BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — With less than two months to go until his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump will sign an overdue agreement with the Biden White House meant to help smooth the transition between incoming and outgoing administrations.

Trump’s new Chief of Staff Susie Wiles issued a statement Tuesday saying now that Trump’s Cabinet choices are made, the president-elect “is entering the next phase of his administration’s transition by executing a Memorandum of Understanding with President Joe Biden’s White House.”

“This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power,” Wiles said.

The negotiated agreement with the White House to establish a presidential candidate’s access to federal agencies as well as an ethics code was due by Oct. 1.

Additionally, an agreement with the U.S. General Services Administration to access government-provided transition funding, office space and other resources was due by Sept. 1.

The items are required under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and its later amendments as recently as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/394/text" target="_blank">2019</a>. A condition of the agreements, and the funding they release, is that nominees must disclose all transition fundraising dollars, which are kept separate from campaign funds. The law caps individual contributions to transitions at $5,000.

Presidential transition funds are usually a combination of private funding and federally appropriated dollars. For example, in 2020 and 2021, Congress provided just under $20 million,&nbsp;<a href="https://presidentialtransition.org/reports-publications/presidential-transition-act-summary/" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to the Center for Presidential Transition.

Accompanying Wiles’ statement Tuesday were seven bullet points summarizing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25418408-2024-ethics-pledge-trump" target="_blank">the transition agreement</a>&nbsp;with the White House. According to the summary, Trump’s team will wholly privately fund its transition “to save taxpayers’ hard-earned money” and will later disclose the list of contributions.

Trump’s team also announced it will not use government buildings or technology available for transition operations and instead will be a “self-sufficient organization.”

The president-elect and his personnel have been conducting meetings and announcing Cabinet picks from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The team’s code of ethical conduct&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gsa.gov/governmentwide-initiatives/presidential-transition-2024/memoranda-reports-and-key-documents" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;Tuesday on the GSA website appears under the name “Trump Vance 2025 Transition, Inc.”

The president-elect’s Tuesday press release stated that the Trump-Vance transition’s ethics plan “will meet the requirements for personnel to seamlessly move into the Trump Administration.”

By law, the ethics plan must be publicly available and must disclose whether lobbyists or foreign agents are part of the transition team and identify any other conflicts of interests by those involved, as well as commitments to keep nonpublic government information confidential and not to use insider knowledge learned during the transition for personal gain.

The Trump-Vance team did not provide any additional portions of the agreement with the White House upon request from States Newsroom.

The transition team did not respond to a request for a timeline of when transition contributions will be made public.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731516296418.png" alt="President-elect Trump and President Biden during their White House meeting Nov. 13-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President-elect Trump and President Biden during their White House meeting Nov. 13-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — With less than two months to go until his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump will sign an overdue agreement with the Biden White House meant to help smooth the transition between incoming and outgoing administrations.Trump’s new Chief of Staff Susie Wiles issued a statement Tuesday saying now that Trump’s Cabinet choices are made, the president-elect “is entering the next phase of his administration’s transition by executing a Memorandum of Understanding with President Joe Biden’s White House.”“This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power,” Wiles said.<h2>Two agreements</h2>The negotiated agreement with the White House to establish a presidential candidate’s access to federal agencies as well as an ethics code was due by Oct. 1.Additionally, an agreement with the U.S. General Services Administration to access government-provided transition funding, office space and other resources was due by Sept. 1.The items are required under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and its later amendments as recently as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/394/text" target="_blank">2019</a>. A condition of the agreements, and the funding they release, is that nominees must disclose all transition fundraising dollars, which are kept separate from campaign funds. The law caps individual contributions to transitions at $5,000.Presidential transition funds are usually a combination of private funding and federally appropriated dollars. For example, in 2020 and 2021, Congress provided just under $20 million,&nbsp;<a href="https://presidentialtransition.org/reports-publications/presidential-transition-act-summary/" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to the Center for Presidential Transition.Accompanying Wiles’ statement Tuesday were seven bullet points summarizing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25418408-2024-ethics-pledge-trump" target="_blank">the transition agreement</a>&nbsp;with the White House. According to the summary, Trump’s team will wholly privately fund its transition “to save taxpayers’ hard-earned money” and will later disclose the list of contributions.Trump’s team also announced it will not use government buildings or technology available for transition operations and instead will be a “self-sufficient organization.”<h2>Working from Florida</h2>The president-elect and his personnel have been conducting meetings and announcing Cabinet picks from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The team’s code of ethical conduct&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gsa.gov/governmentwide-initiatives/presidential-transition-2024/memoranda-reports-and-key-documents" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;Tuesday on the GSA website appears under the name “Trump Vance 2025 Transition, Inc.”The president-elect’s Tuesday press release stated that the Trump-Vance transition’s ethics plan “will meet the requirements for personnel to seamlessly move into the Trump Administration.”By law, the ethics plan must be publicly available and must disclose whether lobbyists or foreign agents are part of the transition team and identify any other conflicts of interests by those involved, as well as commitments to keep nonpublic government information confidential and not to use insider knowledge learned during the transition for personal gain.The Trump-Vance team did not provide any additional portions of the agreement with the White House upon request from States Newsroom.The transition team did not respond to a request for a timeline of when transition contributions will be made public.

Trump signs delayed presidential transition agreement with Biden White House

DAMASCUS—On Tuesday, U.S. forces conducted a strike against an Iranian-aligned militia weapons storage facility in Syria, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. The strike was in response to an Iranian-aligned attack against U.S. forces in Syria on Monday.

Centom conducted the strike against the Iranian backed groups weapons facility to degrade their agility to plan and launch future attacks on U.S. and Coalition forces.

A battle damage assessment is underway and as of late Tuesday did not assess there were any civilian casualties, according to the Central Command statement.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"As previously stated, we will not tolerate any attacks on our personnel and coalition partners. We are committed to taking all necessary actions to ensure their protection," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732659978836.png" alt="File. photo U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles arrived in the&nbsp; arrive in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility earlier this month-&nbsp; image U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File. photo U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles arrived in the&nbsp; arrive in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility earlier this month-&nbsp; image U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>DAMASCUS—On Tuesday, U.S. forces conducted a strike against an Iranian-aligned militia weapons storage facility in Syria, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. The strike was in response to an Iranian-aligned attack against U.S. forces in Syria on Monday.Centom conducted the strike against the Iranian backed groups weapons facility to degrade their agility to plan and launch future attacks on U.S. and Coalition forces.A battle damage assessment is underway and as of late Tuesday did not assess there were any civilian casualties, according to the Central Command statement.&nbsp;&nbsp;"As previously stated, we will not tolerate any attacks on our personnel and coalition partners. We are committed to taking all necessary actions to ensure their protection," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.

U.S. forces respond to attack on U.S. personnel in Syria

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds pardoned two turkeys from a farm in Manson Tuesday named Caitlin and Clark after the Hawkeye great. 

The turkeys strolled quietly on the grass at the Terrace Hill Governor's mansion as the governor read the proclamation calling the birds symbols of Iowa's great turkey industry. The two birds came from Golden Prairie Turkeys for the second year in a row. 

Governor Reynolds says she bought a 23 pound turkey from the farm that she will cook for her family along with a ham and all the sides for Thanksgiving.

(Radio Iowa) - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds pardoned two turkeys from a farm in Manson Tuesday named Caitlin and Clark after the Hawkeye great. The turkeys strolled quietly on the grass at the Terrace Hill Governor's mansion as the governor read the proclamation calling the birds symbols of Iowa's great turkey industry. The two birds came from Golden Prairie Turkeys for the second year in a row. Governor Reynolds says she bought a 23 pound turkey from the farm that she will cook for her family along with a ham and all the sides for Thanksgiving.

Iowa Turkeys Pardoned

(Radio Iowa) - U-S Senator Chuck Grassley says the tariffs President-elect Trump previously imposed on China pressured China to agree to buy U-S grain, but Grassley says the new tariffs Trump has threatened against Mexico, Canada and China could hurt American agriculture. 

