JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a theft and assault on a law enforcement officer and asking the public for help to identify suspects.

On March 16, police responded to a reported theft in progress near the intersection of 97th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park, according to John Lacy. The suspects exited a retail establishment without paying for multiple items.  An Overland Park Police officer attempted to initiate contact.  The suspects entered a Dodge Journey, the driver deliberately impacted the driver's side of the officer's marked police vehicle. The suspect vehicle travelled east on W. 95th Street and south on U.S. 69 Hwy.

If you are able to identify either of these suspects, please contact Det. Wimsatt at phone number 913-344-8742 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742866430680.png" alt="Security camera images Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>Security camera images Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a theft and assault on a law enforcement officer and asking the public for help to identify suspects.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742866249101.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On March 16, police responded to a reported theft in progress near the intersection of 97th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park, according to John Lacy. The suspects exited a retail establishment without paying for multiple items. An Overland Park Police officer attempted to initiate contact. The suspects entered a Dodge Journey, the driver deliberately impacted the driver's side of the officer's marked police vehicle. The suspect vehicle travelled east on W. 95th Street and south on U.S. 69 Hwy.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742866466796.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>If you are able to identify either of these suspects, please contact Det. Wimsatt at phone number 913-344-8742 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Theft suspect rammed Kansas police vehicle during getaway

MARIES COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Monday in Maries County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Suzuki motorcycle driven by a 20-year-old Vienna, Missouri man was eastbound on Highway 42 just west of Highway Z. The driver failed to negotiate a curve, traveled off the right side of the road, struck a tree and a fence.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Birmingham Martin Funeral Home. He was wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

MARIES COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Monday in Maries County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Suzuki motorcycle driven by a 20-year-old Vienna, Missouri man was eastbound on Highway 42 just west of Highway Z. The driver failed to negotiate a curve, traveled off the right side of the road, struck a tree and a fence.&nbsp;&nbsp;The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Birmingham Martin Funeral Home. He was wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man dies after motorcycle strikes a tree

TOPEKA, Kan.&nbsp; – Governor Laura Kelly signed on Monday Senate<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fkslegislature.gov%2Fli%2Fb2025_26%2Fmeasures%2Fsb8%2F/1/01010195c951d3b2-291024a3-657d-4709-8ed8-4fcade968268-000000/2JdQi9Q-BHe4OalomnCV70hnjfUUdifQhrgEr7hzdrE=397">&nbsp;Bill 8,</a>&nbsp;which requires drivers to move over when passing stationary vehicles displaying hazard warning lights.

“Thanks to this commonsense bill, all drivers will now be required to move over or slow down if there is a vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“This bill will improve safety and will make it easier to educate the driving public.”

Senate Bill 8 works to protect both drivers of disabled vehicles displaying hazard warning signal lights and other drivers on the road. The bill requires drivers on the road to proceed with caution and change lanes away from the disabled vehicle if it is possible and safe to do so.

"Eighty-two crashes occurred from 2018-2023 with someone in a vehicle while on the side of the road,”&nbsp;said State Representative for the 125th District Shannon Francis.&nbsp;“This bill will improve driver behavior by creating consistency with other move-over bills for law enforcement, first responders, and utility vehicles, among others."

Historically, move-over protections had been limited to emergency personnel. Over time, these protections included road service vehicles, utility, and tow trucks. This year, move-over protections will apply to all highway vehicles.

“Senate Bill 8 is a commonsense safety measure that will enhance protections for all travelers on Kansas roadways,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;Senator for District 7 Ethan Corson&nbsp; “With its enactment, we’re taking meaningful steps to look out for drivers and passengers.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580470147579.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan.&nbsp; – Governor Laura Kelly signed on Monday Senate<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fkslegislature.gov%2Fli%2Fb2025_26%2Fmeasures%2Fsb8%2F/1/01010195c951d3b2-291024a3-657d-4709-8ed8-4fcade968268-000000/2JdQi9Q-BHe4OalomnCV70hnjfUUdifQhrgEr7hzdrE=397">&nbsp;Bill 8,</a>&nbsp;which requires drivers to move over when passing stationary vehicles displaying hazard warning lights.“Thanks to this commonsense bill, all drivers will now be required to move over or slow down if there is a vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“This bill will improve safety and will make it easier to educate the driving public.”Senate Bill 8 works to protect both drivers of disabled vehicles displaying hazard warning signal lights and other drivers on the road. The bill requires drivers on the road to proceed with caution and change lanes away from the disabled vehicle if it is possible and safe to do so."Eighty-two crashes occurred from 2018-2023 with someone in a vehicle while on the side of the road,”&nbsp;said State Representative for the 125th District Shannon Francis.&nbsp;“This bill will improve driver behavior by creating consistency with other move-over bills for law enforcement, first responders, and utility vehicles, among others."Historically, move-over protections had been limited to emergency personnel. Over time, these protections included road service vehicles, utility, and tow trucks. This year, move-over protections will apply to all highway vehicles.“Senate Bill 8 is a commonsense safety measure that will enhance protections for all travelers on Kansas roadways,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;Senator for District 7 Ethan Corson&nbsp; “With its enactment, we’re taking meaningful steps to look out for drivers and passengers.”

Kansas governor signs move over bill

KANSAS CITY —A pedestrian injured in an accident Saturday in Kansas City has died.

Just before 10:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to report of the accident at NE MO 210 Highway and N Eldon, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Police investigators determined that a vehicle was eastbound on Mo 210 Highway just east of N Eldon and had a green traffic control signal. The pedestrian crossed the street southbound in front of vehicle and was struck by the vehicle. The pedestrian was transported to North Kansas City Hospital with life threatening injuries and died on Sunday, according to KCPD Officer Phil DiMartino.

This is fatality #12 compared to #24 at this time last year, according to DiMartino.&nbsp; The incident remains under investigation. Police have not released the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY —A pedestrian injured in an accident Saturday in Kansas City has died.Just before 10:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to report of the accident at NE MO 210 Highway and N Eldon, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Police investigators determined that a vehicle was eastbound on Mo 210 Highway just east of N Eldon and had a green traffic control signal. The pedestrian crossed the street southbound in front of vehicle and was struck by the vehicle. The pedestrian was transported to North Kansas City Hospital with life threatening injuries and died on Sunday, according to KCPD Officer Phil DiMartino.This is fatality #12 compared to #24 at this time last year, according to DiMartino.&nbsp; The incident remains under investigation. Police have not released the name of the victim.

KCPD: Pedestrian injured in weekend accident has died

A top initiative from Gov. Mike Kehoe is in trouble as House Budget Committee considers the chairman’s spending plan, which also has less for state employees pay raises and $139 million for earmarks&nbsp;

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

The Missouri House Budget Committee on Monday will debate a spending plan that eliminates one of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s major initiatives, adds dozens of new earmarked projects and dips into state general revenue reserves for about $1 billion.

The annual markup session, where committee members seek changes in the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/12/new-100-million-missouri-accounting-system-blamed-for-delays-in-budget-process/">revised budget unveiled March 12</a>&nbsp;by the panel’s chairman, state Rep. Dirk Deaton, promises to be a marathon meeting. If kinks in a new computer system don’t cause more delays, the full House will debate the budget bills in a week.

The substitute bills crafted by Deaton propose spending $47.6 billion on state operations, including $14.5 billion of general revenue. The proposal reduces Kehoe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">January budget plan</a>&nbsp;by almost $750 million in general revenue and $2.4 billion overall.

Part of the savings in general revenue come from shifting $421 million in the Medicaid program to another fund. Other items, representing unfinished earmarked projects funded last year, were shifted to a reappropriation bill that traditionally is not counted in new spending totals.

