JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30a.m. Saturday in Johnson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford pickup driven by Brady F. Toole, 34, Olathe, was northbound on Interstate 435 at 95th Street in the number three lane. 

The pickup entered lane number four, crossed the right shoulder, traveled off the right side of the roadway into the grass ditch, struck a wood post of a Kansas Department of Transportation sign, slid on the wet muddy surface and struck the southernmost bridge pillar of the 95th Street bridge.&nbsp;

Toole was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

JOHNSON COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 1:30a.m. Saturday in Johnson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford pickup driven by Brady F. Toole, 34, Olathe, was northbound on Interstate 435 at 95th Street in the number three lane. The pickup entered lane number four, crossed the right shoulder, traveled off the right side of the roadway into the grass ditch, struck a wood post of a Kansas Department of Transportation sign, slid on the wet muddy surface and struck the southernmost bridge pillar of the 95th Street bridge.&nbsp;Toole was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies in violent pickup crash

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a double homicide in Kansas City.

Just before 7:30p.m. Friday, police were initially called to 92nd and James A Reed Road for what was described as an injury accident, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

While officers were still on the way the call was updated to a shooting call with a victim at 92nd Street. Initial responding officers located an adult male shooting victim outside of a vehicle just north of 92nd Street 

Additional responding officers were notified of an additional vehicle that had crashed at 93rd and James A. Reed Road.&nbsp; Additional officers responded to that location and found a vehicle that had crashed there with one adult male shooting victim inside the vehicle.

EMS responded to both locations and declared both victims deceased at the scene. Homicide detectives are working to determine the sequence of events that led to the shooting.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747472835672.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a double homicide in Kansas City.Just before 7:30p.m. Friday, police were initially called to 92nd and James A Reed Road for what was described as an injury accident, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747472818903.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>While officers were still on the way the call was updated to a shooting call with a victim at 92nd Street. Initial responding officers located an adult male shooting victim outside of a vehicle just north of 92nd Street Additional responding officers were notified of an additional vehicle that had crashed at 93rd and James A. Reed Road.&nbsp; Additional officers responded to that location and found a vehicle that had crashed there with one adult male shooting victim inside the vehicle.EMS responded to both locations and declared both victims deceased at the scene. Homicide detectives are working to determine the sequence of events that led to the shooting.&nbsp;

KCPD: 2 dead after report of crash and shooting

The wide-ranging bill includes provisions related to hearing aids, birth control and prenatal testing for sexually transmitted diseases

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

Missouri Farm Bureau will be allowed to sell health care plans to its members, Medicaid will cover the cost of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/house-passes-bill-to-expand-hearing-aid-access-under-missouri-medicaid/">hearing aids for adults</a>&nbsp;and supplies of birth control will be extended under legislation that passed the legislature in the waning hours of the session on Thursday.&nbsp;

The legislation, which was sponsored by Republican state Sen. Kurtis Gregory of Marshall, now heads to the governor’s desk.

The underlying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=1021" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;allows the Missouri Farm Bureau to sell health care plans that don’t abide by the protections set by the Affordable Care Act. As a result, the Farm Bureau would be able to offer lower-price coverage options, which the organization and its supporters say is necessary to help uninsured farmers.

“This is a product that is going to get people coverage that otherwise cannot afford it,” Gregory said at a House hearing last month. “This is a coverage product that is going to save lives. It is a product that’s going to save people money.”

State Rep. Brad Pollitt, a Republican from Sedalia who carried the bill in the House, said Thursday that the Farm Bureau’s health plans “will not be the solution for everyone. But those without health care plans believe this will be beneficial.”

This was the third year the bill has been proposed, and it’s received&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/missouri-senate-passes-bill-exempting-certain-health-insurance-plans-from-federal-protections/">significant pushback from Democrats and patient advocates</a>, who argue it would leave some Missourians without protections. It’s also faced opposition from insurance companies who argue it gives the Farm Bureau an unfair advantage over competitors.

If the bill is signed into law, Missouri will join 10 states that have adopted similar carveouts for the Farm Bureau in previous years.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.al.com/politics/2025/05/ivey-signs-bill-that-sparked-battle-between-alfa-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-alabama.html" target="_blank">Alabama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.floridatrend.com/articles/2025/05/05/legislation-provide-farmers-with-medical-benefit-plans-heads-desantis-desk/" target="_blank">Florida</a>&nbsp;also passed similar measures this year.

Democrats added some protections to the Farm Bureau portion of the bill during negotiations, including mandating the organization to provide a clear disclaimer that the products it’s selling are not officially regulated as health insurance, mandating the company can’t cancel coverage for members because of a medical event and ensuring the state insurance department will handle complaints.&nbsp;

The bill contains a wide swath of other health measures, including several added by Democrats during negotiations, especially by state Sen. Patty Lewis of Kansas City.

Those include: provisions mandating that Missouri Medicaid cover hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults, expanding access to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, requiring insurance companies that provide birth control medication to provide extended supplies and tweaking the law around telehealth to allow audio-only visits.&nbsp;

There was little opposition voiced on Thursday.&nbsp;

State Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Democrat from Springfield, said the negotiations “were able to make a bill significantly better with wins for the majority party, wins for the minority party and ultimately wins for our constituents back home.”

The bill passed by a vote of 147 to 1 on Thursday afternoon in the House. That&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/missouri-senate-passes-bill-exempting-certain-health-insurance-plans-from-federal-protections/">followed a&nbsp;</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/missouri-senate-passes-bill-exempting-certain-health-insurance-plans-from-federal-protections/">vote&nbsp;of 24 to 6 in the Senate.</a>

The Farm Bureau would offer lower prices by reverting to the pre-Affordable Care Act practice of what’s called medical underwriting — carefully evaluating applicants’ medical history and risk — to determine whether to cover them and at what price.&nbsp;

The Farm Bureau is a nonprofit agricultural membership organization which partners with for-profit companies to sell various kinds of insurance to its members. Anyone can join — the&nbsp;<a href="https://mofb.org/member-benefits/" target="_blank">fee is $30</a>&nbsp;per year. Historically the group has been primarily made up of people in farming communities.

Gregory has estimated around 15,000 Farm Bureau members lack health insurance and would be the target audience to enroll in the benefit plan.

Many farmers and other members of the Farm Bureau, proponents say, are uninsured because they can’t afford to buy an individual plan on the Affordable Care Act marketplace or make too much money to qualify for subsidies.

Garrett Hawkins, president of Missouri Farm Bureau, said in an interview with The Independent shortly after the bill passed that the organization’s effort has been years in the making.&nbsp;

Lack of health insurance options for farmers is “an impediment to bringing the kids home to the farm. It’s an impediment to bringing a spouse home to the farm who has pursued off-farm employment solely to get health coverage,” he said. “This is a big deal.”

Emily Kalmer, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said at a House hearing last month that even with concessions made at the urging of the bill’s critics, patient advocates remain highly concerned.

“To be clear, this legislation still allows the Farm Bureau to sell unregulated products that won’t have to comply with many of the other provisions we fought for over the years,” Kalmer said, including protections for preexisting conditions.

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/house-passes-bill-to-expand-hearing-aid-access-under-missouri-medicaid/">Medicaid coverage for hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults</a>&nbsp;would be expanded under the bill passed Thursday. Currently, Medicaid in Missouri, which is called MO HealthNet, only covers hearing aids for eligible children, pregnant women and blind people.

There was little opposition to that change this year, but in prior years there has been some concern around the cost. The Medicaid hearing aid and cochlear implant provisions are estimated to cost up to $10.3 million in fiscal year 2027, and $2.7 million the following year,&nbsp;<a href="https://senate.mo.gov/FiscalNotes/2025-1/0769S.09P.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">according to the fiscal note.</a>

“I realize there are some costs to this,”&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/house-passes-bill-to-expand-hearing-aid-access-under-missouri-medicaid/">said state Rep. Cameron Parker,</a>&nbsp;a Republican from Campbell. “But I do believe that the benefit of these services, the hearing instruments, the cochlear implants, outweigh the cost greatly.”