Grassley says he's not bad mouthing Trump's call for tariffs, but he says tariffs are tricky because ag commodities are usually the first U-S agricultural exports are typically the first casualty of a trade war. Grassley suggests Trump's new tariff threats could be linked to a clause in the U-S-Mexico Trade Agreement Trump signed when he was president.

(Radio Iowa) - U-S Senator Chuck Grassley says the tariffs President-elect Trump previously imposed on China pressured China to agree to buy U-S grain, but Grassley says the new tariffs Trump has threatened against Mexico, Canada and China could hurt American agriculture. Grassley says he's not bad mouthing Trump's call for tariffs, but he says tariffs are tricky because ag commodities are usually the first U-S agricultural exports are typically the first casualty of a trade war. Grassley suggests Trump's new tariff threats could be linked to a clause in the U-S-Mexico Trade Agreement Trump signed when he was president.

Grassley says tariffs are 'tricky,' but may be a Trump negotiating tactic

The Noyes Home for Children is recognizing people in the St. Joseph community for their kindness 

Kindness St. Joseph is designed to recognize acts of kindness and people's work in the city.   

Executive Director Chelsea Howlett says students in kindergarten through 12th grade were invited to submit essays nominating people in the community 

"Obviously, kindergartners got to draw pictures and have someone help them write those sentiments about the kindest person they know," Howlett tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr.  "And just last week we actually read all the essays, they were due on November 8th, and I tell you what it was really heartwarming to see what our children see out in the world and those that are doing great things." 

The event is based off the Kindness Kansas Citian, presented by Synergy Services in Kansas City.  

Howlett says the people submitted run the gamut, and adds that as a mother herself, it was heartwarming to see many submissions from students nominating their moms. 

"And all the things that they do to make sure their lives are good, that they're nourished and cared for, and all the extra things that moms do, and dads do too, to ensure that they have what they want and what they need in life," Howlett explains.  "There were so many essays about moms but there were also great essays about grandparents, aunts, neighbors, teachers were very common." 

Howlett says winners of the event will be announced in January, with a celebration in March. 

And Howlett says they aren't just honoring people though, and currently people can nominate the Kindest School in the city.  

"So, anybody of any age can say you know what I feel that this school really exemplifies what it means to be kind and accepting, whether it be how the students engage with one another, the teachers, the administrative staff, just the culture of kindness in general," Howlett says. 

Individuals can also nominate anyone in St. Joseph as a Kindness Keeper. Forms are available on the <a href="https://noyeshome.org/">Noyes Homes website</a>.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732649291317.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph Post The Noyes Home for Children is recognizing people in the St. Joseph community for their kindness Kindness St. Joseph is designed to recognize acts of kindness and people's work in the city. Executive Director Chelsea Howlett says students in kindergarten through 12th grade were invited to submit essays nominating people in the community "Obviously, kindergartners got to draw pictures and have someone help them write those sentiments about the kindest person they know," Howlett tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "And just last week we actually read all the essays, they were due on November 8th, and I tell you what it was really heartwarming to see what our children see out in the world and those that are doing great things." The event is based off the Kindness Kansas Citian, presented by Synergy Services in Kansas City. Howlett says the people submitted run the gamut, and adds that as a mother herself, it was heartwarming to see many submissions from students nominating their moms. "And all the things that they do to make sure their lives are good, that they're nourished and cared for, and all the extra things that moms do, and dads do too, to ensure that they have what they want and what they need in life," Howlett explains. "There were so many essays about moms but there were also great essays about grandparents, aunts, neighbors, teachers were very common." Howlett says winners of the event will be announced in January, with a celebration in March. And Howlett says they aren't just honoring people though, and currently people can nominate the Kindest School in the city. "So, anybody of any age can say you know what I feel that this school really exemplifies what it means to be kind and accepting, whether it be how the students engage with one another, the teachers, the administrative staff, just the culture of kindness in general," Howlett says. Individuals can also nominate anyone in St. Joseph as a Kindness Keeper. Forms are available on the <a href="https://noyeshome.org/">Noyes Homes website</a>. You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Noyes Home for Children honoring kindness in the community

The National Corn Growers Association’s Economic Update reported on everything from trends to challenges, opportunities, and market conditions in U.S. agriculture. The rapid 2024 harvest gives farmers an edge on any fall field preparations and more time to finalize year-end financial plans, which is critical in the current high-cost and low-price environment. It also looked at the impact of a potential tariff war. 

The National Corn Growers Association’s Economic Update reported on everything from trends to challenges, opportunities, and market conditions in U.S. agriculture. The rapid 2024 harvest gives farmers an edge on any fall field preparations and more time to finalize year-end financial plans, which is critical in the current high-cost and low-price environment. It also looked at the impact of a potential tariff war.

Corn growers release quarterly economic update

President-elect Donald Trump chose Brooke Rollins as his nominee for the next Secretary of Agriculture. Rollins is a graduate of Texas A&amp;M University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture development. She grew up in the small agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, while spending years in leadership involvement with FFA and 4-H. 

“Her commitment to support the American farmer, defense of American food self-sufficiency, and the restoration of agriculture-dependent small towns in America is second to none,” the President-elect said. “As the next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American farmers, who are truly the backbone of our country.” Rollins was on Trump’s 2016 Economic Advisory Council and worked as the Director of the Domestic Public Policy Council. Rollins has also spent the past four years as the Founder and CEO of the American First Policy Institute and America First Works.

President-elect Donald Trump chose Brooke Rollins as his nominee for the next Secretary of Agriculture. Rollins is a graduate of Texas A&amp;M University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture development. She grew up in the small agriculture-centered town of Glen Rose, Texas, while spending years in leadership involvement with FFA and 4-H. “Her commitment to support the American farmer, defense of American food self-sufficiency, and the restoration of agriculture-dependent small towns in America is second to none,” the President-elect said. “As the next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American farmers, who are truly the backbone of our country.” Rollins was on Trump’s 2016 Economic Advisory Council and worked as the Director of the Domestic Public Policy Council. Rollins has also spent the past four years as the Founder and CEO of the American First Policy Institute and America First Works.

Trump picks nominee for Secretary of Agriculture

(Radio Iowa) - The Dallas County Auditor has announced the results of a recount in a central Iowa legislative race and the winner is claiming victory, but the second-place finisher has not conceded. 

State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from West Des Moines, finished with a 29 vote lead over Republican Mark Hanson. Hanson is a member of the Dallas County Board of Supervisors. Hanson told The Des Moines Register the board will meet Tuesday to review the results of the recount. 

The recount in Iowa's first district congressional race has not been completed.

(Radio Iowa) - The Dallas County Auditor has announced the results of a recount in a central Iowa legislative race and the winner is claiming victory, but the second-place finisher has not conceded. State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from West Des Moines, finished with a 29 vote lead over Republican Mark Hanson. Hanson is a member of the Dallas County Board of Supervisors. Hanson told The Des Moines Register the board will meet Tuesday to review the results of the recount. The recount in Iowa's first district congressional race has not been completed.

Recount in central Iowa legislative race shows Democratic incumbent won

JOHNSON COUNTY —A teen accused in a shooting with a police officer's gun at the Oak Park Mall in Overland Park has entered a plea in the case.

Nery Alberto Gonzalez-Munoz, 18,&nbsp; pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of misdemeanor theft.

Just before 4:30p.m. Nov 12, 2023, police responded to an armed disturbance at the Oak Park Mall in 11400 block of W.95th in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy.

  As Gonzalez-Munoz and a 17-year-old suspect were trying to exit the mall near the food court, three plain clothes detectives identified themselves and attempted to apprehend them.

 During the apprehension, one male suspect resisted arrest, a struggle occurred, and the suspect was able to obtain one of the detective’s issued firearm. 

 The suspect was able to pull the trigger, firing one shot. This suspect was apprehended.  The other suspect ran north of the mall and was immediately apprehended.  No one was injured in this incident.