Deaton’s general revenue cuts also include paring back Kehoe’s state employee pay raise plan and rejecting a proposal to provide pay raises targeting corrections officers who work in high security settings.&nbsp;

Nearly $1 billion in non-general revenue reductions come from cutting spending authority in programs that have no money or use far less than appropriated.

The biggest unfunded item on the table, which Kehoe did not include and Deaton also left out, is $300 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/12/budget-battle-brewing-over-gov-mike-kehoes-school-funding-proposal/">fully fund the state foundation formula</a>&nbsp;for public school distributions.

The cuts also include the biggest spending initiative in Kehoe’s budget, funded with federal block grant dollars, to make child care subsidy payments more predictable and timely for providers.

Kehoe outlined the proposal in his State of the State Address in January.&nbsp;

“Starting in fiscal year 2026, providers will receive payments from the state at the beginning of the month and we will pay on enrollment – just like private pay,” Kehoe said. “We will not allow late payments or technology issues to put these small businesses at risk of not being able to provide for families in need of child care.”

Currently, the state pays only for actual attendance and after the provider files detailed reports. That system was undermined by new software plagued with bugs and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/06/missouri-education-officials-apologize-for-ongoing-backlog-of-child-care-subsidy-payments/">payments that went missing or delayed</a>. Some providers have closed, others have sought bridge financing and&nbsp;

But Deaton sees the $107 million cost as a big new obligation for the state that he doesn’t want to incur.

“It is not a sustainable funding source,” Deaton said when he unveiled his spending proposals. “Next year, maybe the year after, we would be looking at a $160 million general revenue pickup.”

State revenue collections are down this fiscal year and only nominal growth is expected in the coming year. State Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said she understands the need to be careful with dollars but accuses Republicans of hypocrisy.

If the GOP leadership was concerned about meeting the state’s obligations, she said, the House wouldn’t be debating major tax cuts. So far this year, the House has approved&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/13/missouri-house-votes-on-party-lines-to-eliminate-income-tax-on-capital-gains/">exempting capital gains</a>&nbsp;from state income tax as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-approves-1-3-billion-tax-cut-plan/">cuts to the top rates</a>&nbsp;for personal and corporate taxes.

“We have these conversations in the budget room about how the fiscal reality of the state isn’t nearly as favorable as it has been in years past,” Fogle said.”Yet, three floors above us, the same body is proposing and passing tax cuts to the tune of about $1.3 billion.”

The child care subsidy payment program Kehoe wanted that Deaton’s plan doesn’t fund is getting the most attention headed into the mark-up session.&nbsp;

But Deaton also left out an $89 per month increase to Blind Pension Fund payments, estimated to cost $3.7 million from a dedicated property tax fund.&nbsp;

He changed the cap on the pay plan from 10%, equal to 1% more for every two years of state service up to 20 years, to 5% by changing the time in service limit to 10 years.&nbsp;

Corrections officers working in maximum security would have received $1 per hour more, while those working in restrictive housing units would have received $1.50 more. The extra pay would have cost $12.3 million.

Kehoe’s prospective payment proposal would implement federal regulations that&nbsp;<a href="https://pn3policy.org/blog/the-state-policy-implications-of-the-new-federal-child-care-rule/" target="_blank">took effect on April 30, 2024</a>. The rules direct states to use Child Care and Development Block Grant funds to pay providers at the start of each month and to use enrollment, not attendance, as the basis for their reimbursements.

The regulations gave states two years to implement the changes.

Kehoe’s proposal would increase the cost of child care subsidies from $259.8 million in the current year to $366.5 million. The state share from general revenue would remain the same, $22.5 million.

With the change of federal administration, Deaton said, both the rule and the funding are uncertain. If the state does not comply, he said, the harshest immediate reaction would be a threatening letter.

“I don’t think it is unreasonable to try to press pause here, step back and see where the land lies going forward,” Deaton said.

Providers are organizing to reverse the cut. A prospective payment system based on enrollment would provide stable, reliable funding for providers, said Casey Hanson, deputy director of Kids Win Missouri.

They are asking providers to contact legislators, she said.

“We’ve also collected stories from the last week from over 100 providers all over the state who we just asked, ‘what would the impact of this be?’” Hanson said. “Many of them also remember getting paid in that way during COVID and they talked about how much of a lifesaver it was during that time.”

A prospective payment system based on enrollment would eliminate hours of administrative work and provide secure financing, said Nicci Rexroat, owner of A Place to Grow, a child care facility with locations in Jefferson City, New Bloomfield and Holts Summit.

“Just stabilizing my budget would be amazing,” Rexroat said.

Under the current system, Rexroat reports attendance each month and waits to find out if every child enrolled is still eligible.

“it’s a big part of my job every month, not only to compile and submit attendance, but for families who maybe forgot to clock in or clock out one day, getting those times adjusted so that they can get paid,” she said.

And each month’s payment must be audited to make sure it reflects the claim, Rexroat said.&nbsp;

The payment software used since December 2023 has not functioned as intended. Providers have faced delays receiving their payments, some missing entire months as the new system was put in place.

Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger promised the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/missouri-child-care-subsidy-payment-backlog-will-be-resolved-next-month-commissioner-says/">backlog would be cleared</a>&nbsp;in February, but Rexroat says problems remain.

The state pays varying amounts based on the type of provider and the age of the child, from as little as $14 a day for preschoolers in a small center to as much as $90 a day for an infant in a licensed center.

Under the provisions defining eligibility, families receive a full subsidy if household earnings are 150% or less of the&nbsp;<a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines" target="_blank">federal poverty guideline.</a>

That is $31,725 for a single parent with one child, which is equal to working full time for $15.25 an hour. A household with two children and two adults working full time for minimum wage would not be eligible for the full benefit.

There are&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/child-care-subsidy/child-care-subsidy-rates-and-sliding-fees" target="_blank">three tiers of transitional benefits</a>, where families pay from $7.50 to $10 a day as their income rises.

The income cap for eligibility should be increased, Rexroat said.

“There’s been a lot of really amazing increases in the daily rates and the amount that the state will pay for subsidy families, but I would love to see an increase in eligibility, more so than an increase in the daily payments for families that qualify,” she said.

Democrats will offer an amendment to reverse the cut, Fogle said. Affordable child care is essential so parents can work, she said, and the current attendance payment system isn’t working.

“I’ve had child care facilities in my district closed,” Fogle said. “I’ve had families who had to put their children back in foster care because they lost their subsidy spot, and the parents couldn’t afford to take off work.”

Under the committee rules governing budget markup, any member wishing to increase spending from general revenue must balance it with a proposed reduction elsewhere of an equal amount. Because the child care funds are federal dollars, an amendment to reverse Deaton’s decision will be possible without finding money elsewhere.

There’s also no need to find a cut elsewhere to fund the Blind Pension Fund payments. Under state law, revenue increases to the fund must be reported as a budget request, which lawmakers can reject, to increase the monthly payments.

Currently $828 a month to about 3,200 Missourians, the revenue increase of more than $4 million means a recommendation to increase it by $89. Deaton’s plan did not fund the $3.7 million cost of the increase.

The Blind Pension Fund revenue comes from a statewide property tax of 3 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The fund has a rapidly growing balance and stood at $74 million at the end of February.

At the end of fiscal 2016, the fund held $468,000.

The payment has increased $39 each of the past two years. Prior to that, it was $750 a month for five years.

Sheila Wright, president of the National Federation of the Blind Missouri, said people receiving the pension know they were in line for an increase but she hadn’t heard that Deaton struck it from the budget.

“With all the increases in cost of living, you know, the $89 is, you know, that would be quite a benefit to individuals who have faced all those inflation costs,” Wright said.