The bill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Summary.aspx?SessionType=r&amp;SummaryID=10524591&amp;BillID=1021" target="_blank">also requires health plans</a>&nbsp;to cover extended supplies of birth control. Plans that provide coverage for hormonal contraceptives would be required to cover a supply lasting up to 90 days, or, for generic medication, up to 180 days — meaning patients would be able to pick up months-long supplies of the birth control pill at one time rather than needing to pick up the prescription more frequently.&nbsp;

The Independent’s Jason Hancock contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747472165660.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The wide-ranging bill includes provisions related to hearing aids, birth control and prenatal testing for sexually transmitted diseases</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri Farm Bureau will be allowed to sell health care plans to its members, Medicaid will cover the cost of&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/house-passes-bill-to-expand-hearing-aid-access-under-missouri-medicaid/">hearing aids for adults</a>&nbsp;and supplies of birth control will be extended under legislation that passed the legislature in the waning hours of the session on Thursday.&nbsp;The legislation, which was sponsored by Republican state Sen. Kurtis Gregory of Marshall, now heads to the governor’s desk.The underlying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/bts_web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=1021" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;allows the Missouri Farm Bureau to sell health care plans that don’t abide by the protections set by the Affordable Care Act. As a result, the Farm Bureau would be able to offer lower-price coverage options, which the organization and its supporters say is necessary to help uninsured farmers.“This is a product that is going to get people coverage that otherwise cannot afford it,” Gregory said at a House hearing last month. “This is a coverage product that is going to save lives. It is a product that’s going to save people money.”State Rep. Brad Pollitt, a Republican from Sedalia who carried the bill in the House, said Thursday that the Farm Bureau’s health plans “will not be the solution for everyone. But those without health care plans believe this will be beneficial.”This was the third year the bill has been proposed, and it’s received&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/missouri-senate-passes-bill-exempting-certain-health-insurance-plans-from-federal-protections/">significant pushback from Democrats and patient advocates</a>, who argue it would leave some Missourians without protections. It’s also faced opposition from insurance companies who argue it gives the Farm Bureau an unfair advantage over competitors.If the bill is signed into law, Missouri will join 10 states that have adopted similar carveouts for the Farm Bureau in previous years.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.al.com/politics/2025/05/ivey-signs-bill-that-sparked-battle-between-alfa-blue-cross-and-blue-shield-of-alabama.html" target="_blank">Alabama</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.floridatrend.com/articles/2025/05/05/legislation-provide-farmers-with-medical-benefit-plans-heads-desantis-desk/" target="_blank">Florida</a>&nbsp;also passed similar measures this year.Democrats added some protections to the Farm Bureau portion of the bill during negotiations, including mandating the organization to provide a clear disclaimer that the products it’s selling are not officially regulated as health insurance, mandating the company can’t cancel coverage for members because of a medical event and ensuring the state insurance department will handle complaints.&nbsp;The bill contains a wide swath of other health measures, including several added by Democrats during negotiations, especially by state Sen. Patty Lewis of Kansas City.Those include: provisions mandating that Missouri Medicaid cover hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults, expanding access to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, requiring insurance companies that provide birth control medication to provide extended supplies and tweaking the law around telehealth to allow audio-only visits.&nbsp;There was little opposition voiced on Thursday.&nbsp;State Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Democrat from Springfield, said the negotiations “were able to make a bill significantly better with wins for the majority party, wins for the minority party and ultimately wins for our constituents back home.”The bill passed by a vote of 147 to 1 on Thursday afternoon in the House. That&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/missouri-senate-passes-bill-exempting-certain-health-insurance-plans-from-federal-protections/">followed a&nbsp;</a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/missouri-senate-passes-bill-exempting-certain-health-insurance-plans-from-federal-protections/">vote&nbsp;of 24 to 6 in the Senate.</a><h2>‘This is a big deal’</h2>The Farm Bureau would offer lower prices by reverting to the pre-Affordable Care Act practice of what’s called medical underwriting — carefully evaluating applicants’ medical history and risk — to determine whether to cover them and at what price.&nbsp;The Farm Bureau is a nonprofit agricultural membership organization which partners with for-profit companies to sell various kinds of insurance to its members. Anyone can join — the&nbsp;<a href="https://mofb.org/member-benefits/" target="_blank">fee is $30</a>&nbsp;per year. Historically the group has been primarily made up of people in farming communities.Gregory has estimated around 15,000 Farm Bureau members lack health insurance and would be the target audience to enroll in the benefit plan.Many farmers and other members of the Farm Bureau, proponents say, are uninsured because they can’t afford to buy an individual plan on the Affordable Care Act marketplace or make too much money to qualify for subsidies.Garrett Hawkins, president of Missouri Farm Bureau, said in an interview with The Independent shortly after the bill passed that the organization’s effort has been years in the making.&nbsp;Lack of health insurance options for farmers is “an impediment to bringing the kids home to the farm. It’s an impediment to bringing a spouse home to the farm who has pursued off-farm employment solely to get health coverage,” he said. “This is a big deal.”Emily Kalmer, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said at a House hearing last month that even with concessions made at the urging of the bill’s critics, patient advocates remain highly concerned.“To be clear, this legislation still allows the Farm Bureau to sell unregulated products that won’t have to comply with many of the other provisions we fought for over the years,” Kalmer said, including protections for preexisting conditions.<h2>Hearing aids and birth control</h2><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/house-passes-bill-to-expand-hearing-aid-access-under-missouri-medicaid/">Medicaid coverage for hearing aids and cochlear implants for adults</a>&nbsp;would be expanded under the bill passed Thursday. Currently, Medicaid in Missouri, which is called MO HealthNet, only covers hearing aids for eligible children, pregnant women and blind people.There was little opposition to that change this year, but in prior years there has been some concern around the cost. The Medicaid hearing aid and cochlear implant provisions are estimated to cost up to $10.3 million in fiscal year 2027, and $2.7 million the following year,&nbsp;<a href="https://senate.mo.gov/FiscalNotes/2025-1/0769S.09P.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">according to the fiscal note.</a>“I realize there are some costs to this,”&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/27/house-passes-bill-to-expand-hearing-aid-access-under-missouri-medicaid/">said state Rep. Cameron Parker,</a>&nbsp;a Republican from Campbell. “But I do believe that the benefit of these services, the hearing instruments, the cochlear implants, outweigh the cost greatly.”The bill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Summary.aspx?SessionType=r&amp;SummaryID=10524591&amp;BillID=1021" target="_blank">also requires health plans</a>&nbsp;to cover extended supplies of birth control. Plans that provide coverage for hormonal contraceptives would be required to cover a supply lasting up to 90 days, or, for generic medication, up to 180 days — meaning patients would be able to pick up months-long supplies of the birth control pill at one time rather than needing to pick up the prescription more frequently.&nbsp;The Independent’s Jason Hancock contributed reporting.

Lawmakers approve bill exempting Missouri Farm Bureau health plans from federal rules

HUTCHINSON, Kansas –&nbsp;Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF) resident Tony Payne, 34, died Thursday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

 He was found unresponsive in his cell Thursday evening. Staff began life-saving measures immediately and continued after emergency medical services arrived. Payne was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by medical staff. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.

Payne was serving a 46-month sentence for a violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act. He was listed as a registered offender since May of 2018 for convictions in Sedgwick County for aggravated assault; use of a deadly weapon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He had a dozen convictions for violent crimes and drugs.

Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747410602071.png" alt="Payne photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Payne photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kansas –&nbsp;Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF) resident Tony Payne, 34, died Thursday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections. He was found unresponsive in his cell Thursday evening. Staff began life-saving measures immediately and continued after emergency medical services arrived. Payne was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by medical staff. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.Payne was serving a 46-month sentence for a violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act. He was listed as a registered offender since May of 2018 for convictions in Sedgwick County for aggravated assault; use of a deadly weapon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He had a dozen convictions for violent crimes and drugs.Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

Violent offender in Kanas prison has died 

RILEY COUNTY—One person died in a hit-and-run accident just after 5:30a.m. Thursday in Riley County and police have made an arrest.

According to the Riley County Police Department activity report, a semi driven by 48-year-old Shane Jungemann, Jefferson City, South Dakota, was traveling in the 700 Block of South 4th Street.&nbsp; The vehicle struck a 32-year-old man.

Just after 9p.m.&nbsp; Thursday police arrested Jungemann on requested charges of&nbsp; failure to report an accident involving a fatality. Jungemann if being held on a $15,000 bond, according to the RCPD. Police have not released the name of the victim.

