrats had unified control of government, as well as this Congress.“Well, first of all, I tend to talk about the sweep of accomplishments, right? Both this Congress but also the previous Congress where we were enormously productive, right?” Van Hollen said. “So usually I don’t limit it to that timeline.”Van Hollen said he was optimistic that Congress would be able to complete its work on the dozen annual government funding bills later this year.“Obviously, we’ve been able to adequately fund government agencies,” Van Hollen said. “So that may be a low bar, but in this divided Congress, it is something that I point to, because we’ve worked on the Appropriations Committee, at least in the Senate, to have bipartisan products.”Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran said he predominantly talks with constituents about his work as ranking member on the Veterans Affairs Committee as well as the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations subcommittee.“I talk about my own particular accomplishments as compared to bragging about Congress in general,” Moran said.Much of the work that members do while in Washington, D.C., he said, doesn’t resonate with constituents who are focused on their own lives and families.“No, I don’t think so,” Moran said. “Most people are paying specific attention to things that matter to them.”Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who faces a challenging reelection bid this November, said he tends to put more emphasis on the accomplishments of the upper chamber when talking with constituents back home.“I think the Senate’s been a lot more productive than the House, but we’ll let voters sort that out,” Casey said.While the Senate holds the advice and consent power to confirm certain presidential nominees, legislation must pass through both chambers of Congress and avoid the president’s veto pen, if it’s to become law.Casey said there are several occasions where the House and Senate agreed on major issues, listing off the appropriations bills for the last fiscal year, the emergency spending package for Ukraine and other U.S. allies, and a bill to address fentanyl abuse.“I think it’s a pretty long list and there’s still more work to do in the fall,” Casey said.<h2>More time at work?</h2>Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, criticized the number of days the chamber spends in session every week, saying the calendar has shortened during his decades in the chamber.“When I came to the Senate 44 years ago, we used to start at 10 a.m. on Monday and go to 4 or 5 on Friday,” Grassley said.The Senate typically comes into session around 3 p.m. on Monday, with its first vote at 5:30 p.m. The chamber usually holds its last vote of the week on Thursday around 1:45 p.m., with the vast majority of senators heading to cars to leave shortly afterward.The House keeps to a similar four-day schedule, though its “fly-in day” is sometimes on Tuesday, pushing its “fly-out day” to Friday. That chamber takes its first vote of the week around 6:30 p.m. with its last vote before noon on the fourth day.“There’s enough work for individual senators to do seven days a week if you want to work,” Grassley said. “But you can’t solve this country’s problems until you get 100 people together, and they’ve got to be together for more than two-and-a-half days a week.”

Kbct