Public schools are also supposed to benefit when the Blind Pension Fund balance exceeds the cost of benefits. Every two years, money left in the fund is supposed to be allocated to the foundation formula.

Fogle said she wants an explanation of why the pension increase was cut. She is also looking for money to cover the $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula.

The foundation formula is costing taxpayers $3.8 billion in the current year. The law defining how the need calculation is made puts the cost for the coming year at $4.1 billion.

Because of the balancing rule, finding the $300 million will be tough, Fogle said. Democrats intend to start with another major initiative from Kehoe — $50 million to expand a scholarship program for private school students that is supposed to be funded from donations and tax credits.

“For the first time in the state’s history, the governor has recommended spending $50 million on vouchers to cover the cost of tuition at unaccredited and unregulated private schools who pick and choose which students they deem worthy of getting an education,” Fogle said. “That is something that I am not comfortable with.”

A battle — or a trade — could be brewing over two earmarked items, both included in last year’s budget but meeting different fates.

Then-Gov. Mike Parson approved $8 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.springfieldmo.gov/3273/Historic-Jefferson-Ave-Footbridge-Rehabi" target="_blank">rehabilitate a historic footbridge</a>&nbsp;in Springfield — the district of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough — but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/missouri-governor-slashes-1-billion-from-state-budget-approved-by-lawmakers/">vetoed $12.5 million</a>&nbsp;to buy land for a state park in McDonald County, which is in Deaton’s district.

In his budget plan, Deaton moved 23 of 24 long-term projects funded through the Department of Transportation to the reappropriation bill. He cut one — the Jefferson Avenue footbridge.

And in the Department of Natural Resources budget, Deaton added $15 million to buy land for a state park in McDonald County.

The footbridge is not in her district, Fogle said, and she has no insight into whether Deaton is setting up a swap or opposes the footbridge project outright.

“It’s clear the chair is very passionate about that park project happening, and it is clear that last year, the governor’s office was not,” she said. “And it is clear to me that Senator Lincoln Hough will always do what he can do to bring home investments and infrastructure projects in his own senatorial district, as any senator should. So it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.”

Deaton didn’t respond to requests for an interview about the budget on Friday.

The park is the largest of 71 earmarked items added to the budget.The others range from $88,720 to support a counseling program for children of incarcerated adults&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbbsemo.org/amachi-missouri/" target="_blank">operated by Big Brothers and Big Sisters</a>&nbsp;to $11.9 million for a climbing lane on Interstate 44 in Joplin.

The new items add $119.1 million of general revenue and $138.9 million in total to the budget.

Democrats have been included in discussions on what can be funded for local interests, Fogle said.

“The chairman holds the bulk of the power in the budget process, and that’s not dissimilar to previous years,” she said. “So far, I think we’ve maintained a healthy working relationship with the chair, and do feel like our priorities have been acknowledged.”

Growth in state revenues fell behind the rate of inflation in the most recent fiscal year and are on track to decline for the first time in a non-recession year. A massive surplus, built up in years of double-digit growth, has been declining but remains healthy.

Even with the sluggish growth, revenue beat expectations last fiscal year and are on track to exceed the amount used as an estimate for the current budget. But the decline in revenue so far this year, about double expectations, means next year may not meet the estimate of almost $13.6 billion in receipts.

Kehoe’s budget proposed $15.2 billion in general revenue for day-to-day operations, plus $750 million for capital projects that will take more than one year. Deaton’s plan for operations uses $14.5 billion in general&nbsp; revenue. He has not submitted his proposals for capital projects.

To fit ongoing spending to expected revenue, Deaton slapped a one-time label on numerous items, including a $15 million increase in funding for school district transportation costs.

While the committee is writing a budget that uses at least $900 million in accumulated surpluses, the House has already approved a tax cut proposal that would&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-approves-1-3-billion-tax-cut-plan/">reduce revenues by $1.3 billion</a>&nbsp;annually when fully phased-in.