RILEY COUNTY—One person died in a hit-and-run accident just after 5:30a.m. Thursday in Riley County and police have made an arrest.According to the Riley County Police Department activity report, a semi driven by 48-year-old Shane Jungemann, Jefferson City, South Dakota, was traveling in the 700 Block of South 4th Street.&nbsp; The vehicle struck a 32-year-old man.Just after 9p.m.&nbsp; Thursday police arrested Jungemann on requested charges of&nbsp; failure to report an accident involving a fatality. Jungemann if being held on a $15,000 bond, according to the RCPD. Police have not released the name of the victim.

Police make arrest in fatal Kansas hit-and-run

Both teams face a deadline at the end of June on whether they will accept an offer from Kansas to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums across the state line

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

Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City next month for a special session to debate providing tax breaks to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state, Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a news conference Friday morning.

The special session could also consider a $500 million spending bill for construction needs around the state, he said, but a final decision has not been made.

In the final days of the regular session, which ended Thursday, Kehoe unveiled a plan to use&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/new-stadium-funding-plan-for-chiefs-royals-clears-missouri-house/">tax revenue generated by the Chiefs and Royals</a>&nbsp;to finance bonds for their stadiums. The Chiefs would use the money to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium while the Royals would use it for a new stadium in Missouri.

Despite the late reveal, the Missouri House passed the proposal on a 108-40 vote. But the Senate balked at the deal, with many members saying they could not support it because a $513 million capital construction bill died when the Missouri House refused to allow it to come up for a vote.

Kehoe did not see the delay of the stadium proposal as a final defeat.

“We introduced that in the last week of the session to try to find what the feelings were,” he said.

The exact date for the special session has not been determined, Kehoe said.

The Chiefs and the Royals face a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article289372524.html" target="_blank">deadline at the end of June</a>&nbsp;on whether they will accept an offer from Kansas to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums in that state. The proposal floated by Kehoe would pay up to half the cost as well as up to $50 million in tax credits for any direct investments made by the teams.

Remodeling Arrowhead and building a new baseball stadium would cost up to $3 billion, Kehoe said.&nbsp;

“I would consider that significant economic development,” Kehoe said of the stadiums, comparing them to manufacturing projects that won incentives from lawmakers in the past

Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said she agrees that the state should work to keep the Chiefs and Royals from moving to Kansas but blamed Kehoe for the late introduction of his plan for the need to hold a special session.

“We are at this point because Governor Kehoe committed gross legislative malpractice by springing his stadium plan on lawmakers with no warning and just days left in the regular session without bothering to first build support for it,” Aune said.

The hurdles for a successful special session are both political and financial. The stadium plan died in the regular session when the Senate twice used a rare procedural rule to end debate on controversial bills on abortion and sick leave rights.

The move infuriated Democrats, who vowed the Senate will not function normally until they feel they can trust the GOP to work towards compromise.

“I’ve heard a long time, ‘well, nobody has ever made us pay.’” Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat said at a news conference Wednesday. “You’ll find out now.”

Complicating the debate is lingering anger over the projects that were lost when the House sunk the capital improvements bill. The $513 million would have paid for projects at eight hospitals around the state, supported a new nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri to make cancer treatments and a new mental health hospital in Kansas City.

In all, more than 60 projects added by lawmakers, in addition to more than 20 sought by Kehoe, will not be funded.

One of the biggest boosters of the Chiefs and Royals, state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said she could not support a stadium funding bill if the capital improvements bill is not part of a special session.

“Those things are more important to me and to my colleagues than the Chiefs,” Washington said.

Kehoe did not rule out including the capital spending in a call for a special session, but did not commit to it, either.

“I’ve heard and listened to quite a few senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle on that very same issue, and I understand what their concerns are,” Kehoe said. “And I think it’s fair to say everything is on the table of what that special session might look like.”

Kehoe has a June 30 deadline for acting on the $53 billion in spending that was approved for the coming fiscal year. The budget spends $15.8 billion in general revenue, about $2.2 billion more than estimated revenue for the year, by dipping into the accumulated surplus that stood at $3.6 billion when the current fiscal year began.

Revenues are not keeping up with projections and Missouri House leaders cited a need to maintain a fund balance in excess of $1 billion for future years. Kehoe, who will be responsible for making sure spending does not exceed available funds, said he agrees with that approach.

“I don’t think it’s ever appropriate for some politician to think just because we have it, we have to spend it,” Kehoe said. “ It’s more appropriate for us to leave some reserves in the tank for the times when the budget does get tougher.”

Kehoe, who took office in January, had a successful session. Major items he asked for in his State of the State Address — a state takeover of the St. Louis Police Department, school safety legislation and a major tax cut eliminating income taxes on capital gains — all passed.

Kehoe took some defeats as well, with lawmakers spending more than he wanted on public schools, the failure of a bill reducing the top income tax rate and the defeat of legislation allowing parents to enroll their children in school districts other than the one they live in.

He said he looks favorably on the bill repealing the Proposition A sick leave law but stopped short of promising to sign it.&nbsp;

Kehoe also did not say whether he would put the constitutional amendment imposing a new ban on abortions on a special election ballot or let it wait for a November 2026 vote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709142006045.jpeg" alt="Aerial view of newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium. Courtesy image." />
 <figcaption>Aerial view of newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium. Courtesy image.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Both teams face a deadline at the end of June on whether they will accept an offer from Kansas to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums across the state line</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City next month for a special session to debate providing tax breaks to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state, Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a news conference Friday morning.The special session could also consider a $500 million spending bill for construction needs around the state, he said, but a final decision has not been made.In the final days of the regular session, which ended Thursday, Kehoe unveiled a plan to use&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/new-stadium-funding-plan-for-chiefs-royals-clears-missouri-house/">tax revenue generated by the Chiefs and Royals</a>&nbsp;to finance bonds for their stadiums. The Chiefs would use the money to upgrade Arrowhead Stadium while the Royals would use it for a new stadium in Missouri.Despite the late reveal, the Missouri House passed the proposal on a 108-40 vote. But the Senate balked at the deal, with many members saying they could not support it because a $513 million capital construction bill died when the Missouri House refused to allow it to come up for a vote.Kehoe did not see the delay of the stadium proposal as a final defeat.“We introduced that in the last week of the session to try to find what the feelings were,” he said.The exact date for the special session has not been determined, Kehoe said.The Chiefs and the Royals face a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article289372524.html" target="_blank">deadline at the end of June</a>&nbsp;on whether they will accept an offer from Kansas to pay 70% of the cost of building new stadiums in that state. The proposal floated by Kehoe would pay up to half the cost as well as up to $50 million in tax credits for any direct investments made by the teams.Remodeling Arrowhead and building a new baseball stadium would cost up to $3 billion, Kehoe said.&nbsp;“I would consider that significant economic development,” Kehoe said of the stadiums, comparing them to manufacturing projects that won incentives from lawmakers in the pastMissouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said she agrees that the state should work to keep the Chiefs and Royals from moving to Kansas but blamed Kehoe for the late introduction of his plan for the need to hold a special session.“We are at this point because Governor Kehoe committed gross legislative malpractice by springing his stadium plan on lawmakers with no warning and just days left in the regular session without bothering to first build support for it,” Aune said.The hurdles for a successful special session are both political and financial. The stadium plan died in the regular session when the Senate twice used a rare procedural rule to end debate on controversial bills on abortion and sick leave rights.The move infuriated Democrats, who vowed the Senate will not function normally until they feel they can trust the GOP to work towards compromise.“I’ve heard a long time, ‘well, nobody has ever made us pay.’” Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat said at a news conference Wednesday. “You’ll find out now.”Complicating the debate is lingering anger over the projects that were lost when the House sunk the capital improvements bill. The $513 million would have paid for projects at eight hospitals around the state, supported a new nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri to make cancer treatments and a new mental health hospital in Kansas City.In all, more than 60 projects added by lawmakers, in addition to more than 20 sought by Kehoe, will not be funded.One of the biggest boosters of the Chiefs and Royals, state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said she could not support a stadium funding bill if the capital improvements bill is not part of a special session.“Those things are more important to me and to my colleagues than the Chiefs,” Washington said.Kehoe did not rule out including the capital spending in a call for a special session, but did not commit to it, either.“I’ve heard and listened to quite a few senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle on that very same issue, and I understand what their concerns are,” Kehoe said. “And I think it’s fair to say everything is on the table of what that special session might look like.”Kehoe has a June 30 deadline for acting on the $53 billion in spending that was approved for the coming fiscal year. The budget spends $15.8 billion in general revenue, about $2.2 billion more than estimated revenue for the year, by dipping into the accumulated surplus that stood at $3.6 billion when the current fiscal year began.Revenues are not keeping up with projections and Missouri House leaders cited a need to maintain a fund balance in excess of $1 billion for future years. Kehoe, who will be responsible for making sure spending does not exceed available funds, said he agrees with that approach.“I don’t think it’s ever appropriate for some politician to think just because we have it, we have to spend it,” Kehoe said. “ It’s more appropriate for us to leave some reserves in the tank for the times when the budget does get tougher.”Kehoe, who took office in January, had a successful session. Major items he asked for in his State of the State Address — a state takeover of the St. Louis Police Department, school safety legislation and a major tax cut eliminating income taxes on capital gains — all passed.Kehoe took some defeats as well, with lawmakers spending more than he wanted on public schools, the failure of a bill reducing the top income tax rate and the defeat of legislation allowing parents to enroll their children in school districts other than the one they live in.He said he looks favorably on the bill repealing the Proposition A sick leave law but stopped short of promising to sign it.&nbsp;Kehoe also did not say whether he would put the constitutional amendment imposing a new ban on abortions on a special election ballot or let it wait for a November 2026 vote.