&nbsp;Gonzalez-Munoz sentencing is set for February 10.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700012719162.png" alt="Gonzalez-Munoz-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Gonzalez-Munoz-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A teen accused in a shooting with a police officer's gun at the Oak Park Mall in Overland Park has entered a plea in the case.Nery Alberto Gonzalez-Munoz, 18,&nbsp; pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of misdemeanor theft.Just before 4:30p.m. Nov 12, 2023, police responded to an armed disturbance at the Oak Park Mall in 11400 block of W.95th in Overland Park, according to Officer John Lacy. As Gonzalez-Munoz and a 17-year-old suspect were trying to exit the mall near the food court, three plain clothes detectives identified themselves and attempted to apprehend them.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732394078923.png" alt="Police on the scene of the disturbance -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the disturbance -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure> During the apprehension, one male suspect resisted arrest, a struggle occurred, and the suspect was able to obtain one of the detective’s issued firearm. The suspect was able to pull the trigger, firing one shot. This suspect was apprehended. The other suspect ran north of the mall and was immediately apprehended. No one was injured in this incident.&nbsp;Gonzalez-Munoz sentencing is set for February 10.&nbsp;

Kan. teen enters plea in fight with officers at shopping mall

Millions of travelers are expected on America's roadways this week in anticipation of Thanksgiving.

Sergeant Shane Hux, with Troop H in St. Joseph, has some simple tips to keep in mind for safe holiday travel, especially if weather becomes an issue. "First and foremost, its always important to plan your trip. This time of year in Missouri, you never know what the weather will hold. Always check the weather forecast along your route."

Hux adds other simple precautions drivers can take are to always obey traffic laws, buckle up, and put your phone down. "We hope that people comply with the state's new hands free law and avoid distractions."

Hux notes that over 100 people lose their lives every year in Missouri due to distracted driving. "Its important to remember there is a law in place that you cannot hold or support a cell phone or other wireless device while you are driving."&nbsp;

Hux recommends purchasing a phone holder for your dash, or having a passenger handle the phone for GPS.

The peak travel days this year for the Thanksgiving holiday are Wednesday, November 27th thru Sunday, December 1st. Hux says, "All available troopers throughout Missouri will be working during the holiday counting period, especially in Northwest Missouri."

AAA estimates 80,000,000 people will travel for Thanksgiving this year.

By RYAN SKAITHSt. Joseph PostMillions of travelers are expected on America's roadways this week in anticipation of Thanksgiving.Sergeant Shane Hux, with Troop H in St. Joseph, has some simple tips to keep in mind for safe holiday travel, especially if weather becomes an issue. "First and foremost, its always important to plan your trip. This time of year in Missouri, you never know what the weather will hold. Always check the weather forecast along your route."Hux adds other simple precautions drivers can take are to always obey traffic laws, buckle up, and put your phone down. "We hope that people comply with the state's new hands free law and avoid distractions."Hux notes that over 100 people lose their lives every year in Missouri due to distracted driving. "Its important to remember there is a law in place that you cannot hold or support a cell phone or other wireless device while you are driving."&nbsp;Hux recommends purchasing a phone holder for your dash, or having a passenger handle the phone for GPS.The peak travel days this year for the Thanksgiving holiday are Wednesday, November 27th thru Sunday, December 1st. Hux says, "All available troopers throughout Missouri will be working during the holiday counting period, especially in Northwest Missouri."AAA estimates 80,000,000 people will travel for Thanksgiving this year.

Highway Patrol reminds drivers to be safe during Thanksgiving travel

A 74-page ruling backs state’s argument defending law that has blocked transgender Missourians from accessing gender-affirming health care

BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri’s restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone treatment for transgender minors are constitutional and may remain in place,&nbsp;Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter wrote in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/JUDGMENT.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3366224" target="_blank">74-page ruling</a>&nbsp;Monday.

Soon after the ruling became public, the ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal promised to appeal.

The state’s restrictions on gender-affirming care, passed by state lawmakers in 2023, not only bar minors from beginning cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers and undergoing gender transition surgeries. It also blocks the state from paying for gender-affirming care for adults through Missouri Medicaid and care in state prisons.

Many&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/11/washington-university-the-second-missouri-provider-to-stop-transgender-care-for-minors/">providers in Missouri have ceased offering gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for minors, including patients that had begun prescriptions prior to the law’s effective date.

Plaintiffs in the case — which include gender-affirming health care providers, transgender minors and their families — had the burden to prove the statute “clearly and undoubtedly violates a constitutional provision,” the judge wrote. And because plaintiffs challenged the law in its entirety, they had to prove that there is “no set of circumstances under which the provisions would be valid.”

Carter determined the challenge did not clear the high bar on multiple arguments, but the overarching debate looked at medical consensus on gender-affirming care.

His ruling focuses on a U.S. Supreme Court precedent that allows lawmakers broad discretion in areas “fraught with medical and scientific uncertainty.” Carter concluded that there is “an almost total lack of consensus as to the medical ethics of adolescent gender dysphoria treatment,” granting the state legislature authority to ban the care.

“Regarding the ethics of adolescent gender-affirming treatment, it would seem that the medical profession stands in the middle of an ethical minefield, with scant evidence to lead it out.” he wrote.

During the nine-day trial, which took place at the end of September, experts on both sides opined on the availability of scientific research on gender-affirming care. Carter notes that plaintiffs agreed that standards of care were based on scientifically low-quality evidence. Expert witnesses for plaintiffs said during trial they still felt there was enough to justify the area of treatment.

The witnesses at trial&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/02/credibility-of-states-expert-witnesses-questioned-in-missouri-transgender-health-care-trial/">varied in credibility</a>, with some of the state’s experts discussing research that had been retracted. Solicitor General Joshua Divine, representing the state and defending the law, argued that the scientific community had only dismissed his experts’ findings because of “cancel culture.”

Carter’s judgment does not cite the state’s most controversial expert but does rely on the testimony of Jamie Reed, who was permitted as a fact witness instead of an expert on the topic. Reed was called to testify in order to establish facts on gender-affirming care in Missouri.

Reed, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/09/missouri-agencies-launch-investigation-into-health-center-for-transgender-youth/">public affidavit in February 2023</a>&nbsp;inspired the passage of the restrictions, testified that Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital treated many patients with mental health problems without comprehensive psychological evaluations.

There was disagreement during the trial over whether treatment from a licensed therapist was enough to warrant gender-affirming medical care or if a psychologist or psychiatrist should be a requirement.

Plaintiffs did not have a witness from the Transgender Center, apart from patient testimonies, so Carter concluded that Reed’s testimony was unrebutted.

Importantly, he also found Reed credible.

“Her testimony does not arise from any ideological or other bias,” Carter wrote. “In fact, she is married to a transgender individual.”

Reed is the executive director of a small advocacy group called the LGBT Courage Coalition, which opposes gender-affirming care for minors. Her partner is stopping testosterone treatments and “detransitioning,” an article published the day before Reed’s testimony announced.

In contrast to his views on the state’s witnesses, Carter wrote he “has concerns with deferring to the organizations relied on by plaintiffs, such as WPATH, which self-describes itself as an organization ‘committed to advocacy.’”&nbsp;

WPATH, which stands for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, is a professional organization that sets standards for gender-affirming care. During the trial, the state questioned whether WPATH was stifling research with outcomes contrary to its worldview.

Apart from these concerns, Carter said three witnesses were particularly compelling: Chloe Cole, a young woman who transitioned as a minor in California and since stopped treatment and has spoken publicly about her regrets, along with bioethicist Farr Curlin and plastic surgeon Patrick Lappert, both who emphasized potential side effects of gender-affirming care.

Because the risks were high for gender-affirming care, the treatment couldn’t be compared to experimental treatments with few known side effects, Carter wrote, and allowing teenagers to opt into an experimental treatment is dubious.

“If we don’t let a 16-year-old buy a six pack of beer and a pack of smokes, or let an adult buy those items for them, should we allow the same kid/parent team to decide to change a teenager’s sex forever?” Carter wrote in his ruling.

The ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal said in an emailed statement that the judgment mirrored the state’s brief, and a transcript of the trial has yet to be completed.