“We’ve really got to be careful moving forward, starting this year,” Deaton said during the March 12 hearing. “Next year will be more difficult than this year. We need to understand that just because something is maybe added this year, especially, it wouldn’t be right to go ahead and budget that in for future years.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742822945407.png" alt=" House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, speaks March 3 during debate on the fiscal 2025 supplemental appropriations bill. (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)" />
 <figcaption> House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, speaks March 3 during debate on the fiscal 2025 supplemental appropriations bill. (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A top initiative from Gov. Mike Kehoe is in trouble as House Budget Committee considers the chairman’s spending plan, which also has less for state employees pay raises and $139 million for earmarks&nbsp;</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>The Missouri House Budget Committee on Monday will debate a spending plan that eliminates one of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s major initiatives, adds dozens of new earmarked projects and dips into state general revenue reserves for about $1 billion.The annual markup session, where committee members seek changes in the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/12/new-100-million-missouri-accounting-system-blamed-for-delays-in-budget-process/">revised budget unveiled March 12</a>&nbsp;by the panel’s chairman, state Rep. Dirk Deaton, promises to be a marathon meeting. If kinks in a new computer system don’t cause more delays, the full House will debate the budget bills in a week.The substitute bills crafted by Deaton propose spending $47.6 billion on state operations, including $14.5 billion of general revenue. The proposal reduces Kehoe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">January budget plan</a>&nbsp;by almost $750 million in general revenue and $2.4 billion overall.Part of the savings in general revenue come from shifting $421 million in the Medicaid program to another fund. Other items, representing unfinished earmarked projects funded last year, were shifted to a reappropriation bill that traditionally is not counted in new spending totals.Deaton’s general revenue cuts also include paring back Kehoe’s state employee pay raise plan and rejecting a proposal to provide pay raises targeting corrections officers who work in high security settings.&nbsp;Nearly $1 billion in non-general revenue reductions come from cutting spending authority in programs that have no money or use far less than appropriated.The biggest unfunded item on the table, which Kehoe did not include and Deaton also left out, is $300 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/12/budget-battle-brewing-over-gov-mike-kehoes-school-funding-proposal/">fully fund the state foundation formula</a>&nbsp;for public school distributions.The cuts also include the biggest spending initiative in Kehoe’s budget, funded with federal block grant dollars, to make child care subsidy payments more predictable and timely for providers.Kehoe outlined the proposal in his State of the State Address in January.&nbsp;“Starting in fiscal year 2026, providers will receive payments from the state at the beginning of the month and we will pay on enrollment – just like private pay,” Kehoe said. “We will not allow late payments or technology issues to put these small businesses at risk of not being able to provide for families in need of child care.”Currently, the state pays only for actual attendance and after the provider files detailed reports. That system was undermined by new software plagued with bugs and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/06/missouri-education-officials-apologize-for-ongoing-backlog-of-child-care-subsidy-payments/">payments that went missing or delayed</a>. Some providers have closed, others have sought bridge financing and&nbsp;But Deaton sees the $107 million cost as a big new obligation for the state that he doesn’t want to incur.“It is not a sustainable funding source,” Deaton said when he unveiled his spending proposals. “Next year, maybe the year after, we would be looking at a $160 million general revenue pickup.”State revenue collections are down this fiscal year and only nominal growth is expected in the coming year. State Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said she understands the need to be careful with dollars but accuses Republicans of hypocrisy.If the GOP leadership was concerned about meeting the state’s obligations, she said, the House wouldn’t be debating major tax cuts. So far this year, the House has approved&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/13/missouri-house-votes-on-party-lines-to-eliminate-income-tax-on-capital-gains/">exempting capital gains</a>&nbsp;from state income tax as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-approves-1-3-billion-tax-cut-plan/">cuts to the top rates</a>&nbsp;for personal and corporate taxes.“We have these conversations in the budget room about how the fiscal reality of the state isn’t nearly as favorable as it has been in years past,” Fogle said.”Yet, three floors above us, the same body is proposing and passing tax cuts to the tune of about $1.3 billion.”<h2>Deaton’s cuts</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742822907537.png" alt="Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger apologizes to child care providers for months-delayed payments during widespread problems with the child care subsidy program (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger apologizes to child care providers for months-delayed payments during widespread problems with the child care subsidy program (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The child care subsidy payment program Kehoe wanted that Deaton’s plan doesn’t fund is getting the most attention headed into the mark-up session.&nbsp;But Deaton also left out an $89 per month increase to Blind Pension Fund payments, estimated to cost $3.7 million from a dedicated property tax fund.&nbsp;He changed the cap on the pay plan from 10%, equal to 1% more for every two years of state service up to 20 years, to 5% by changing the time in service limit to 10 years.&nbsp;Corrections officers working in maximum security would have received $1 per hour more, while those working in restrictive housing units would have received $1.50 more. The extra pay would have cost $12.3 million.Kehoe’s prospective payment proposal would implement federal regulations that&nbsp;<a href="https://pn3policy.org/blog/the-state-policy-implications-of-the-new-federal-child-care-rule/" target="_blank">took effect on April 30, 2024</a>. The rules direct states to use Child Care and Development Block Grant funds to pay providers at the start of each month and to use enrollment, not attendance, as the basis for their reimbursements.The regulations gave states two years to implement the changes.Kehoe’s proposal would increase the cost of child care subsidies from $259.8 million in the current year to $366.5 million. The state share from general revenue would remain the same, $22.5 million.With the change of federal administration, Deaton said, both the rule and the funding are uncertain. If the state does not comply, he said, the harshest immediate reaction would be a threatening letter.“I don’t think it is unreasonable to try to press pause here, step back and see where the land lies going forward,” Deaton said.Providers are organizing to reverse the cut. A prospective payment system based on enrollment would provide stable, reliable funding for providers, said Casey Hanson, deputy director of Kids Win Missouri.They are asking providers to contact legislators, she said.“We’ve also collected stories from the last week from over 100 providers all over the state who we just asked, ‘what would the impact of this be?’” Hanson said. “Many of them also remember getting paid in that way during COVID and they talked about how much of a lifesaver it was during that time.”A prospective payment system based on enrollment would eliminate hours of administrative work and provide secure financing, said Nicci Rexroat, owner of A Place to Grow, a child care facility with locations in Jefferson City, New Bloomfield and Holts Summit.“Just stabilizing my budget would be amazing,” Rexroat said.Under the current system, Rexroat reports attendance each month and waits to find out if every child enrolled is still eligible.“it’s a big part of my job every month, not only to compile and submit attendance, but for families who maybe forgot to clock in or clock out one day, getting those times adjusted so that they can get paid,” she said.And each month’s payment must be audited to make sure it reflects the claim, Rexroat said.&nbsp;The payment software used since December 2023 has not functioned as intended. Providers have faced delays receiving their payments, some missing entire months as the new system was put in place.Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger promised the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/missouri-child-care-subsidy-payment-backlog-will-be-resolved-next-month-commissioner-says/">backlog would be cleared</a>&nbsp;in February, but Rexroat says problems remain.The state pays varying amounts based on the type of provider and the age of the child, from as little as $14 a day for preschoolers in a small center to as much as $90 a day for an infant in a licensed center.Under the provisions defining eligibility, families receive a full subsidy if household earnings are 150% or less of the&nbsp;<a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines" target="_blank">federal poverty guideline.</a>That is $31,725 for a single parent with one child, which is equal to working full time for $15.25 an hour. A household with two children and two adults working full time for minimum wage would not be eligible for the full benefit.There are&nbsp;<a href="https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/child-care-subsidy/child-care-subsidy-rates-and-sliding-fees" target="_blank">three tiers of transitional benefits</a>, where families pay from $7.50 to $10 a day as their income rises.The income cap for eligibility should be increased, Rexroat said.“There’s been a lot of really amazing increases in the daily rates and the amount that the state will pay for subsidy families, but I would love to see an increase in eligibility, more so than an increase in the daily payments for families that qualify,” she said.Democrats will offer an amendment to reverse the cut, Fogle said. Affordable child care is essential so parents can work, she said, and the current attendance payment system isn’t working.“I’ve had child care facilities in my district closed,” Fogle said. “I’ve had families who had to put their children back in foster care because they lost their subsidy spot, and the parents couldn’t afford to take off work.”Under the committee rules governing budget markup, any member wishing to increase spending from general revenue must balance it with a proposed reduction elsewhere of an equal amount. Because the child care funds are federal dollars, an amendment to reverse Deaton’s decision will be possible without finding money elsewhere.There’s also no need to find a cut elsewhere to fund the Blind Pension Fund payments. Under state law, revenue increases to the fund must be reported as a budget request, which lawmakers can reject, to increase the monthly payments.Currently $828 a month to about 3,200 Missourians, the revenue increase of more than $4 million means a recommendation to increase it by $89. Deaton’s plan did not fund the $3.7 million cost of the increase.The Blind Pension Fund revenue comes from a statewide property tax of 3 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The fund has a rapidly growing balance and stood at $74 million at the end of February.At the end of fiscal 2016, the fund held $468,000.The payment has increased $39 each of the past two years. Prior to that, it was $750 a month for five years.Sheila Wright, president of the National Federation of the Blind Missouri, said people receiving the pension know they were in line for an increase but she hadn’t heard that Deaton struck it from the budget.“With all the increases in cost of living, you know, the $89 is, you know, that would be quite a benefit to individuals who have faced all those inflation costs,” Wright said.Public schools are also supposed to benefit when the Blind Pension Fund balance exceeds the cost of benefits. Every two years, money left in the fund is supposed to be allocated to the foundation formula.Fogle said she wants an explanation of why the pension increase was cut. She is also looking for money to cover the $300 million to fully fund the foundation formula.The foundation formula is costing taxpayers $3.8 billion in the current year. The law defining how the need calculation is made puts the cost for the coming year at $4.1 billion.Because of the balancing rule, finding the $300 million will be tough, Fogle said. Democrats intend to start with another major initiative from Kehoe — $50 million to expand a scholarship program for private school students that is supposed to be funded from donations and tax credits.“For the first time in the state’s history, the governor has recommended spending $50 million on vouchers to cover the cost of tuition at unaccredited and unregulated private schools who pick and choose which students they deem worthy of getting an education,” Fogle said. “That is something that I am not comfortable with.”<h2>Earmarks</h2>A battle — or a trade — could be brewing over two earmarked items, both included in last year’s budget but meeting different fates.Then-Gov. Mike Parson approved $8 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.springfieldmo.gov/3273/Historic-Jefferson-Ave-Footbridge-Rehabi" target="_blank">rehabilitate a historic footbridge</a>&nbsp;in Springfield — the district of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough — but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/28/missouri-governor-slashes-1-billion-from-state-budget-approved-by-lawmakers/">vetoed $12.5 million</a>&nbsp;to buy land for a state park in McDonald County, which is in Deaton’s district.In his budget plan, Deaton moved 23 of 24 long-term projects funded through the Department of Transportation to the reappropriation bill. He cut one — the Jefferson Avenue footbridge.And in the Department of Natural Resources budget, Deaton added $15 million to buy land for a state park in McDonald County.The footbridge is not in her district, Fogle said, and she has no insight into whether Deaton is setting up a swap or opposes the footbridge project outright.“It’s clear the chair is very passionate about that park project happening, and it is clear that last year, the governor’s office was not,” she said. “And it is clear to me that Senator Lincoln Hough will always do what he can do to bring home investments and infrastructure projects in his own senatorial district, as any senator should. So it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.”Deaton didn’t respond to requests for an interview about the budget on Friday.The park is the largest of 71 earmarked items added to the budget.The others range from $88,720 to support a counseling program for children of incarcerated adults&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbbsemo.org/amachi-missouri/" target="_blank">operated by Big Brothers and Big Sisters</a>&nbsp;to $11.9 million for a climbing lane on Interstate 44 in Joplin.The new items add $119.1 million of general revenue and $138.9 million in total to the budget.Democrats have been included in discussions on what can be funded for local interests, Fogle said.“The chairman holds the bulk of the power in the budget process, and that’s not dissimilar to previous years,” she said. “So far, I think we’ve maintained a healthy working relationship with the chair, and do feel like our priorities have been acknowledged.”<h2>General revenue doldrums</h2>Growth in state revenues fell behind the rate of inflation in the most recent fiscal year and are on track to decline for the first time in a non-recession year. A massive surplus, built up in years of double-digit growth, has been declining but remains healthy.Even with the sluggish growth, revenue beat expectations last fiscal year and are on track to exceed the amount used as an estimate for the current budget. But the decline in revenue so far this year, about double expectations, means next year may not meet the estimate of almost $13.6 billion in receipts.Kehoe’s budget proposed $15.2 billion in general revenue for day-to-day operations, plus $750 million for capital projects that will take more than one year. Deaton’s plan for operations uses $14.5 billion in general&nbsp; revenue. He has not submitted his proposals for capital projects.To fit ongoing spending to expected revenue, Deaton slapped a one-time label on numerous items, including a $15 million increase in funding for school district transportation costs.While the committee is writing a budget that uses at least $900 million in accumulated surpluses, the House has already approved a tax cut proposal that would&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-approves-1-3-billion-tax-cut-plan/">reduce revenues by $1.3 billion</a>&nbsp;annually when fully phased-in.“We’ve really got to be careful moving forward, starting this year,” Deaton said during the March 12 hearing. “Next year will be more difficult than this year. We need to understand that just because something is maybe added this year, especially, it wouldn’t be right to go ahead and budget that in for future years.”