Mo. governor will call lawmakers back into session for Royals, Chiefs stadium funding

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating five homicides in Kansas City, Missouri over the past week.

Just after 2:30a.m. May 9, patrol officers were dispatched to 11th and Wyandotte on the report of a dead body, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Security guards were conducting patrol rounds when they located an adult male victim in a nearby parking garage. Officers were directed to the upper floor of the parking garage and located the victim later identified as 22-year-old Russell Mason suffering from obvious bodily trauma.

KCFD EMS responded and medics pronounced the Mason deceased on scene. This is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the incident and what caused the victim’s fatal injuries.&nbsp;

Just after 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of East 63rd street on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant Phil DiMartino. As officers arrived they were directed to the parking lot of a convenience store.

There they located a victim identified Thursday morning as 17-year-old&nbsp;Matim Nunley  suffering from gun shot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported Nunley to a local hospital where he died a short time later.&nbsp; Preliminary investigation revealed there was an altercation in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and Nunley being struck. Police released no additional details.

Just after 8p.m. Saturday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 9300 block of Cleveland on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant DiMartino.

As officers arrived they were directed to an apartment building.&nbsp; There they located a man later identified as 20-year-old Morgan William suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began performing lifesaving measures until KCFD EMS arrived. Medics took over and transported William to a local hospital where he died a short time later.

Preliminary information revealed an argument occurred in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and William being struck.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not reported an arrest from the weekend violence.

Just after 12:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of Topping in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

First responding officers were led to an alleyway next to a residence, where they located an adult female shooting victim later identified as 29-year-old Carissa Perryman unresponsive.

Officers rendered aid and called for EMS. EMS transported Perryman to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries. She was pronounced&nbsp;deceased at the hospital a short time later.

Responding officers detained one subject of interest, an adult female, for further investigation. Detectives were talking to people who were at the scene when officers arrived and are looking for witnesses.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim and the subject of interest had an interaction next to the house that escalated and shots were fired that struck the victim.&nbsp; Police have released no additional detials.

Jusst before 10p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a shooting call at 37th and Pennsylvania, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Callers reported hearing the sound of gunfire and looked out and saw a person down in the street.&nbsp; First responders found a shooting victim later identified as 20-year-old Layla A. Freemanin the street unresponsive. Officers rendered aid and summoned EMS to the scene for treatment. EMS declared the victim deceased at the scene.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746790386685.png" alt="Police near the parking garage investigation- photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Police near the parking garage investigation- photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating five homicides in Kansas City, Missouri over the past week.Just after 2:30a.m. May 9, patrol officers were dispatched to 11th and Wyandotte on the report of a dead body, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.Security guards were conducting patrol rounds when they located an adult male victim in a nearby parking garage. Officers were directed to the upper floor of the parking garage and located the victim later identified as 22-year-old Russell Mason suffering from obvious bodily trauma.KCFD EMS responded and medics pronounced the Mason deceased on scene. This is being investigated as a homicide. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the incident and what caused the victim’s fatal injuries.&nbsp;Just after 2p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of East 63rd street on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant Phil DiMartino. As officers arrived they were directed to the parking lot of a convenience store.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746924246378.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>There they located a victim identified Thursday morning as 17-year-old&nbsp;Matim Nunley suffering from gun shot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported Nunley to a local hospital where he died a short time later.&nbsp; Preliminary investigation revealed there was an altercation in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and Nunley being struck. Police released no additional details.Just after 8p.m. Saturday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 9300 block of Cleveland on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant DiMartino.As officers arrived they were directed to an apartment building.&nbsp; There they located a man later identified as 20-year-old Morgan William suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began performing lifesaving measures until KCFD EMS arrived. Medics took over and transported William to a local hospital where he died a short time later.Preliminary information revealed an argument occurred in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and William being struck.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not reported an arrest from the weekend violence.Just after 12:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of Topping in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.First responding officers were led to an alleyway next to a residence, where they located an adult female shooting victim later identified as 29-year-old Carissa Perryman unresponsive.Officers rendered aid and called for EMS. EMS transported Perryman to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries. She was pronounced&nbsp;deceased at the hospital a short time later.Responding officers detained one subject of interest, an adult female, for further investigation. Detectives were talking to people who were at the scene when officers arrived and are looking for witnesses.Preliminary investigation indicates that the victim and the subject of interest had an interaction next to the house that escalated and shots were fired that struck the victim.&nbsp; Police have released no additional detials.Jusst before 10p.m. Tuesday, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a shooting call at 37th and Pennsylvania, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Callers reported hearing the sound of gunfire and looked out and saw a person down in the street.&nbsp; First responders found a shooting victim later identified as 20-year-old Layla A. Freemanin the street unresponsive. Officers rendered aid and summoned EMS to the scene for treatment. EMS declared the victim deceased at the scene.

5 more homicides in Kansas City over the past week

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Rep. Patrick Penn, a Wichita Republican elected to the House in 2020, sent a letter to the Sedgwick County Republican Party and state officials announcing plans to resign.

John Whitmer, chairman of the county’s GOP organization, said he received the letter, in which Penn wrote he would leave office in June. The notice dated Wednesday did not explain why Penn would exit the Legislature six months after winning reelection to a two-year term.

“I’m aware of the reasons, but I will let him announce that when he chooses to do so,” Whitmer said.

The bulk of Penn’s 85th District is in Sedgwick County, including parts of the cities of Wichita, Bel Aire and Kechi, as well as a small portion of Butler County.

Contents of his resignation letter sent to Secretary of State Scott Schwab indicated that his vision for a prosperous Kansas and his family’s values of faith, family and service would continue to guide him,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article306503771.html" target="_blank">according to the Wichita Eagle</a>. In addition, the letter said he would work with the next representative to serve the district, and intended to remain “engaged in our community’s future.”

A precinct election was scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 28 to nominate a person to serve the remainder of the conservative Republican’s term.

“Anyone who wants to run for the seat is allowed to do so if they happen to be a resident of the district,” Whitmer said. “I know of at least two or three people who have expressed an interest.”

The person selected to replace Penn would remain a representative-elect until sworn into office after Penn’s resignation was complete. That individual would be eligible to complete Penn’s current term in the House, which would end in January 2027.

Penn, a former U.S. Army officer who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, sought the House seat and defeated Rep. Michael Capps in the August 2020 primary. Capps was politically damaged by reports that he conspired with other Sedgwick County Republicans to damage the reputation of the Wichita mayor and engaged in a recorded conversation about how to conceal their involvement.

Penn was a persistent advocate for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and sought passage of legislation that introduced firearm training to elementary students.