“The court’s findings signal a troubling acceptance of discrimination, ignore an extensive trial record and the voices of transgender Missourians and those who care for them, and deny transgender adolescents and Medicaid beneficiaries from their right to access to evidence-based, effective, and often life-saving medical care,” the legal organizations said in a joint statement.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1861114918457561543" target="_blank">in a social media post</a>&nbsp;that “the national mood on this issue has moved significantly since we launched our investigation.”

“The state has a role to play,” he said, “to determine what systems need to be in place to protect kids and ensure that the adults and patients understand the lack of science and medicine behind certain recommended procedures.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727446832059.png" alt="Judge Craig Carter, a Wright County judge serving in Cole County for Missouri's gender-affirming care trial, listens to testimony. "There were so many binders of evidence that were piled so high on the bench&nbsp;that the court’s vision was at times obscured," he noted in his ruling Monday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Judge Craig Carter, a Wright County judge serving in Cole County for Missouri's gender-affirming care trial, listens to testimony. "There were so many binders of evidence that were piled so high on the bench&nbsp;that the court’s vision was at times obscured," he noted in his ruling Monday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A 74-page ruling backs state’s argument defending law that has blocked transgender Missourians from accessing gender-affirming health care</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri’s restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone treatment for transgender minors are constitutional and may remain in place,&nbsp;Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter wrote in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/JUDGMENT.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3366224" target="_blank">74-page ruling</a>&nbsp;Monday.Soon after the ruling became public, the ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal promised to appeal.The state’s restrictions on gender-affirming care, passed by state lawmakers in 2023, not only bar minors from beginning cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers and undergoing gender transition surgeries. It also blocks the state from paying for gender-affirming care for adults through Missouri Medicaid and care in state prisons.Many&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/09/11/washington-university-the-second-missouri-provider-to-stop-transgender-care-for-minors/">providers in Missouri have ceased offering gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for minors, including patients that had begun prescriptions prior to the law’s effective date.Plaintiffs in the case — which include gender-affirming health care providers, transgender minors and their families — had the burden to prove the statute “clearly and undoubtedly violates a constitutional provision,” the judge wrote. And because plaintiffs challenged the law in its entirety, they had to prove that there is “no set of circumstances under which the provisions would be valid.”Carter determined the challenge did not clear the high bar on multiple arguments, but the overarching debate looked at medical consensus on gender-affirming care.His ruling focuses on a U.S. Supreme Court precedent that allows lawmakers broad discretion in areas “fraught with medical and scientific uncertainty.” Carter concluded that there is “an almost total lack of consensus as to the medical ethics of adolescent gender dysphoria treatment,” granting the state legislature authority to ban the care.“Regarding the ethics of adolescent gender-affirming treatment, it would seem that the medical profession stands in the middle of an ethical minefield, with scant evidence to lead it out.” he wrote.During the nine-day trial, which took place at the end of September, experts on both sides opined on the availability of scientific research on gender-affirming care. Carter notes that plaintiffs agreed that standards of care were based on scientifically low-quality evidence. Expert witnesses for plaintiffs said during trial they still felt there was enough to justify the area of treatment.The witnesses at trial&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/10/02/credibility-of-states-expert-witnesses-questioned-in-missouri-transgender-health-care-trial/">varied in credibility</a>, with some of the state’s experts discussing research that had been retracted. Solicitor General Joshua Divine, representing the state and defending the law, argued that the scientific community had only dismissed his experts’ findings because of “cancel culture.”Carter’s judgment does not cite the state’s most controversial expert but does rely on the testimony of Jamie Reed, who was permitted as a fact witness instead of an expert on the topic. Reed was called to testify in order to establish facts on gender-affirming care in Missouri.Reed, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/09/missouri-agencies-launch-investigation-into-health-center-for-transgender-youth/">public affidavit in February 2023</a>&nbsp;inspired the passage of the restrictions, testified that Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital treated many patients with mental health problems without comprehensive psychological evaluations.There was disagreement during the trial over whether treatment from a licensed therapist was enough to warrant gender-affirming medical care or if a psychologist or psychiatrist should be a requirement.Plaintiffs did not have a witness from the Transgender Center, apart from patient testimonies, so Carter concluded that Reed’s testimony was unrebutted.Importantly, he also found Reed credible.“Her testimony does not arise from any ideological or other bias,” Carter wrote. “In fact, she is married to a transgender individual.”Reed is the executive director of a small advocacy group called the LGBT Courage Coalition, which opposes gender-affirming care for minors. Her partner is stopping testosterone treatments and “detransitioning,” an article published the day before Reed’s testimony announced.In contrast to his views on the state’s witnesses, Carter wrote he “has concerns with deferring to the organizations relied on by plaintiffs, such as WPATH, which self-describes itself as an organization ‘committed to advocacy.’”&nbsp;WPATH, which stands for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, is a professional organization that sets standards for gender-affirming care. During the trial, the state questioned whether WPATH was stifling research with outcomes contrary to its worldview.Apart from these concerns, Carter said three witnesses were particularly compelling: Chloe Cole, a young woman who transitioned as a minor in California and since stopped treatment and has spoken publicly about her regrets, along with bioethicist Farr Curlin and plastic surgeon Patrick Lappert, both who emphasized potential side effects of gender-affirming care.Because the risks were high for gender-affirming care, the treatment couldn’t be compared to experimental treatments with few known side effects, Carter wrote, and allowing teenagers to opt into an experimental treatment is dubious.“If we don’t let a 16-year-old buy a six pack of beer and a pack of smokes, or let an adult buy those items for them, should we allow the same kid/parent team to decide to change a teenager’s sex forever?” Carter wrote in his ruling.The ACLU of Missouri and Lambda Legal said in an emailed statement that the judgment mirrored the state’s brief, and a transcript of the trial has yet to be completed.“The court’s findings signal a troubling acceptance of discrimination, ignore an extensive trial record and the voices of transgender Missourians and those who care for them, and deny transgender adolescents and Medicaid beneficiaries from their right to access to evidence-based, effective, and often life-saving medical care,” the legal organizations said in a joint statement.Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AGAndrewBailey/status/1861114918457561543" target="_blank">in a social media post</a>&nbsp;that “the national mood on this issue has moved significantly since we launched our investigation.”“The state has a role to play,” he said, “to determine what systems need to be in place to protect kids and ensure that the adults and patients understand the lack of science and medicine behind certain recommended procedures.”

Missouri judge upholds state ban on transgender health care for minors

State officials once again delay classification of school districts based on performance report scores

The latest round of student test scores show fewer Missouri public school districts and charter schools in jeopardy of losing accreditation, though this year’s data won’t immediately affect how schools are graded.

Based on annual performance report scores released Monday for the sixth iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP6, there were 343 districts and charters that improved when compared to an average of their scores over the previous two years.

A total of 71 districts and charters scored in the provisionally accredited range, and four charter schools scored below 50%, which is the unaccredited range.

“It’s something that we’ve been waiting for. Ever since the pandemic, we have looked at scores (and seen declines),” Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger told reporters in a press conference. “Finally… we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor. We’re starting to see where we are making progress.”

MSIP6, which launched in 2022, has been lauded as “more rigorous” and descriptive than prior versions of the program. Previously, many districts scored above 90%, whereas now their scores are more evenly distributed along a bell curve.

The score is a snapshot of student performance in end-of-course exams and statewide standardized tests along with an assessment of district continuous improvement plans.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education originally planned to base classification decisions on scores this year but will instead make decisions from three-year composite scores. Districts’ accreditation cannot be lowered from MSIP6 scores until 2026.

Based on composite scores for the three years of MSIP6 data, two charter schools are in the unaccredited range. The State Board of Education will determine accreditation status based on other factors, like superintendent qualifications and financial health.

Lisa Sireno, assistant commissioner of the Office of Quality Schools, told reporters the department switched to composite scores for classification this spring.

“They’re more stable measures as they contain more data,” she said. “They are less susceptible to extreme changes from year to year.”

For smaller districts, a composite can protect them from volatility while the individual score gives a look at the last school year’s work.

Craig Carson, assistant superintendent of learning of the Ozark School District, said it is “autopsy data.”

“This is data that tells you about where you’ve been,” he told The Independent. “The data we really use are the day-to-day data inside our classrooms.”