Education funding, child care subsidies central to Missouri state budget debate

KANSAS CITY—Search crews recovered the body of a missing boater from Truman Lake.

&nbsp;At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Troopers from the Marine Division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol located and recovered the body of 40-year-old Christopher David Salmons. 

Since March 14, Water Patrol and Dive Team members had been&nbsp; searching the Clear Creek Cove area of the lake&nbsp; for Salmons, according to a statement from the patrol.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742773903313.png" alt="Photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Search crews recovered the body of a missing boater from Truman Lake.&nbsp;At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Troopers from the Marine Division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol located and recovered the body of 40-year-old Christopher David Salmons. Since March 14, Water Patrol and Dive Team members had been&nbsp; searching the Clear Creek Cove area of the lake&nbsp; for Salmons, according to a statement from the patrol.&nbsp;

Body of missing boater recovered from KC area lake

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man is facing charges in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred last week.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2554/SAVAGE-COMPLAINT-Redacted">Theron Savage, 22, faces</a>&nbsp;2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and 1st Degree Assault.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2553/Savage-PC-RED">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police arrived at a residence on the 600 block of East Minor Drive on a reported disturbance. As officers moved toward the front door of the residence, the defendant opened the door holding a sharp-edged object and then shut the door on the officers. When the defendant opened the door again, officers deployed a less lethal bean bag round at the defendant, who then fled the scene from the back balcony.&nbsp;

Officers found two female victims inside the residence, one suffering from a stab wound and the other with a laceration to her chest, who died at an area hospital. The defendant was later located and taken into custody.&nbsp;

It’s reported that Savage is the boyfriend of the deceased victim.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742779749628.png" alt="Savage photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Savage photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man is facing charges in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred last week.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2554/SAVAGE-COMPLAINT-Redacted">Theron Savage, 22, faces</a>&nbsp;2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and 1st Degree Assault.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2553/Savage-PC-RED">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police arrived at a residence on the 600 block of East Minor Drive on a reported disturbance. As officers moved toward the front door of the residence, the defendant opened the door holding a sharp-edged object and then shut the door on the officers. When the defendant opened the door again, officers deployed a less lethal bean bag round at the defendant, who then fled the scene from the back balcony.&nbsp;Officers found two female victims inside the residence, one suffering from a stab wound and the other with a laceration to her chest, who died at an area hospital. The defendant was later located and taken into custody.&nbsp;It’s reported that Savage is the boyfriend of the deceased victim.&nbsp;

Kansas City man accused in knife attack that killed his girlfriend 

OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest in Osage County.

Early March 19, deputies were investigating the report of a stolen camper trailer at 12544 S. Topeka Avenue, near Carbondale, according to Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells. During the investigation, a woman was taken into custody on a Shawnee County arrest warrant. She was also in possession of Illegal narcotics, according to Wells.

Deputies transported Melinda J. Stafford, 44, of Topeka to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of&nbsp; Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia and a Shawnee County warrant.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742568674891.png" alt="Stafford photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Stafford photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest in Osage County.Early March 19, deputies were investigating the report of a stolen camper trailer at 12544 S. Topeka Avenue, near Carbondale, according to Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells. During the investigation, a woman was taken into custody on a Shawnee County arrest warrant. She was also in possession of Illegal narcotics, according to Wells.Deputies transported Melinda J. Stafford, 44, of Topeka to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of&nbsp; Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia and a Shawnee County warrant.

Stolen vehicle investigation led to Kan. woman's arrest

More are dying from flu as the Trump administration postpones planning for next fall.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

Americans are facing the highest death toll from influenza since 2018, just as more people become vulnerable because of growing vaccine skepticism taking hold in statehouses and the Trump administration.

Flu-related deaths hit a seven-year high in January and February, the two months that usually account for the height of flu season, according to a Stateline analysis of preliminary federal statistics. There were about 9,800 deaths across the country, up from 5,000 in the same period last year and the most since 2018, when there were about 10,800.

Despite that, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has canceled or postponed meetings to prepare for next fall’s flu vaccine, when experts talk about what influenza strains they expect they’ll be battling.

The cancellations raised protests from medical professionals and state and federal officials. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/amid-the-worst-influenza-season-in-a-decade-gillibrand-demands-answers-on-cancellation-and-postponement-of-advisory-committee-meetings-on-vaccinations/" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;that her state is having its worst flu season in at least 15 years, with more deaths from flu and other causes as the state’s health care system struggles under the strain of flu patients.

Some experts say putting off vaccine planning will only feed false narratives that discourage lifesaving vaccinations.

“These delays not only weaken pandemic preparedness but also undermine public confidence in vaccination efforts,” said Dr. Akram Khan, an Oregon pulmonologist and associate professor at Oregon Health &amp; Science University who has studied attitudes toward vaccines.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/health/rfk-jr-vaccines-autism-video.html?unlocked_article_code=1.s04.B7NS.rhrHUA_r4ZKf&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">expressed doubt</a>&nbsp;about the need for vaccines, including flu vaccines, despite evidence that they reduce deaths and hospitalizations.

Deaths fluctuate naturally from year to year depending on the severity of current flu strains and the effectiveness of that year’s vaccines. But some see a hesitancy to use any vaccine, fed by misinformation and political mistrust of government, already taking a toll on lives.

“It’s been a bad winter for viral respiratory infections, not just in the United States but across the Northern Hemisphere,” said Mark Doherty, a vaccine scholar and former manager for GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, a vaccine manufacturer.

“The U.S. does appear to be hit a bit harder, and it’s possible lower vaccination coverage is contributing to that,” Doherty said.