He was combative with some statehouse reporters and provoked controversy this year by discussing on the House floor with Rep. Kyler Sweely, R-Hutchinson, the hypothetical idea of instigating an act of violence against former Democratic Rep. Jason Probst. Sweely defeated Probst by less than 300 votes in the 2024 election.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747409260206.png" alt=" Rep. Patrick Penn, R-Wichita, shown here at the Statehouse in 2024, announced Thursday that he will resign in June. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Patrick Penn, R-Wichita, shown here at the Statehouse in 2024, announced Thursday that he will resign in June. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Rep. Patrick Penn, a Wichita Republican elected to the House in 2020, sent a letter to the Sedgwick County Republican Party and state officials announcing plans to resign.John Whitmer, chairman of the county’s GOP organization, said he received the letter, in which Penn wrote he would leave office in June. The notice dated Wednesday did not explain why Penn would exit the Legislature six months after winning reelection to a two-year term.“I’m aware of the reasons, but I will let him announce that when he chooses to do so,” Whitmer said.The bulk of Penn’s 85th District is in Sedgwick County, including parts of the cities of Wichita, Bel Aire and Kechi, as well as a small portion of Butler County.Contents of his resignation letter sent to Secretary of State Scott Schwab indicated that his vision for a prosperous Kansas and his family’s values of faith, family and service would continue to guide him,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article306503771.html" target="_blank">according to the Wichita Eagle</a>. In addition, the letter said he would work with the next representative to serve the district, and intended to remain “engaged in our community’s future.”A precinct election was scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 28 to nominate a person to serve the remainder of the conservative Republican’s term.“Anyone who wants to run for the seat is allowed to do so if they happen to be a resident of the district,” Whitmer said. “I know of at least two or three people who have expressed an interest.”The person selected to replace Penn would remain a representative-elect until sworn into office after Penn’s resignation was complete. That individual would be eligible to complete Penn’s current term in the House, which would end in January 2027.Penn, a former U.S. Army officer who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, sought the House seat and defeated Rep. Michael Capps in the August 2020 primary. Capps was politically damaged by reports that he conspired with other Sedgwick County Republicans to damage the reputation of the Wichita mayor and engaged in a recorded conversation about how to conceal their involvement.Penn was a persistent advocate for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and sought passage of legislation that introduced firearm training to elementary students.He was combative with some statehouse reporters and provoked controversy this year by discussing on the House floor with Rep. Kyler Sweely, R-Hutchinson, the hypothetical idea of instigating an act of violence against former Democratic Rep. Jason Probst. Sweely defeated Probst by less than 300 votes in the 2024 election.

Kansas Republican state Rep. Patrick Penn of Wichita plans to quit House

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

WASHINGTON — As the “one big, beautiful” budget reconciliation bill soon heads to the Senate, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is pushing to significantly expand the child tax credit beyond what House Republican tax writers offered.

Hawley, who’s getting a cool reception so far from the GOP colleagues steering tax policy, would claim it as a win for working families in a tax package that critics say is now tilted toward wealthy parents.

Hawley proposes to increase the child tax credit to $5,000 per child, way up from the $2,000 set in Republicans’ 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the temporary $2,500 approved Wednesday by a House panel.

Additionally, the senator is proposing that parents begin accruing the credit from the first dollar of income earned, meaning that the credit would phase in faster.

Hawley also wants the credit to kick in during pregnancy and to be distributed to families in installments throughout the year, rather than in one sum during tax season.

Under current law, parents only begin to earn the credit at a rate of 15 cents on every dollar of income once they exceed $2,500 in pay. The credit accrues one child at a time, rather than per child simultaneously.

“I think we need to give as much tax relief as we can to working people,” Hawley told States Newsroom Thursday,&nbsp; outside the Senate chamber.

For Hawley, expanding the child tax credit is about combating the “decline of the American family,” as he said on the Senate floor in January.

“There’s something fundamentally wrong with an economy where the working people, who power that economy, cannot afford to have children that they want,” Hawley said.

Reelected in 2024, Hawley has served in the Senate since 2019 — after defeating Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill — and is a former Missouri attorney general considered to be strongly conservative.

‘30 proposals on the child tax credit’

Hawley, who is not a member of Senate Republican leadership and does not sit on the committee with tax jurisdiction, said he’s in communication with fellow senators about the proposal.

A spokesperson for Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said the leader of the tax writing committee is not currently commenting on any specific provisions under consideration.

“Senator Crapo continues to support the child tax credit and has always been open to modifications that provide additional tax relief to working families,” Mandi Critchfield, Crapo’s communications director, said in an emailed statement Thursday.

When asked about the prospects for Hawley’s proposal, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said there’s a lot of “dials and ideas” swirling around the child tax credit.

“There are about 30 proposals on the child tax credit right now, so I’m not going to pick any one of them because there are so many different options and things that can be tweaked out on that. I don’t want to see it slashed in half by letting everything expire,” Lankford told States Newsroom on Capitol Hill Thursday.

The child tax credit was $1,000 before the 2017 tax law, which expires at the end of the year.

A major priority for President Donald Trump is extending and expanding his 2017 tax law, the cost of which adds nearly $4 trillion to the nation’s deficit.

How to pay for the massive tax extension has been a heated debate among Republicans, who ultimately advanced a bill that cuts billions from Medicaid, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-panel-passes-gop-plan-cuts-medicaid-625b-adds-work-requirement" target="_blank">health care</a>&nbsp;program for low-income people and some Americans with disabilities. Hawley in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/opinion/josh-hawley-dont-cut-medicaid.html" target="_blank">a New York Times op-ed&nbsp;</a>on Monday called such cuts “morally wrong and politically suicidal.”

Republicans also have targeted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/states-hook-billions-under-us-house-gop-bill-making-them-help-pay-snap" target="_blank">food</a>&nbsp;programs for low-income people as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/no-tax-tips-child-tax-credit-and-business-tax-cuts-survive-big-house-gop-bill" target="_blank">clean energy and manufacturing</a>&nbsp;tax credits, all to offset the cost of keeping lower individual tax rates and business tax cuts.

In one concession to a demand for a more generous child tax credit, House Republican tax writers on Thursday advanced language that included a temporary $500 increase for it. The short-term hike to $2,500, up from $2,000, would last until 2028. Then the credit reverts back to $2,000.

The credit would still phase in at 15 cents on the dollar, one child at a time, for every dollar earned after $2,500 in income, as it does currently.

The bill also leaves intact a “refundability cap,” which limits how much parents can receive as a tax refund after they pay the federal taxes they owe. The cap was installed as part of the 2017 tax law.

Under a new requirement in the bill, each parent would have to have a Social Security number to access the credit, a change from only requiring Social Security numbers for children.

The tax bill, which will eventually be combined with 10 other funding bills to create the reconciliation package, has received criticism for not doing enough to help low-income families.

According to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 20 million children in low-income families with a median income of roughly $23,000 will not be eligible for the full tax credit.

Kris Cox, director of federal tax policy at the left-leaning CBPP, wrote on social media Tuesday: “Think about who gets helped (and) who doesn’t. A married couple with 2 children earning $400,000 would have their<a href="https://bsky.app/hashtag/CTC" target="_blank">&nbsp;#CTC</a>&nbsp;go up by $1000. A single parent with two children who earns $24,000 as a child care worker would get nothing, $0, from this proposal.”

The current debate about the child tax credit comes after Senate Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://marylandmatters.org/2024/03/21/expanded-child-tax-credit-stranded-in-u-s-senate-by-gop-comparisons-to-welfare/" target="_blank">killed</a>&nbsp;a significantly more generous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/child-tax-credit-expanded-business-tax-breaks-get-new-life-bill-passed-us-house%C2%A0" target="_blank">bipartisan proposal</a>&nbsp;in 2024.

Under an agreement struck by Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, then chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith, chair of House Committee on Ways and Means, parents would have been able to receive the credit at a faster pace.

Among the provisions in the deal was an agreement to allow the credit to phase in per child simultaneously — so 15 cents on the dollar per child simultaneously.