Ozark is part of the Success Ready Students Network, which is a group of school districts compiling alternative methods of accountability. This year, the districts are showing the first draft of their plan, in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ozarktigers.org/about-us/education-dashboard" target="_blank">informational dashboards</a>&nbsp;available on their websites.

“We are using a descriptive (report) that is found on our website, and it gives so much more information to our public about how our students are doing in the day to day, and it really emphasizes growth,” Carson said.

He believes that the next iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program will spring from work the Success Ready Students Network is doing.

“We are now building the momentum we need to really involve real-world learning with competency-based education and make sure that every student leaves being success-ready,” he said. “The excitement around that and the synergy of those school districts are creating, that will eventually turn into what MSIP7 will be.”

Similar to Carson, Maplewood Richmond Heights School District Superintendent Bonita Jamison reiterated that the scores are a limited look at a district.

“That data only tells one story, and there are stories that are not seen and reflected in those numbers, where the impact on the lives of children and their families are profound,” she said.

Benchmark assessments serve the district better to see needs and fill them quickly, she said.

Maplewood Richmond Heights is one of the top-scoring districts this year, amassing 97% of points possible. Just three others fared better.

She points to “shared accountability and ownership” from the entirety of the district’s staff — including a custodian who doubles as an attendance monitor to encourage parents to get children to school.

She has theories why other schools didn’t score as well, mainly a teacher recruitment and retention crisis hitting poorer, urban schools hard.

Eslinger, in last week’s press conference, told reporters that teacher vacancies “make performance and improvement challenging.”

“We know that with fewer educators, more and more courses across the state are being taught by student teachers and by folks that are substitutes that maybe have not really been trained on the specific content area,” she said. “We’ve got work to do there.”

In 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.dese.mo.gov/MCDS/Reports/SSRS_Print.aspx?Reportid=3154bdb4-001c-4950-bf25-c1933a396b8f" target="_blank">37% of Missouri educators in their first year</a>&nbsp;of teaching were inappropriately certified for the course they were teaching and&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.dese.mo.gov/MCDS/Reports/SSRS_Print.aspx?Reportid=3d5741e3-6ef0-42e7-a358-c7ad24d6fdeb" target="_blank">over 10% over courses were taught by someone inappropriately certified</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723204979781.png" alt=" Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger speaks during a State Board of Education meeting Tuesday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger speaks during a State Board of Education meeting Tuesday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>State officials once again delay classification of school districts based on performance report scores</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>The latest round of student test scores show fewer Missouri public school districts and charter schools in jeopardy of losing accreditation, though this year’s data won’t immediately affect how schools are graded.Based on annual performance report scores released Monday for the sixth iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP6, there were 343 districts and charters that improved when compared to an average of their scores over the previous two years.A total of 71 districts and charters scored in the provisionally accredited range, and four charter schools scored below 50%, which is the unaccredited range.“It’s something that we’ve been waiting for. Ever since the pandemic, we have looked at scores (and seen declines),” Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger told reporters in a press conference. “Finally… we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor. We’re starting to see where we are making progress.”MSIP6, which launched in 2022, has been lauded as “more rigorous” and descriptive than prior versions of the program. Previously, many districts scored above 90%, whereas now their scores are more evenly distributed along a bell curve.The score is a snapshot of student performance in end-of-course exams and statewide standardized tests along with an assessment of district continuous improvement plans.The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education originally planned to base classification decisions on scores this year but will instead make decisions from three-year composite scores. Districts’ accreditation cannot be lowered from MSIP6 scores until 2026.Based on composite scores for the three years of MSIP6 data, two charter schools are in the unaccredited range. The State Board of Education will determine accreditation status based on other factors, like superintendent qualifications and financial health.Lisa Sireno, assistant commissioner of the Office of Quality Schools, told reporters the department switched to composite scores for classification this spring.“They’re more stable measures as they contain more data,” she said. “They are less susceptible to extreme changes from year to year.”For smaller districts, a composite can protect them from volatility while the individual score gives a look at the last school year’s work.Craig Carson, assistant superintendent of learning of the Ozark School District, said it is “autopsy data.”“This is data that tells you about where you’ve been,” he told The Independent. “The data we really use are the day-to-day data inside our classrooms.”Ozark is part of the Success Ready Students Network, which is a group of school districts compiling alternative methods of accountability. This year, the districts are showing the first draft of their plan, in the form of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ozarktigers.org/about-us/education-dashboard" target="_blank">informational dashboards</a>&nbsp;available on their websites.“We are using a descriptive (report) that is found on our website, and it gives so much more information to our public about how our students are doing in the day to day, and it really emphasizes growth,” Carson said.He believes that the next iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program will spring from work the Success Ready Students Network is doing.“We are now building the momentum we need to really involve real-world learning with competency-based education and make sure that every student leaves being success-ready,” he said. “The excitement around that and the synergy of those school districts are creating, that will eventually turn into what MSIP7 will be.”Similar to Carson, Maplewood Richmond Heights School District Superintendent Bonita Jamison reiterated that the scores are a limited look at a district.“That data only tells one story, and there are stories that are not seen and reflected in those numbers, where the impact on the lives of children and their families are profound,” she said.Benchmark assessments serve the district better to see needs and fill them quickly, she said.Maplewood Richmond Heights is one of the top-scoring districts this year, amassing 97% of points possible. Just three others fared better.She points to “shared accountability and ownership” from the entirety of the district’s staff — including a custodian who doubles as an attendance monitor to encourage parents to get children to school.She has theories why other schools didn’t score as well, mainly a teacher recruitment and retention crisis hitting poorer, urban schools hard.Eslinger, in last week’s press conference, told reporters that teacher vacancies “make performance and improvement challenging.”“We know that with fewer educators, more and more courses across the state are being taught by student teachers and by folks that are substitutes that maybe have not really been trained on the specific content area,” she said. “We’ve got work to do there.”In 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.dese.mo.gov/MCDS/Reports/SSRS_Print.aspx?Reportid=3154bdb4-001c-4950-bf25-c1933a396b8f" target="_blank">37% of Missouri educators in their first year</a>&nbsp;of teaching were inappropriately certified for the course they were teaching and&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.dese.mo.gov/MCDS/Reports/SSRS_Print.aspx?Reportid=3d5741e3-6ef0-42e7-a358-c7ad24d6fdeb" target="_blank">over 10% over courses were taught by someone inappropriately certified</a>.

Missouri school districts show improvement in annual performance report

(Radio Iowa) - Governor Kim Reynolds plans to ask the legislature to ban cell phones from classrooms in Iowa's K-through-12 schools. 

Reynolds briefly mentioned the proposal late last week during an interview at the Washington, D-C. bureau for Gray television stations. A spokesman for the governor says personal electronic devices are a distraction and Reynolds believes Iowa kids should have the freedom to focus and be fully engaged in their education. 

Some Iowa schools have implemented cell phone restrictions for the current academic year. Advocates say it helps students be more engaged in the classroom.

(Radio Iowa) - Governor Kim Reynolds plans to ask the legislature to ban cell phones from classrooms in Iowa's K-through-12 schools. Reynolds briefly mentioned the proposal late last week during an interview at the Washington, D-C. bureau for Gray television stations. A spokesman for the governor says personal electronic devices are a distraction and Reynolds believes Iowa kids should have the freedom to focus and be fully engaged in their education. Some Iowa schools have implemented cell phone restrictions for the current academic year. Advocates say it helps students be more engaged in the classroom.

Governor plans to seek ban on cell phones in Iowa K-12 classrooms

Federal officials testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on how they’re dealing with disasters. Reports say Georgia and North Carolina senators testified about the devastation facing their farmers after Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit those states this Fall. Beyond those disasters, several senators also talked about significant financial losses facing row crop farmers in their states. 

“Many farmers across the country are on the verge of going out of business due to hurricanes, wildfires, drought, and other weather-related events that wiped out entire crops,” said Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. “But there are also many farmers across the country on the verge of going out of business due to high input costs and below break-even commodity prices, and they need help too.” She added that for the first time in her career, she’s had lenders and bankers say they weren’t going to be able to help finance farmers in 2025.