Flu vaccine distribution in the United States has been declining in recent years, and as of the first week of 2025 was down 16% from 2022, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/fluvaxview/dashboard/vaccine-doses-distributed.html" target="_blank">federal statistics</a>.

The flu was a factor in 9,800 deaths in January and February, according to the analysis, using provisional data collected by states and compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The highest death rates were in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Kentucky, all at about four deaths per 100,000 population so far this year. Some counties in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as Oklahoma and Kentucky, were even higher — at about six deaths per 100,000.

The highest rates have been among older people. Statistics show the deaths hit white people and American Indians especially hard.

Tragedies are happening across the country to people of all ages and races, however. A 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jeff-gregorys-family?attribution_id=sl:b469a277-193c-47ae-92b7-1f10b7b2f863&amp;lang=en_US&amp;utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&amp;utm_content=amp13_c-amp14_t1&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">Indiana father</a>&nbsp;died after a brief bout of the flu, according to family members. After two 10-year-olds died in Prince George’s County, Maryland, area schools&nbsp;<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/flu-shot-student-deaths-prince-georges-county-madison-middle-school-hospitalized-fever-henos-eskender-public-schools-minka-greene" target="_blank">drew crowds</a>&nbsp;to vaccine clinics.

Doug Sides, a pastor at Yulee Baptist Church in northern Florida, has held funerals for three congregation members who died from flu — all within one month, all of them over 70 years old. That compares with only one victim of COVID-19 from his congregation during the pandemic, he said.

“Flu death is a reality,” Sides told Stateline on a phone call from a Jacksonville hospital, where he was visiting another 84-year-old congregation member who was rescued from her home with severe pneumonia from an unknown cause.

“I encourage my church members to keep their hands clean, use hand sanitizer and to stay home if they’re feeling sick,” he said. He said he hasn’t personally gotten a flu vaccine recently because he gets conflicting advice about it — some doctors tell him to avoid them because he and some family members have cancer, while another “rides me all the time about getting a flu shot.”

“We’re all getting conflicting advice. We’re living in strange-o times,” he said. (The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/infections/vaccination-during-cancer-treatment.html" target="_blank">American Cancer Society</a>&nbsp;says vaccination for people with cancer may or may not be recommended depending on individual circumstances.)

Many states are&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/02/28/vaccination-rates-are-declining-they-might-get-worse-as-states-relax-rules/">relaxing vaccine requirements</a>&nbsp;as public skepticism rises. But many are taking action to warn residents and reassure them that vaccinations are safe and can help prevent deaths, despite misinformation to the contrary.

Burlington County, New Jersey, has had the highest flu-associated death rate of any county this year, according to the analysis, with 31 deaths among fewer than 500,000 people. The county held 30 free vaccine clinics from September to January, then extended them into February because of the severity of the flu season, said Dave Levinsky, a spokesperson for the county health department.

In Oklahoma, death rates are&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/acute-disease-service/viral-view/influenza.html" target="_blank">highest in the eastern part of the state</a>&nbsp;where the Cherokee Nation is centered. A&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahoma.gov/health/services/personal-health/immunizations/fight-flu.html" target="_blank">state publicity campaign</a>&nbsp;stresses that flu shots are safe, effective and free at many community health centers. However, vaccination rates in the state are low compared with other states as of December, according to federal statistics: Only about 16% of Oklahoma residents had gotten flu vaccinations by then. Rates were even lower in Louisiana (just under 16%), Mississippi (12%) and Texas (10%).

States with the highest flu vaccination rates by December were Maine (37%), Connecticut and Vermont (33%), and Wisconsin and Minnesota (31%). But even those were down since 2022.

People have become less likely to get vaccinated in recent years, a phenomenon researchers call “vaccine hesitancy.”

A&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39569234/" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;published last year in the medical journal Cureus found three-quarters of patients in a rural New York state community refused flu vaccine with comments such as “I do not trust vaccines” or “I do not believe in vaccines.” The most common reasons cited were that earlier vaccinations made them feel sick, that they got the flu anyway, or that they thought they shouldn’t need a new shot every year. (Doctors recommend flu vaccinations annually and note that even vaccinated patients who get the flu usually face less severe forms.)

And in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X25001033" target="_blank">paper</a>&nbsp;published in February in the journal Vaccine, researchers found that people refuse flu vaccinations for many of the same reasons they refused COVID-19 shots: a feeling of “social vulnerability” that leads to distrust of government and medical guidance. One hopeful sign, the report noted, is that vaccine recommendations from trusted health care professionals can turn around such attitudes.

“Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is deeply entangled with misinformation, political rhetoric and public distrust,” said Khan, the Oregon pulmonologist and the study’s author. “Scientific data alone may not be enough to shift public perceptions, as many vaccine decisions are driven by gut feelings and external influences rather than evidence.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742732863479.png" alt=" A woman receives a flu vaccination at a recent clinic in Cambridge, Mass., conducted by health care providers from the Cambridge Health Alliance. Flu-related deaths are at a seven-year high as vaccination levels fall, according to a Stateline analysis. (Courtesy of the City of Cambridge)" />
 <figcaption> A woman receives a flu vaccination at a recent clinic in Cambridge, Mass., conducted by health care providers from the Cambridge Health Alliance. Flu-related deaths are at a seven-year high as vaccination levels fall, according to a Stateline analysis. (Courtesy of the City of Cambridge)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>More are dying from flu as the Trump administration postpones planning for next fall.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>Americans are facing the highest death toll from influenza since 2018, just as more people become vulnerable because of growing vaccine skepticism taking hold in statehouses and the Trump administration.Flu-related deaths hit a seven-year high in January and February, the two months that usually account for the height of flu season, according to a Stateline analysis of preliminary federal statistics. There were about 9,800 deaths across the country, up from 5,000 in the same period last year and the most since 2018, when there were about 10,800.Despite that, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has canceled or postponed meetings to prepare for next fall’s flu vaccine, when experts talk about what influenza strains they expect they’ll be battling.The cancellations raised protests from medical professionals and state and federal officials. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/amid-the-worst-influenza-season-in-a-decade-gillibrand-demands-answers-on-cancellation-and-postponement-of-advisory-committee-meetings-on-vaccinations/" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>&nbsp;that her state is having its worst flu season in at least 15 years, with more deaths from flu and other causes as the state’s health care system struggles under the strain of flu patients.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742732798762.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Some experts say putting off vaccine planning will only feed false narratives that discourage lifesaving vaccinations.“These delays not only weaken pandemic preparedness but also undermine public confidence in vaccination efforts,” said Dr. Akram Khan, an Oregon pulmonologist and associate professor at Oregon Health &amp; Science University who has studied attitudes toward vaccines.U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/health/rfk-jr-vaccines-autism-video.html?unlocked_article_code=1.s04.B7NS.rhrHUA_r4ZKf&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">expressed doubt</a>&nbsp;about the need for vaccines, including flu vaccines, despite evidence that they reduce deaths and hospitalizations.Deaths fluctuate naturally from year to year depending on the severity of current flu strains and the effectiveness of that year’s vaccines. But some see a hesitancy to use any vaccine, fed by misinformation and political mistrust of government, already taking a toll on lives.“It’s been a bad winter for viral respiratory infections, not just in the United States but across the Northern Hemisphere,” said Mark Doherty, a vaccine scholar and former manager for GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, a vaccine manufacturer.“The U.S. does appear to be hit a bit harder, and it’s possible lower vaccination coverage is contributing to that,” Doherty said.Flu vaccine distribution in the United States has been declining in recent years, and as of the first week of 2025 was down 16% from 2022, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/fluvaxview/dashboard/vaccine-doses-distributed.html" target="_blank">federal statistics</a>.The flu was a factor in 9,800 deaths in January and February, according to the analysis, using provisional data collected by states and compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The highest death rates were in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Kentucky, all at about four deaths per 100,000 population so far this year. Some counties in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as Oklahoma and Kentucky, were even higher — at about six deaths per 100,000.The highest rates have been among older people. Statistics show the deaths hit white people and American Indians especially hard.Tragedies are happening across the country to people of all ages and races, however. A 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jeff-gregorys-family?attribution_id=sl:b469a277-193c-47ae-92b7-1f10b7b2f863&amp;lang=en_US&amp;utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&amp;utm_content=amp13_c-amp14_t1&amp;utm_medium=customer&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank">Indiana father</a>&nbsp;died after a brief bout of the flu, according to family members. After two 10-year-olds died in Prince George’s County, Maryland, area schools&nbsp;<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/flu-shot-student-deaths-prince-georges-county-madison-middle-school-hospitalized-fever-henos-eskender-public-schools-minka-greene" target="_blank">drew crowds</a>&nbsp;to vaccine clinics.Doug Sides, a pastor at Yulee Baptist Church in northern Florida, has held funerals for three congregation members who died from flu — all within one month, all of them over 70 years old. That compares with only one victim of COVID-19 from his congregation during the pandemic, he said.“Flu death is a reality,” Sides told Stateline on a phone call from a Jacksonville hospital, where he was visiting another 84-year-old congregation member who was rescued from her home with severe pneumonia from an unknown cause.“I encourage my church members to keep their hands clean, use hand sanitizer and to stay home if they’re feeling sick,” he said. He said he hasn’t personally gotten a flu vaccine recently because he gets conflicting advice about it — some doctors tell him to avoid them because he and some family members have cancer, while another “rides me all the time about getting a flu shot.”“We’re all getting conflicting advice. We’re living in strange-o times,” he said. (The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/infections/vaccination-during-cancer-treatment.html" target="_blank">American Cancer Society</a>&nbsp;says vaccination for people with cancer may or may not be recommended depending on individual circumstances.)Many states are&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/02/28/vaccination-rates-are-declining-they-might-get-worse-as-states-relax-rules/">relaxing vaccine requirements</a>&nbsp;as public skepticism rises. But many are taking action to warn residents and reassure them that vaccinations are safe and can help prevent deaths, despite misinformation to the contrary.Burlington County, New Jersey, has had the highest flu-associated death rate of any county this year, according to the analysis, with 31 deaths among fewer than 500,000 people. The county held 30 free vaccine clinics from September to January, then extended them into February because of the severity of the flu season, said Dave Levinsky, a spokesperson for the county health department.In Oklahoma, death rates are&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/acute-disease-service/viral-view/influenza.html" target="_blank">highest in the eastern part of the state</a>&nbsp;where the Cherokee Nation is centered. A&nbsp;<a href="https://oklahoma.gov/health/services/personal-health/immunizations/fight-flu.html" target="_blank">state publicity campaign</a>&nbsp;stresses that flu shots are safe, effective and free at many community health centers. However, vaccination rates in the state are low compared with other states as of December, according to federal statistics: Only about 16% of Oklahoma residents had gotten flu vaccinations by then. Rates were even lower in Louisiana (just under 16%), Mississippi (12%) and Texas (10%).States with the highest flu vaccination rates by December were Maine (37%), Connecticut and Vermont (33%), and Wisconsin and Minnesota (31%). But even those were down since 2022.People have become less likely to get vaccinated in recent years, a phenomenon researchers call “vaccine hesitancy.”A&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39569234/" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;published last year in the medical journal Cureus found three-quarters of patients in a rural New York state community refused flu vaccine with comments such as “I do not trust vaccines” or “I do not believe in vaccines.” The most common reasons cited were that earlier vaccinations made them feel sick, that they got the flu anyway, or that they thought they shouldn’t need a new shot every year. (Doctors recommend flu vaccinations annually and note that even vaccinated patients who get the flu usually face less severe forms.)And in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X25001033" target="_blank">paper</a>&nbsp;published in February in the journal Vaccine, researchers found that people refuse flu vaccinations for many of the same reasons they refused COVID-19 shots: a feeling of “social vulnerability” that leads to distrust of government and medical guidance. One hopeful sign, the report noted, is that vaccine recommendations from trusted health care professionals can turn around such attitudes.“Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is deeply entangled with misinformation, political rhetoric and public distrust,” said Khan, the Oregon pulmonologist and the study’s author. “Scientific data alone may not be enough to shift public perceptions, as many vaccine decisions are driven by gut feelings and external influences rather than evidence.”

Flu deaths rise as anti-vaccine disinformation takes root

On Saturday, the Kansas Highway Patrol report how troopers rescued a 6-year-old kidnapping victim.

On their social media account, the Patrol reported, in February, a trooper assigned to the KHP criminal interdiction unit, stopped an SUV for a traffic violation.  During the traffic stop, it was discovered that the front seat passenger had a warrant for his arrest from another state for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl just over a month prior. 

 The trooper had observed a girl about that age in the vehicle with the two adult male occupants, both of whom were in their 60’s.  The driver had a criminal history to include homicide and numerous weapons violations over the years.

After the trooper and a deputy from a local sheriff’s office quickly secured both the driver and passenger, the trooper safely removed the little girl from the vehicle.

  This 6-year-old girl gave the trooper a false name and date of birth, after having been coached to do so, in an attempt to keep the adult out of jail.  Ultimately, our trooper calmed the girl down and got her to tell him her real name.  She was the kidnapping victim, who had been with this suspect for over a month on the run. Thankfully the girl was unharmed, and the men were taken into custody.

The patrol did not report the names of the suspects or where the arrest occurred.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742693842256.png" alt="Photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>Photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>On Saturday, the Kansas Highway Patrol report how troopers rescued a 6-year-old kidnapping victim.On their social media account, the Patrol reported, in February, a trooper assigned to the KHP criminal interdiction unit, stopped an SUV for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, it was discovered that the front seat passenger had a warrant for his arrest from another state for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl just over a month prior. The trooper had observed a girl about that age in the vehicle with the two adult male occupants, both of whom were in their 60’s. The driver had a criminal history to include homicide and numerous weapons violations over the years.After the trooper and a deputy from a local sheriff’s office quickly secured both the driver and passenger, the trooper safely removed the little girl from the vehicle. This 6-year-old girl gave the trooper a false name and date of birth, after having been coached to do so, in an attempt to keep the adult out of jail. Ultimately, our trooper calmed the girl down and got her to tell him her real name. She was the kidnapping victim, who had been with this suspect for over a month on the run. Thankfully the girl was unharmed, and the men were taken into custody.The patrol did not report the names of the suspects or where the arrest occurred.

KHP reports saving 6-year-old kidnap victim

Critics argue the way the proposal is crafted could create huge problems for the state budget

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

When the Missouri House signed off on a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-approves-1-3-billion-tax-cut-plan/">$1.3 billion tax cut package&nbsp;</a>last week, it included a provision creating a 100% tax credit for donations to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and diaper banks.&nbsp;

The credits — allowing up to $50,000 in donations to be accepted in place of taxes owed — are seen by supporters as a way to increase aid to pregnant women in need following Missourians’ decision to legalize abortion last November.

“There’s no time in the history of Missouri that I can recall where there’s a better time to support life,” state Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis, said during a committee hearing last month.&nbsp;

But pregnancy resource centers have proven controversial around the country, accused of providing women with inaccurate medical information in an effort to discourage them from seeking abortions.&nbsp;And critics have raised concerns that allowing Missourians to satisfy their entire tax bill by donating to anti-abortion organizations could create significant budget uncertainty.