In January 2024, 169 House Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202430?Page=2" target="_blank">voted</a>&nbsp;in favor of the bill. The bill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00230.htm" target="_blank">failed</a>&nbsp;on a procedural vote in the Senate. Hawley was one of three Republicans to vote in favor.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663850243179.png" alt="File photo Missouri Senator Josh Hawley -courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>File photo Missouri Senator Josh Hawley -courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — As the “one big, beautiful” budget reconciliation bill soon heads to the Senate, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is pushing to significantly expand the child tax credit beyond what House Republican tax writers offered.Hawley, who’s getting a cool reception so far from the GOP colleagues steering tax policy, would claim it as a win for working families in a tax package that critics say is now tilted toward wealthy parents.Hawley proposes to increase the child tax credit to $5,000 per child, way up from the $2,000 set in Republicans’ 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the temporary $2,500 approved Wednesday by a House panel.Additionally, the senator is proposing that parents begin accruing the credit from the first dollar of income earned, meaning that the credit would phase in faster.Hawley also wants the credit to kick in during pregnancy and to be distributed to families in installments throughout the year, rather than in one sum during tax season.Under current law, parents only begin to earn the credit at a rate of 15 cents on every dollar of income once they exceed $2,500 in pay. The credit accrues one child at a time, rather than per child simultaneously.“I think we need to give as much tax relief as we can to working people,” Hawley told States Newsroom Thursday,&nbsp; outside the Senate chamber.For Hawley, expanding the child tax credit is about combating the “decline of the American family,” as he said on the Senate floor in January.“There’s something fundamentally wrong with an economy where the working people, who power that economy, cannot afford to have children that they want,” Hawley said.Reelected in 2024, Hawley has served in the Senate since 2019 — after defeating Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill — and is a former Missouri attorney general considered to be strongly conservative.<h2>‘30 proposals on the child tax credit’</h2>Hawley, who is not a member of Senate Republican leadership and does not sit on the committee with tax jurisdiction, said he’s in communication with fellow senators about the proposal.A spokesperson for Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said the leader of the tax writing committee is not currently commenting on any specific provisions under consideration.“Senator Crapo continues to support the child tax credit and has always been open to modifications that provide additional tax relief to working families,” Mandi Critchfield, Crapo’s communications director, said in an emailed statement Thursday.When asked about the prospects for Hawley’s proposal, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said there’s a lot of “dials and ideas” swirling around the child tax credit.“There are about 30 proposals on the child tax credit right now, so I’m not going to pick any one of them because there are so many different options and things that can be tweaked out on that. I don’t want to see it slashed in half by letting everything expire,” Lankford told States Newsroom on Capitol Hill Thursday.The child tax credit was $1,000 before the 2017 tax law, which expires at the end of the year.<h2>Spending cuts paying for tax cuts</h2>A major priority for President Donald Trump is extending and expanding his 2017 tax law, the cost of which adds nearly $4 trillion to the nation’s deficit.How to pay for the massive tax extension has been a heated debate among Republicans, who ultimately advanced a bill that cuts billions from Medicaid, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-panel-passes-gop-plan-cuts-medicaid-625b-adds-work-requirement" target="_blank">health care</a>&nbsp;program for low-income people and some Americans with disabilities. Hawley in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/opinion/josh-hawley-dont-cut-medicaid.html" target="_blank">a New York Times op-ed&nbsp;</a>on Monday called such cuts “morally wrong and politically suicidal.”Republicans also have targeted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/states-hook-billions-under-us-house-gop-bill-making-them-help-pay-snap" target="_blank">food</a>&nbsp;programs for low-income people as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/no-tax-tips-child-tax-credit-and-business-tax-cuts-survive-big-house-gop-bill" target="_blank">clean energy and manufacturing</a>&nbsp;tax credits, all to offset the cost of keeping lower individual tax rates and business tax cuts.In one concession to a demand for a more generous child tax credit, House Republican tax writers on Thursday advanced language that included a temporary $500 increase for it. The short-term hike to $2,500, up from $2,000, would last until 2028. Then the credit reverts back to $2,000.The credit would still phase in at 15 cents on the dollar, one child at a time, for every dollar earned after $2,500 in income, as it does currently.The bill also leaves intact a “refundability cap,” which limits how much parents can receive as a tax refund after they pay the federal taxes they owe. The cap was installed as part of the 2017 tax law.Under a new requirement in the bill, each parent would have to have a Social Security number to access the credit, a change from only requiring Social Security numbers for children.The tax bill, which will eventually be combined with 10 other funding bills to create the reconciliation package, has received criticism for not doing enough to help low-income families.According to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 20 million children in low-income families with a median income of roughly $23,000 will not be eligible for the full tax credit.Kris Cox, director of federal tax policy at the left-leaning CBPP, wrote on social media Tuesday: “Think about who gets helped (and) who doesn’t. A married couple with 2 children earning $400,000 would have their<a href="https://bsky.app/hashtag/CTC" target="_blank">&nbsp;#CTC</a>&nbsp;go up by $1000. A single parent with two children who earns $24,000 as a child care worker would get nothing, $0, from this proposal.”<h2>Earlier deal faltered</h2>The current debate about the child tax credit comes after Senate Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://marylandmatters.org/2024/03/21/expanded-child-tax-credit-stranded-in-u-s-senate-by-gop-comparisons-to-welfare/" target="_blank">killed</a>&nbsp;a significantly more generous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/child-tax-credit-expanded-business-tax-breaks-get-new-life-bill-passed-us-house%C2%A0" target="_blank">bipartisan proposal</a>&nbsp;in 2024.Under an agreement struck by Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, then chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Missouri Republican Rep. Jason Smith, chair of House Committee on Ways and Means, parents would have been able to receive the credit at a faster pace.Among the provisions in the deal was an agreement to allow the credit to phase in per child simultaneously — so 15 cents on the dollar per child simultaneously.In January 2024, 169 House Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202430?Page=2" target="_blank">voted</a>&nbsp;in favor of the bill. The bill&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00230.htm" target="_blank">failed</a>&nbsp;on a procedural vote in the Senate. Hawley was one of three Republicans to vote in favor.&nbsp;

U.S. House GOP backed a child tax credit bump. Josh Hawley wants much more

GEARY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for multiple burglaries including taking a child's bicycle.

Just after 7a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the area of Michaels Way in Junction City following reports of a suspicious subject wearing all black attempting to gain entry into vehicles.

 Upon arrival, officers made contact with the reporting parties and began canvassing the surrounding area. During the search, officers located an individual matching the description within the Hathorne Drive loop. When they attempted to detain the suspect, the individual began to physically resist. 

Deputies from the Geary County Sheriff’s Office arrived shortly after and assisted JCPD Officers in safely taking the subject into custody. The suspect was identified as Clayton Mayfield, a 21-year-old man from Junction City. 

Mayfield was arrested for three counts three counts of requested charges of Vehicle Burglary, one count of Obstruction, and one count of Criminal Damage to City Property. He is currently being held at the Geary County Detention Facility pending his first appearance.

As part of the ongoing investigation, officers have recovered and returned stolen property to four victims, including a girl whose bicycle was being used by the suspect at the time of his arrest.

Residents living between the Michaels Way loop and the Hathorne Drive loop who believe they may have been victims of overnight theft from their vehicles are encouraged to contact the Junction City Police Department at (785) 762-5912 to file a report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747391555806.png" alt="Mayfield photo Geary Co." />
 <figcaption>Mayfield photo Geary Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for multiple burglaries including taking a child's bicycle.Just after 7a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the area of Michaels Way in Junction City following reports of a suspicious subject wearing all black attempting to gain entry into vehicles. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the reporting parties and began canvassing the surrounding area. During the search, officers located an individual matching the description within the Hathorne Drive loop. When they attempted to detain the suspect, the individual began to physically resist. Deputies from the Geary County Sheriff’s Office arrived shortly after and assisted JCPD Officers in safely taking the subject into custody. The suspect was identified as Clayton Mayfield, a 21-year-old man from Junction City. Mayfield was arrested for three counts three counts of requested charges of Vehicle Burglary, one count of Obstruction, and one count of Criminal Damage to City Property. He is currently being held at the Geary County Detention Facility pending his first appearance.As part of the ongoing investigation, officers have recovered and returned stolen property to four victims, including a girl whose bicycle was being used by the suspect at the time of his arrest.Residents living between the Michaels Way loop and the Hathorne Drive loop who believe they may have been victims of overnight theft from their vehicles are encouraged to contact the Junction City Police Department at (785) 762-5912 to file a report.