Federal officials testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on how they’re dealing with disasters. Reports say Georgia and North Carolina senators testified about the devastation facing their farmers after Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit those states this Fall. Beyond those disasters, several senators also talked about significant financial losses facing row crop farmers in their states. “Many farmers across the country are on the verge of going out of business due to hurricanes, wildfires, drought, and other weather-related events that wiped out entire crops,” said Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. “But there are also many farmers across the country on the verge of going out of business due to high input costs and below break-even commodity prices, and they need help too.” She added that for the first time in her career, she’s had lenders and bankers say they weren’t going to be able to help finance farmers in 2025.

Senators want farm aid beyond hurricane damages

(Radio Iowa) - Senator Chuck Grassley says President-elect Trump's second pick to serve as attorney general is well-regarded and experienced. 

Grassley will be chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2025 and will oversee the confirmation hearing for former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Grassley says senators will learn more about her in the coming weeks, but Grassley says he worked with Bondi on criminal justice reform during Trump's first term. 

Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination to be Trump's attorney general last Thursday, and Trump announced he'd nominate Bondi for the job.

(Radio Iowa) - Senator Chuck Grassley says President-elect Trump's second pick to serve as attorney general is well-regarded and experienced. Grassley will be chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2025 and will oversee the confirmation hearing for former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Grassley says senators will learn more about her in the coming weeks, but Grassley says he worked with Bondi on criminal justice reform during Trump's first term. Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination to be Trump's attorney general last Thursday, and Trump announced he'd nominate Bondi for the job.

Grassley praises Trump's new nominee for A.G.

The St. Joseph Police department is warning the public of a wave of scams. 

Captain Jeff Wilson says the department wants residents, and particularly the elderly, to be aware of these criminals targeting them

"in some form of fashion they ask for a payment to be made to them, basically they state that they have had to much money put into their account," Wilson tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  "Whether it be a Paypal account or some other form of an account and that money needs to be returned."

Wilson says the scammers ask for this money to be returned in gift cards or bitcoin, and even recently by meeting face to face with cash. 

Wilson says they want residents to be aware of these scams so they can avoid falling victim

"You know meeting in person can become very dangerous, but as well I've seen several victims that have been taken for a substantial amount of money and we just don't want to see that for our folks in the community, especially our elderly folks," Wilson explains.

Wilson says these scams come in ebbs and flows. 

"There's definitely times throughout the year where they seem more prevalent than others, and like I said we've seen multiple reports here within a short time frame of them taking place," Wilson says.  "Like I said, there's rise and fall to it, but I think we're going into a busy season for it right now."

Wilson says if you or someone you know has heard one of these scams, contact your bank to verify if what you are being told is true.

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

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Joseph Police department is warning the public of a wave of scams. Captain Jeff Wilson says the department wants residents, and particularly the elderly, to be aware of these criminals targeting them"in some form of fashion they ask for a payment to be made to them, basically they state that they have had to much money put into their account," Wilson tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "Whether it be a Paypal account or some other form of an account and that money needs to be returned."Wilson says the scammers ask for this money to be returned in gift cards or bitcoin, and even recently by meeting face to face with cash. Wilson says they want residents to be aware of these scams so they can avoid falling victim"You know meeting in person can become very dangerous, but as well I've seen several victims that have been taken for a substantial amount of money and we just don't want to see that for our folks in the community, especially our elderly folks," Wilson explains.Wilson says these scams come in ebbs and flows. "There's definitely times throughout the year where they seem more prevalent than others, and like I said we've seen multiple reports here within a short time frame of them taking place," Wilson says. "Like I said, there's rise and fall to it, but I think we're going into a busy season for it right now."Wilson says if you or someone you know has heard one of these scams, contact your bank to verify if what you are being told is true.You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Joseph Police warn against latest scam

TOPEKA — Emergency loans are available to help Kansans who had losses from storms last spring.

Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated 13 counties as natural disaster areas due to severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding on May 19.

The counties are Barton, Ellsworth, Harvey, Hodgeman, Lincoln, Morris, Ottawa, Pawnee, Reno, Russell, Stafford, Wabaunsee, and Wyandotte.

In additionn, neighboring counties Butler, Chase, Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Geary, Johnson, Kingman, Leavenworth, Lyon, McPherson, Marion, Mitchell, Ness, Osage, Osborne, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, and Shawnee.

Contiguous counties of Platte, Clay and Jackson in Missouri are also eligible.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The loans can be used to meet various recovery needs, like replacing essential items, including equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation, or refinancing certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

This Presidential disaster declaration allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/emergency-farm-loans/index">emergency loans</a>. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.&nbsp;

On farmers.gov, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmers.gov/node/28989">Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmers.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/fsa-disasterassistance-at-a-glance-sept.-2021.pdf">Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://lat.fpac.usda.gov/">Loan Assistance Tool</a>&nbsp;can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmers.gov/service-center-locator">&nbsp;USDA Service Center</a>.FEMA offers different assistance programs for individual citizens, public groups including government agencies and private nonprofit organizations.&nbsp; To find the FEMA help you need following a disaster event, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fema.gov/assistance">fema.gov/assistance</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732376315753.png" alt="Photo National Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo National Service</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — Emergency loans are available to help Kansans who had losses from storms last spring.Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated 13 counties as natural disaster areas due to severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding on May 19.The counties are Barton, Ellsworth, Harvey, Hodgeman, Lincoln, Morris, Ottawa, Pawnee, Reno, Russell, Stafford, Wabaunsee, and Wyandotte.In additionn, neighboring counties Butler, Chase, Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Geary, Johnson, Kingman, Leavenworth, Lyon, McPherson, Marion, Mitchell, Ness, Osage, Osborne, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, and Shawnee.Contiguous counties of Platte, Clay and Jackson in Missouri are also eligible.&nbsp; &nbsp;The loans can be used to meet various recovery needs, like replacing essential items, including equipment or livestock, reorganizing a farming operation, or refinancing certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.This Presidential disaster declaration allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/emergency-farm-loans/index">emergency loans</a>. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.&nbsp;The deadline to apply is April 21, 2025.On farmers.gov, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmers.gov/node/28989">Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmers.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/fsa-disasterassistance-at-a-glance-sept.-2021.pdf">Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://lat.fpac.usda.gov/">Loan Assistance Tool</a>&nbsp;can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local&nbsp;<a href="https://www.farmers.gov/service-center-locator">&nbsp;USDA Service Center</a>.FEMA offers different assistance programs for individual citizens, public groups including government agencies and private nonprofit organizations.&nbsp; To find the FEMA help you need following a disaster event, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fema.gov/assistance">fema.gov/assistance</a>.

FEMA designates counties in Missouri, Kansas as disaster areas

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shalina-chatlani/">SHALINA CHATLANI</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

GOP lawmakers in Missouri have pushed unsuccessfully for work requirements repeatedly in recent years

Trevor Hawkins, an attorney at Legal Aid of Arkansas, remembers how busy his job got when the state for a time imposed work requirements on Medicaid recipients: His office was swamped with frantic phone calls from people who said they couldn’t comply with the new rule because they weren’t healthy enough to work or had to care for sick relatives.

“A whole heap of folks, after a month or two, started getting notices saying, ‘Hey, you’re out of compliance, and you’re going to lose your coverage,’” Hawkins told Stateline. For many people, he said, keeping their coverage was “absolutely vital to maintaining their health or getting better so they might work again.”

In June 2018, Arkansas became the first state to require some Medicaid recipients to work, volunteer, go to school or participate in job training to receive benefits. By the time a federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://media.arkansasonline.com/news/documents/2019/03/27/ARK_WORKS_OPINION.pdf" target="_blank">halted the policy</a>&nbsp;in April 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00538" target="_blank">18,000 adults had lost coverage</a>.

Arkansas was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/section-1115-waiver-tracker-work-requirements/" target="_blank">one of 13 states</a>&nbsp;that received permission to impose work rules on at least some Medicaid recipients during the last Trump administration.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/section-1115-waiver-tracker-work-requirements/" target="_blank">Nine additional states</a>&nbsp;requested permission to enact Medicaid work requirements during Trump’s term but had not won approval by the time it ended.