Kan. burglary suspect caught riding child's stolen bicycle 

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas man has been charged after he allegedly performed stunts in a vehicle and then fled police, resulting in a high-speed chase and crash Saturday night, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2618/najeracarlos---complaint-packet">Carlos Najera. 19, faces</a>&nbsp;one count of Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention.&nbsp;

“Thanks to the work by the Kansas City Police Department, we were able to swiftly file charges in this case,”&nbsp;said Prosecutor Johnson. “Stunts and sideshows are criminal activities and endanger other drivers and pedestrians. We will continue to take these incidents seriously and pursue charges to the fullest extent possible.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2619/najeracarlos---pc-statement--Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were attempting a traffic stop for ATVs near Southwest Boulevard and 31st Street on May 9. While the ATVs fled, a silver Infiniti sedan began doing burnouts and donuts in the intersection in front of officers. Officers observed the rear side passenger point a black handgun with a green laser attachment directly at them.&nbsp;

The Infiniti fled the scene, driving at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour on Interstate 35, crossing state lines into Kansas and then returning to Missouri. The chase ended at Southwest Trafficway and 31st Street where it collided with another vehicle. Multiple occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to run.

Najera was taken into custody and is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond. The two backseat passengers were identified as juveniles. &nbsp;

Officers recovered three firearms in the vehicle, including one with a green laser attachment.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746915068272.png" alt="Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas man has been charged after he allegedly performed stunts in a vehicle and then fled police, resulting in a high-speed chase and crash Saturday night, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2618/najeracarlos---complaint-packet">Carlos Najera. 19, faces</a>&nbsp;one count of Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention.&nbsp;“Thanks to the work by the Kansas City Police Department, we were able to swiftly file charges in this case,”&nbsp;said Prosecutor Johnson. “Stunts and sideshows are criminal activities and endanger other drivers and pedestrians. We will continue to take these incidents seriously and pursue charges to the fullest extent possible.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747082899348.png" alt="Najera photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Najera photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2619/najeracarlos---pc-statement--Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were attempting a traffic stop for ATVs near Southwest Boulevard and 31st Street on May 9. While the ATVs fled, a silver Infiniti sedan began doing burnouts and donuts in the intersection in front of officers. Officers observed the rear side passenger point a black handgun with a green laser attachment directly at them.&nbsp;The Infiniti fled the scene, driving at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour on Interstate 35, crossing state lines into Kansas and then returning to Missouri. The chase ended at Southwest Trafficway and 31st Street where it collided with another vehicle. Multiple occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to run.Najera was taken into custody and is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond. The two backseat passengers were identified as juveniles. &nbsp;Officers recovered three firearms in the vehicle, including one with a green laser attachment.&nbsp;

Kan. teen driver performed dangerous stunts, fled police

Hundreds gathered at the Capitol to protest GOP lawmakers voting to repeal a new paid sick leave law and send an abortion ban back to the voters

When Missouri voters approved a ballot measure last November to provide paid sick leave to hundreds of thousands of workers, Andi Phillips felt hopeful.

Gone would be the “complicated math game,” that she says she knew well — weighing whether missing a shift’s pay meant she would still be able to afford things like a gallon of milk, the electricity bill, or laundry.&nbsp;

“I imagined a near future where I could work hard and make a living and be present for my family and my kids when they need me,” Phillips, a server in Springfield, said at a rally Thursday in front of the Missouri Capitol.&nbsp;

But now, she said, “because of politicians’ decision to undo the will of the people — the votes that we gathered — I will no longer have the ability to earn paid sick time and the relief of knowing that I have the choice between a paycheck and my family’s health.”

Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Capitol Thursday afternoon to protest the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">passage of two bills the day prior by GOP lawmakers</a>&nbsp;seeking to overturn initiatives approved by voters in November. One bill gutted Missouri’s paid sick leave law and the other will put an abortion ban back on the ballot.&nbsp;

“What happened yesterday is a travesty of what’s supposed to be democracy,” said Daniel Chura, organizer with Missouri Jobs with Justice, which helped lead the campaign for the paid sick leave law.&nbsp;

“When we look behind at this building, we know it’s not democracy that’s going on,” he added. “But when we see what’s gathered on these steps today, this is what democracy looks like.”&nbsp;

Attendees led chants of “this is what democracy looks like,” along with “we are the worker, the mighty, mighty worker.” They said it’s not the end of the fight for paid leave, and vowed to reject the abortion ban.

They held American flags and signs ranging from “Workers over billionaires” and “No forced pregnancies,” to “Missouri GOP: Gonna Override the People.”&nbsp;

Wednesday evening, Missouri Senate Republicans invoked a rarely-used rule to shut down a Democratic filibuster and repeal the paid sick leave law and put an abortion ban on the ballot with language that does not mention banning abortion.&nbsp;

The abortion amendment will appear on the November 2026 ballot, unless Gov. Mike Kehoe decides to hold a vote sooner.&nbsp;

The paid-sick leave benefits, which went&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/01/missouri-paid-sick-leave-law-now-in-effect-though-legislative-challenges-still-loom/">into effect on May 1</a>, will be stripped away on Aug. 28 if Kehoe signs the bill passed Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

That&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB567&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;also removes the requirement that the minimum wage be indexed to inflation, which has been in place since 2007. The paid sick leave and minimum wage provisions passed with nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missourians-vote-to-increase-minimum-wage-require-paid-sick-leave/">58% of the vote in November</a>&nbsp;as Proposition A, garnering support from unions, workers’ advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights groups, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessforafairminimumwage.org/statement/Missouri2024" target="_blank">over 500 business owners.&nbsp;</a>

The measure made sick leave guaranteed for around 728,000 workers who lacked it statewide, or over 1 in 3 Missouri workers, according to an analysis from the progressive nonprofit the Missouri Budget Project.&nbsp;

In November, more than 1.6 million Missourians&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-missouri-proposition-a-raise-minimum-wage.html" target="_blank">voted “yes”</a>&nbsp;on the measure — more than the number&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-missouri-us-senate.html" target="_blank">who voted for U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley that election.</a>

Don Looney, a leader of UAW Local 2250, referred to the “unmitigated gall” of lawmakers telling voters “you didn’t understand what you were voting for” by overturning paid sick leave.

“Your Missouri legislature has gone rogue,” Looney said.&nbsp;

GOP critics&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/26/missouri-bill-to-overturn-voter-approved-paid-sick-leave-clears-senate-committee/">portrayed paid sick leave as a “job killer”</a>&nbsp;that would hurt small businesses, and as a “one-size-fits-all” mandate for businesses.&nbsp;

House Speaker Jon Patterson said in a press conference Thursday he agreed with paid sick leave in principle but not as it was laid out in Prop A.&nbsp;

“I want people that are sick to be able to stay home and not have to work,” Patterson said. “The way that it was done in Prop A it just was not workable. So I hope in the future what we see is something where employees are able to get their sick leave, but maybe not having mandates.”

Regarding the repeal of Prop A without input from the voters, Patterson said: “They do get to have their voice. They get to go out and vote for their elected representatives, and they come to Jefferson City and make decisions.”

Amendment 3, which rolled back Missouri’s abortion ban and opened the door for clinics to begin performing the procedure for the first time since 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">passed with 52% of the vote,</a>&nbsp;or over 1.5 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-missouri-amendment-3-right-to-abortion.html" target="_blank">votes</a>, in November.&nbsp;

The proposed ban that will now appear on the ballot seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation.&nbsp;

Abortion rights activists on Thursday led chants of “we’re not going back.”&nbsp;

“Voters have spoken,” said Mary Ann Perkins with Abortion Action Missouri. “No forced pregnancy.”&nbsp;

The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently struck down as unconstitutional by a Missouri judge.&nbsp;

It seeks to ban gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors, something that is already illegal in Missouri.&nbsp;

“No politician has the right to dictate what goes on in the doctor’s office or in our private lives,” said Nancy O’Brien with Abortion Access Missouri.

Terrence Wise, a low-wage worker with Stand up KC and Missouri Workers Center, said when he saw the news about the Senate vote Wednesday, he thought about all the days he went to work sick, or brought his children to work sick with 100 degree fevers because he lacked paid leave.&nbsp;

He said the repeal could be “fatal,” with people coming into work instead of getting needed care.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747347156138.png" alt="Protestors hold up signs criticizing Missouri lawmakers’ recent votes to overturn ballot measures passed in 2024 during a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Protestors hold up signs criticizing Missouri lawmakers’ recent votes to overturn ballot measures passed in 2024 during a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Hundreds gathered at the Capitol to protest GOP lawmakers voting to repeal a new paid sick leave law and send an abortion ban back to the voters</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>When Missouri voters approved a ballot measure last November to provide paid sick leave to hundreds of thousands of workers, Andi Phillips felt hopeful.Gone would be the “complicated math game,” that she says she knew well — weighing whether missing a shift’s pay meant she would still be able to afford things like a gallon of milk, the electricity bill, or laundry.&nbsp;“I imagined a near future where I could work hard and make a living and be present for my family and my kids when they need me,” Phillips, a server in Springfield, said at a rally Thursday in front of the Missouri Capitol.&nbsp;But now, she said, “because of politicians’ decision to undo the will of the people — the votes that we gathered — I will no longer have the ability to earn paid sick time and the relief of knowing that I have the choice between a paycheck and my family’s health.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747347129839.png" alt=" Andi Phillips, a leader with Missouri Jobs for Justice, speaks at a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Andi Phillips, a leader with Missouri Jobs for Justice, speaks at a rally on the Missouri Capitol steps Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Capitol Thursday afternoon to protest the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/14/missouri-republicans-shut-down-senate-debate-to-pass-abortion-ban-repeal-sick-leave-law/">passage of two bills the day prior by GOP lawmakers</a>&nbsp;seeking to overturn initiatives approved by voters in November. One bill gutted Missouri’s paid sick leave law and the other will put an abortion ban back on the ballot.&nbsp;“What happened yesterday is a travesty of what’s supposed to be democracy,” said Daniel Chura, organizer with Missouri Jobs with Justice, which helped lead the campaign for the paid sick leave law.&nbsp;“When we look behind at this building, we know it’s not democracy that’s going on,” he added. “But when we see what’s gathered on these steps today, this is what democracy looks like.”&nbsp;Attendees led chants of “this is what democracy looks like,” along with “we are the worker, the mighty, mighty worker.” They said it’s not the end of the fight for paid leave, and vowed to reject the abortion ban.They held American flags and signs ranging from “Workers over billionaires” and “No forced pregnancies,” to “Missouri GOP: Gonna Override the People.”&nbsp;<h2>‘Unmitigated gall’&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Wednesday evening, Missouri Senate Republicans invoked a rarely-used rule to shut down a Democratic filibuster and repeal the paid sick leave law and put an abortion ban on the ballot with language that does not mention banning abortion.&nbsp;The abortion amendment will appear on the November 2026 ballot, unless Gov. Mike Kehoe decides to hold a vote sooner.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747347084737.png" alt=" Don Looney, a leader with UAW Local 2250, speaks at a rally protesting lawmakers’ decision to repeal mandatory paid sick leave for workers (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Don Looney, a leader with UAW Local 2250, speaks at a rally protesting lawmakers’ decision to repeal mandatory paid sick leave for workers (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The paid-sick leave benefits, which went&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/01/missouri-paid-sick-leave-law-now-in-effect-though-legislative-challenges-still-loom/">into effect on May 1</a>, will be stripped away on Aug. 28 if Kehoe signs the bill passed Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;That&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB567&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;also removes the requirement that the minimum wage be indexed to inflation, which has been in place since 2007. The paid sick leave and minimum wage provisions passed with nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missourians-vote-to-increase-minimum-wage-require-paid-sick-leave/">58% of the vote in November</a>&nbsp;as Proposition A, garnering support from unions, workers’ advocacy groups, social justice and civil rights groups, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessforafairminimumwage.org/statement/Missouri2024" target="_blank">over 500 business owners.&nbsp;</a>The measure made sick leave guaranteed for around 728,000 workers who lacked it statewide, or over 1 in 3 Missouri workers, according to an analysis from the progressive nonprofit the Missouri Budget Project.&nbsp;In November, more than 1.6 million Missourians&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-missouri-proposition-a-raise-minimum-wage.html" target="_blank">voted “yes”</a>&nbsp;on the measure — more than the number&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-missouri-us-senate.html" target="_blank">who voted for U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley that election.</a>Don Looney, a leader of UAW Local 2250, referred to the “unmitigated gall” of lawmakers telling voters “you didn’t understand what you were voting for” by overturning paid sick leave.“Your Missouri legislature has gone rogue,” Looney said.&nbsp;GOP critics&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/26/missouri-bill-to-overturn-voter-approved-paid-sick-leave-clears-senate-committee/">portrayed paid sick leave as a “job killer”</a>&nbsp;that would hurt small businesses, and as a “one-size-fits-all” mandate for businesses.&nbsp;House Speaker Jon Patterson said in a press conference Thursday he agreed with paid sick leave in principle but not as it was laid out in Prop A.&nbsp;“I want people that are sick to be able to stay home and not have to work,” Patterson said. “The way that it was done in Prop A it just was not workable. So I hope in the future what we see is something where employees are able to get their sick leave, but maybe not having mandates.”Regarding the repeal of Prop A without input from the voters, Patterson said: “They do get to have their voice. They get to go out and vote for their elected representatives, and they come to Jefferson City and make decisions.”<h2>‘We’ll win again’&nbsp;</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747347041920.png" alt=" Jen Kruse, from Tipton, holds up a sign in protest of the Missouri State Legislature’s decision to pass legislation to overturn voters’ recent ballot measures. “I wish reason would take over,” she told The Independent. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Jen Kruse, from Tipton, holds up a sign in protest of the Missouri State Legislature’s decision to pass legislation to overturn voters’ recent ballot measures. “I wish reason would take over,” she told The Independent. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Amendment 3, which rolled back Missouri’s abortion ban and opened the door for clinics to begin performing the procedure for the first time since 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">passed with 52% of the vote,</a>&nbsp;or over 1.5 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-missouri-amendment-3-right-to-abortion.html" target="_blank">votes</a>, in November.&nbsp;The proposed ban that will now appear on the ballot seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation.&nbsp;Abortion rights activists on Thursday led chants of “we’re not going back.”&nbsp;“Voters have spoken,” said Mary Ann Perkins with Abortion Action Missouri. “No forced pregnancy.”&nbsp;The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently struck down as unconstitutional by a Missouri judge.&nbsp;It seeks to ban gender transition surgeries and puberty blockers for minors, something that is already illegal in Missouri.&nbsp;“No politician has the right to dictate what goes on in the doctor’s office or in our private lives,” said Nancy O’Brien with Abortion Access Missouri.<h2>Battle continues</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747347005375.png" alt=" West Humbert and Deon Henderson, leaders with Stand Up KC and Missouri Workers Center, lead chants to kick off a rally protesting recent actions by state lawmakers Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption> West Humbert and Deon Henderson, leaders with Stand Up KC and Missouri Workers Center, lead chants to kick off a rally protesting recent actions by state lawmakers Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure>Terrence Wise, a low-wage worker with Stand up KC and Missouri Workers Center, said when he saw the news about the Senate vote Wednesday, he thought about all the days he went to work sick, or brought his children to work sick with 100 degree fevers because he lacked paid leave.&nbsp;He said the repeal could be “fatal,” with people coming into work instead of getting needed care.&nbsp;“Despite this clear mandate from the people, corporate interests refused to listen,” he said.Wise said Missourians in Democratic and Republican districts “voted for economic dignity and for working people…a clear message that no one should have to choose between their health and affording rent.”&nbsp;Advocates said they’ll consider putting the issue on the ballot again as a constitutional amendment, a move that would make it much harder for lawmakers to repeal.Ray Thomas, a union electrician and leader with Missouri Jobs with Justice, said in an interview with The Independent she was so “jubilant” when the ballot measure passed in November that she cried. It was a “relief” to, for the first time in her career, though she is nearing retirement, have time off when she or a family member is sick.&nbsp;Thomas collected 2,000 signatures to put the issue on the ballot last year and said talking to voters, she realized the issue transcended partisan divides — that it was about basic human rights.Initially the news of yesterday’s repeal vote was “depleting” but she said now, it’s just “round two.”“The battle’s back on,” Thomas said.“I don’t care if I’m out there in a wheelchair, I don’t care. I’m gonna go collect signatures again. I’m not gonna lay down until we get what we deserve.”&nbsp;