When the Biden administration came into office, it rescinded all the approvals. But now that Trump is coming back, many of those states will try again — and they’ll have a supportive U.S. Congress in their corner.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/health/medicaid-cuts-republican-congress.html" target="_blank">eager to find ways</a>&nbsp;to pay for extending tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term in office, and Medicaid — funded jointly by the federal government and the states — is in their sights.

Requiring states to establish Medicaid work rules, as many Republicans would like to do, would cut federal spending by an estimated $109 billion over a decade,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-04/59109-Pallone.pdf" target="_blank">according to the Congressional Budget Office</a>. That’s because the cost for about 900,000 people would shift entirely to states, while another 600,000 people would become uninsured, CBO estimated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/program-information/medicaid-and-chip-enrollment-data/report-highlights/index.html" target="_blank">About 72.4 million people</a>&nbsp;are enrolled in Medicaid.

Arkansas renewed its efforts even before Trump’s victory. Last year, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders&nbsp;<a href="https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/news/governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-directs-dhs-to-add-work-requirement-to-medicaid-program/" target="_blank">requested federal approval</a>&nbsp;from the Biden administration to apply work rules to able-bodied adults who are covered through the state’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and who are enrolled in health plans that Arkansas Medicaid purchases for them on the state’s health insurance exchange. That application is pending.

Missouri Republicans have pushed for Medicaid work requirements repeatedly over the years, most notably&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/03/22/republicans-push-work-requirements-for-coverage-under-missouri-medicaid-expansion/">after voters overwhelming approved expanding the program’s eligibility</a>&nbsp;in 2020. That push was briefly renewed earlier this year as part of a fight amongst Senate Republicans over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/22/senate-battle-over-taxes-that-fund-missouri-medicaid-leaves-state-budget-in-limbo/">renewing taxes that fund Missouri’s portion of Medicaid</a>.

Georgia, after prevailing in a legal fight with the Biden administration,&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/06/30/limited-medicaid-expansion-covering-low-income-georgians-begins-in-july/" target="_blank">already has work requirements in place</a>&nbsp;for people covered by its partial expansion of Medicaid. And Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-waiver-tracker-approved-and-pending-section-1115-waivers-by-state/#:~:text=This%20page%20tracks%20approved%20and,address%20specific%20populations%20or%20benefits." target="_blank">have pending requests</a>&nbsp;to require at least some of their Medicaid recipients to work.

Supporters say requiring Medicaid recipients to work, study or train for a career gives them a boost toward self-sufficiency and financial stability. Kristi Putnam, the secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services,&nbsp;<a href="https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/news/governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-directs-dhs-to-add-work-requirement-to-medicaid-program/" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;announcing her state’s latest request that it would challenge people to “embrace economic opportunities that can lead to true job advancement.”

“Meaningful work connects people to purpose — and through the pandemic we have seen negative mental health impacts from people feeling disconnected,” Putnam said.

Critics, however, say such rules end up hurting far more people than they help.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/epdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00538" target="_blank">In a 2020 study</a>&nbsp;examining how the Arkansas work requirements played out, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health “found no evidence that the policy succeeded in its stated goal of promoting work and instead found substantial evidence of harm to health care coverage and access.”

More than 95% of the Arkansas beneficiaries the researchers surveyed already met the work requirement or should have qualified for an exemption. The main reason people lost coverage, the researchers found, was because they had trouble verifying that they were complying with the rules. Many of those who lost their coverage stopped taking their medications, delayed care and fell into medical debt.

“Our results should provide a strong note of caution for federal and state policy makers considering work requirement policies in the future,” the researchers concluded.

Under the rules Arkansas put in place during the first Trump administration, Medicaid participants under age 50&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/pain-but-no-gain-arkansas-failed-medicaid-work-reporting-requirements-should-not-be" target="_blank">had to report</a>&nbsp;that they spent at least 80 hours each month working, attending school, in job training or volunteering. The rule only applied to people who became eligible after Arkansas expanded Medicaid under the ACA to cover adults making up to 138% of the federal poverty level.

And people were exempt if they were pregnant, had a child under 18 at home, were disabled, had to care for a person unable to care for him or herself, were in alcohol or drug treatment, or were in school or job training full time.

<a href="https://www.urban.org/research/publication/medicaid-work-requirements-arkansas" target="_blank">About 70,000</a>&nbsp;of the roughly 270,000 Arkansans on Medicaid were subject to the new rules, and about 1 in 4 of those lost coverage.

Unlike Arkansas, Georgia has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But its&nbsp;<a href="https://pathways.georgia.gov/about-pathways" target="_blank">Pathways to Coverage program</a>, launched in July 2023, allows people with household incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level who aren’t already eligible for Medicaid to enroll in the program if they fulfill work requirements. Georgia’s qualifying activities and exemptions are similar to the ones Arkansas had.

Fiona Roberts, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Community Health, told Stateline that as of Nov. 15, there were 5,548 people enrolled in the program and that a total of 7,518 people had been enrolled at some point — evidence, she said, that the program is helping people move from Medicaid to private insurance.

But in its first year, Pathways to Coverage only enrolled&nbsp;<a href="https://gbpi.org/georgias-pathways-to-coverage-program-the-first-year-in-review/#:~:text=Of%20those%20over%20110%2C000%20interested,437%20Georgians%20enrolling%20each%20month" target="_blank">about 4,200 people</a>&nbsp;— many fewer than the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/section-1115-demonstrations/downloads/ga-pathways-to-coverage-pa1.pdf" target="_blank">25,000 the state had predicted</a>. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-work-requirements-current-waiver-and-legislative-activity/" target="_blank">cost of the program</a>&nbsp;as of the end of 2023 was $26.6 million, and more than 90% of that went toward administrative and consulting costs, according to KFF, a nonprofit health research group. If Georgia had opted for a full expansion under the ACA, the federal government would have picked up 90% of the tab and the state would have covered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/how-many-uninsured-are-in-the-coverage-gap-and-how-many-could-be-eligible-if-all-states-adopted-the-medicaid-expansion/" target="_blank">about 359,000 people</a>.

Leah Chan, director of health justice at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said work requirements are particularly challenging for people living in rural areas.

“If you don’t have broadband internet at your house, you’re not going to be able to upload the documentation and your pay stubs,” Chan told Stateline. “Even eligible people can’t keep up with it, particularly in rural areas where there are additional barriers to participation.”

Benjamin Sommers, a professor of health care economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and one of the authors of the Arkansas study, said the experience with work requirements there and in Georgia should give other states pause.

“All that ended up happening was people lost coverage due to red tape, became uninsured, and in some cases, we saw that they had worse access to health care,” Sommers said.

But Arkansas Republican state Rep. Aaron Pilkington, who serves on the health committee in his chamber, said Medicaid work rules are “100% on the table and something we’ll look to ask for from the Trump administration.”

“They can find work and get better health insurance through their employer,” said Pilkington. He said the volunteering and education options make the rules even more attractive.

Meanwhile, in some of the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA, the inclusion of work requirements might be the only way politically to get expansion over the finish line.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shalina-chatlani/">SHALINA CHATLANI</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a><h2>GOP lawmakers in Missouri have pushed unsuccessfully for work requirements repeatedly in recent years</h2>Trevor Hawkins, an attorney at Legal Aid of Arkansas, remembers how busy his job got when the state for a time imposed work requirements on Medicaid recipients: His office was swamped with frantic phone calls from people who said they couldn’t comply with the new rule because they weren’t healthy enough to work or had to care for sick relatives.“A whole heap of folks, after a month or two, started getting notices saying, ‘Hey, you’re out of compliance, and you’re going to lose your coverage,’” Hawkins told Stateline. For many people, he said, keeping their coverage was “absolutely vital to maintaining their health or getting better so they might work again.”In June 2018, Arkansas became the first state to require some Medicaid recipients to work, volunteer, go to school or participate in job training to receive benefits. By the time a federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://media.arkansasonline.com/news/documents/2019/03/27/ARK_WORKS_OPINION.pdf" target="_blank">halted the policy</a>&nbsp;in April 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00538" target="_blank">18,000 adults had lost coverage</a>.Arkansas was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/section-1115-waiver-tracker-work-requirements/" target="_blank">one of 13 states</a>&nbsp;that received permission to impose work rules on at least some Medicaid recipients during the last Trump administration.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/section-1115-waiver-tracker-work-requirements/" target="_blank">Nine additional states</a>&nbsp;requested permission to enact Medicaid work requirements during Trump’s term but had not won approval by the time it ended.When the Biden administration came into office, it rescinded all the approvals. But now that Trump is coming back, many of those states will try again — and they’ll have a supportive U.S. Congress in their corner.Republicans on Capitol Hill are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/health/medicaid-cuts-republican-congress.html" target="_blank">eager to find ways</a>&nbsp;to pay for extending tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term in office, and Medicaid — funded jointly by the federal government and the states — is in their sights.Requiring states to establish Medicaid work rules, as many Republicans would like to do, would cut federal spending by an estimated $109 billion over a decade,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-04/59109-Pallone.pdf" target="_blank">according to the Congressional Budget Office</a>. That’s because the cost for about 900,000 people would shift entirely to states, while another 600,000 people would become uninsured, CBO estimated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/program-information/medicaid-and-chip-enrollment-data/report-highlights/index.html" target="_blank">About 72.4 million people</a>&nbsp;are enrolled in Medicaid.Arkansas renewed its efforts even before Trump’s victory. Last year, Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders&nbsp;<a href="https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/news/governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-directs-dhs-to-add-work-requirement-to-medicaid-program/" target="_blank">requested federal approval</a>&nbsp;from the Biden administration to apply work rules to able-bodied adults who are covered through the state’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and who are enrolled in health plans that Arkansas Medicaid purchases for them on the state’s health insurance exchange. That application is pending.Missouri Republicans have pushed for Medicaid work requirements repeatedly over the years, most notably&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/03/22/republicans-push-work-requirements-for-coverage-under-missouri-medicaid-expansion/">after voters overwhelming approved expanding the program’s eligibility</a>&nbsp;in 2020. That push was briefly renewed earlier this year as part of a fight amongst Senate Republicans over&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/22/senate-battle-over-taxes-that-fund-missouri-medicaid-leaves-state-budget-in-limbo/">renewing taxes that fund Missouri’s portion of Medicaid</a>.Georgia, after prevailing in a legal fight with the Biden administration,&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/06/30/limited-medicaid-expansion-covering-low-income-georgians-begins-in-july/" target="_blank">already has work requirements in place</a>&nbsp;for people covered by its partial expansion of Medicaid. And Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-waiver-tracker-approved-and-pending-section-1115-waivers-by-state/#:~:text=This%20page%20tracks%20approved%20and,address%20specific%20populations%20or%20benefits." target="_blank">have pending requests</a>&nbsp;to require at least some of their Medicaid recipients to work.<h2>Meeting requirements</h2>Supporters say requiring Medicaid recipients to work, study or train for a career gives them a boost toward self-sufficiency and financial stability. Kristi Putnam, the secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services,&nbsp;<a href="https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/news/governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-directs-dhs-to-add-work-requirement-to-medicaid-program/" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;announcing her state’s latest request that it would challenge people to “embrace economic opportunities that can lead to true job advancement.”“Meaningful work connects people to purpose — and through the pandemic we have seen negative mental health impacts from people feeling disconnected,” Putnam said.Critics, however, say such rules end up hurting far more people than they help.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/epdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00538" target="_blank">In a 2020 study</a>&nbsp;examining how the Arkansas work requirements played out, researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health “found no evidence that the policy succeeded in its stated goal of promoting work and instead found substantial evidence of harm to health care coverage and access.”More than 95% of the Arkansas beneficiaries the researchers surveyed already met the work requirement or should have qualified for an exemption. The main reason people lost coverage, the researchers found, was because they had trouble verifying that they were complying with the rules. Many of those who lost their coverage stopped taking their medications, delayed care and fell into medical debt.“Our results should provide a strong note of caution for federal and state policy makers considering work requirement policies in the future,” the researchers concluded.Under the rules Arkansas put in place during the first Trump administration, Medicaid participants under age 50&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/pain-but-no-gain-arkansas-failed-medicaid-work-reporting-requirements-should-not-be" target="_blank">had to report</a>&nbsp;that they spent at least 80 hours each month working, attending school, in job training or volunteering. The rule only applied to people who became eligible after Arkansas expanded Medicaid under the ACA to cover adults making up to 138% of the federal poverty level.And people were exempt if they were pregnant, had a child under 18 at home, were disabled, had to care for a person unable to care for him or herself, were in alcohol or drug treatment, or were in school or job training full time.<a href="https://www.urban.org/research/publication/medicaid-work-requirements-arkansas" target="_blank">About 70,000</a>&nbsp;of the roughly 270,000 Arkansans on Medicaid were subject to the new rules, and about 1 in 4 of those lost coverage.Unlike Arkansas, Georgia has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But its&nbsp;<a href="https://pathways.georgia.gov/about-pathways" target="_blank">Pathways to Coverage program</a>, launched in July 2023, allows people with household incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level who aren’t already eligible for Medicaid to enroll in the program if they fulfill work requirements. Georgia’s qualifying activities and exemptions are similar to the ones Arkansas had.Fiona Roberts, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Community Health, told Stateline that as of Nov. 15, there were 5,548 people enrolled in the program and that a total of 7,518 people had been enrolled at some point — evidence, she said, that the program is helping people move from Medicaid to private insurance.But in its first year, Pathways to Coverage only enrolled&nbsp;<a href="https://gbpi.org/georgias-pathways-to-coverage-program-the-first-year-in-review/#:~:text=Of%20those%20over%20110%2C000%20interested,437%20Georgians%20enrolling%20each%20month" target="_blank">about 4,200 people</a>&nbsp;— many fewer than the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/section-1115-demonstrations/downloads/ga-pathways-to-coverage-pa1.pdf" target="_blank">25,000 the state had predicted</a>. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-work-requirements-current-waiver-and-legislative-activity/" target="_blank">cost of the program</a>&nbsp;as of the end of 2023 was $26.6 million, and more than 90% of that went toward administrative and consulting costs, according to KFF, a nonprofit health research group. If Georgia had opted for a full expansion under the ACA, the federal government would have picked up 90% of the tab and the state would have covered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/how-many-uninsured-are-in-the-coverage-gap-and-how-many-could-be-eligible-if-all-states-adopted-the-medicaid-expansion/" target="_blank">about 359,000 people</a>.Leah Chan, director of health justice at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said work requirements are particularly challenging for people living in rural areas.“If you don’t have broadband internet at your house, you’re not going to be able to upload the documentation and your pay stubs,” Chan told Stateline. “Even eligible people can’t keep up with it, particularly in rural areas where there are additional barriers to participation.”<h2>‘Learning from mistakes’</h2>Benjamin Sommers, a professor of health care economics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and one of the authors of the Arkansas study, said the experience with work requirements there and in Georgia should give other states pause.“All that ended up happening was people lost coverage due to red tape, became uninsured, and in some cases, we saw that they had worse access to health care,” Sommers said.But Arkansas Republican state Rep. Aaron Pilkington, who serves on the health committee in his chamber, said Medicaid work rules are “100% on the table and something we’ll look to ask for from the Trump administration.”“They can find work and get better health insurance through their employer,” said Pilkington. He said the volunteering and education options make the rules even more attractive.Meanwhile, in some of the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA, the inclusion of work requirements might be the only way politically to get expansion over the finish line.“Most of the Democrats I’ve spoken to did not want the work requirements, but to get it passed through the Mississippi legislature it’s most likely going to have one,” Mississippi Republican state Rep. Sam Creekmore told Stateline.“We’ve looked at Georgia’s plan. We recognize the pitfalls and are hopefully learning from mistakes.”The Independent’s Jason Hancock contributed to this story.&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>&nbsp;is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@stateline.org">info@stateline.org</a>. Follow Stateline on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/statelinenewsroom" target="_blank">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/stateline_news" target="_blank">X</a>.

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