“Even if you view this totally in isolation and don’t pay any mind through the mission of the organizations at hand here, this is egregious policy” said Carl Davis, research director at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “There’s no reason to do it this way.”

The tax credit for pregnancy resource centers was set at&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/" target="_blank">70% in 2021, up from 50%</a>. Maternity homes also currently sit at 70%, and diaper banks are at 50%.&nbsp;

Following the 2022 change, the Pregnancy Help Center of Central Missouri in Jefferson City saw a $100,000 increase in tax credit-eligible donations, its executive director, Leslie Kerns, told the House special committee on tax reform.

The<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1176&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">&nbsp;original bill’s</a>&nbsp;sponsor, state Rep. Christopher Warwick, a Republican from Bolivar, did not&nbsp;respond to an interview request, but during a House hearing he described the legislation as “a simple bill” that redirects the additional 30% the government has been getting to women in need.

“We need to keep government out of a lot of things, and this is one of them,” Warwick said during the hearing in which he was asked if he would include a provision mandating oversight of how the donations are spent. “We need to be able to make sure that donors are getting their resources directly to those that need it, and when we’re talking about pregnancies and women who are looking for help, this bill allows that and puts donors right in front of those who need it most.”&nbsp;

A number of tax credit programs in Missouri are built to incentivize donations to certain causes, including the&nbsp;Developmental Disability Care Provider Tax Credit, Domestic Violence Shelter or Rape Crisis Center Tax Credit and&nbsp;“Champion for Children” tax credit.

But the credit to pregnancy resource centers tends to get the most attention because of its involvement in Missouri’s longstanding battle over abortion. Pregnancy resource centers are not medical facilities but rather provide services including free pregnancy tests, prenatal vitamins, parenting classes, ultrasounds and counseling.&nbsp;

While 100% tax credits — meaning the donor reduces their tax bill the exact amount they gave — aren’t unheard of, they are usually capped.&nbsp;

What’s different about this year’s proposal is that while tax credit claims remain capped at $50,000 per individual contribution, there would not be a cap at the aggregate level, meaning there is no limit to how many people can claim credits.

Without an aggregate cap, it would take 200 people donating $50,000 to cut into Missouri’s budget by $10 million. If 1,000 people took advantage of the full credit it would cost the state $50 million. The state’s total tax revenue in the most recent fiscal year was about&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Budget_Summary_%28all%29_FY_2025_updated_3-4-2024.pdf" target="_blank">$14.2 billion.</a>

Sam Lee finds any concerns about the fiscal impact overblown.

The longtime anti-abortion activist and lobbyist pointed to a January 2024 tax credit analysis by the Missouri Department of Social Services concluding that for every dollar redeemed by taxpayers with the tax credit, the state saves $1.77. The report explained the savings by concluding the donations assist women with unplanned pregnancies “who may have, otherwise, accessed state assistance.”&nbsp;

Last fiscal year, about&nbsp;<a href="https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills251/fiscal/fispdf/1412H.02P.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">$7.5 million</a>&nbsp;was claimed under this tax credit.

Lee noted there is no aggregate cap for pregnancy resource center tax credits under the current law and donations still remain far below what’s directed to other programs that do have a cap, like the private school tax credit program MoScholars.&nbsp;

That tax credit program is set at 100% and draws from general fund dollars to pay for private school tuition. It’s capped at $75 million annually.&nbsp;

But Davis, with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said this year’s pregnancy resource center proposal has the potential to create significant budget uncertainty because, unlike MoScholars, it would allow for more than just cash donations to the centers.

Stocks, bonds and property could qualify as well, which Davis said could lead to a “glut of donations” to centers as donors use the program to avoid paying capital gains taxes.

Davis recently published a brief<a href="https://itep.org/proposed-missouri-tax-credit-anti-abortion-centers/" target="_blank">&nbsp;laying out his apprehensions</a>&nbsp;after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/missouri-pregnancy-resource-centers-anti-abortion-tax-credit-bill" target="_blank">ProPublica story&nbsp;</a>alerted him to the legislation.&nbsp;

The credit for stock or other assets that have appreciated in value would be for the market value at the time of the donation. If sold for the same amount, the owner would pay federal tax on the profit of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc409" target="_blank">up to 20%</a>&nbsp;as well as state income tax of up to 4.7%, depending on income level.

“What I’m concerned about is that it would be exceptionally easy for taxpayers to pair this 100% match with avoidance of capital gains tax,” he said. “And then you end up with this scenario of basically personal profiteering off a tax shelter that would be set up in the state.”&nbsp;

Davis worries without an aggregate cap on donations in Missouri, the 100% credit could inspire people to game the system.&nbsp;

“This is not good policy. This is not neutral policy. This is very distortionary,” he said. “It encourages opportunists to come out of the woodwork and to take part in this, not because they care about the cause at the heart of this bill at all, but just because they want to make a buck for themselves.”

Pregnancy resource centers, frequently affiliated with religious organizations and sometimes situated right next to the state’s handful of Planned Parenthood clinics, are often criticized for their efforts to dissuade or even hinder women from accessing abortions.&nbsp;

Supporters say the centers help women uncertain about continuing a pregnancy with the resources to feel more secure in the decision.&nbsp;

Kerns, with the Jefferson City center, said during the hearing that her center, like all pregnancy resource centers, is not allowed to perform, induce or refer for abortions.&nbsp;

She said they have women mark where they’re at on a “decision guide” to see if they’re “abortion-minded.” If they show an interest in abortion, they’re given an information sheet about abortion that includes the procedure’s risks.

In many cases, however, the information women are provided at pregnancy resource centers is inaccurate and skewed to influence their decision, said&nbsp;Michele Landeau, chief operating officer of Hope Clinic, an Illinois abortion clinic across the river from St. Louis.&nbsp;

“We see a lot of people who have visited these anti abortion centers that receive these tax credits, who are given misinformation,” Landeu&nbsp;said.&nbsp;“And who essentially end up delaying their care because of the misinformation that they receive from these centers.”

Landeau said about half of Hope Clinic’s patients are from Missouri. Patients have told her that pregnancy resource centers gave them incorrect gestational ages or told them incorrectly that they weren’t allowed to travel for abortions.&nbsp;

“This harm will not only continue, but it will be uplifted, essentially, by these additional tax credits,” said&nbsp;Landeau, who lives in Missouri.&nbsp;

For the 2025 fiscal year, there are&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/pdf/qualified-pregnancy-resource-centers.pdf" target="_blank">82 pregnancy resource centers eligible</a>&nbsp;to benefit from the current tax credit. There are<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/pdf/qualified-maternity-homes.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;20 maternity homes</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/pdf/qualified-diaper-banks.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;six diaper banks.&nbsp;</a>

Lee believes the legalization of abortion in Missouri last fall was a catalyst in the renewed desire by&nbsp; lawmakers to support pregnancy resource centers.&nbsp;

A Jackson County judge recently struck down several of the state’s abortion regulations, including a law that patients must wait 72 hours before going in for an initial appointment and actually undergoing an abortion.&nbsp;

Lee said this puts added urgency on pregnancy resource center staff.&nbsp;

“They realize they need to have staff available, if not 24/7, at least every day to respond to women who in the near future could get an abortion that day,” Lee said. “And that’s not been the situation in Missouri for years and years.”

Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed a state budget increase of $4 million to federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds that goes to Alternatives to Abortion. It would earmark $12.6 million for programs that provide services, including counseling, to women “at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, to assist in carrying their unborn child to term rather than having an abortion.”&nbsp;

A 2004 study of more than 1,200 women who had abortions found that 73% said they decided to undergo the procedure in part because<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/psrh/2005/reasons-us-women-have-abortions-quantitative-and-qualitative-perspectives" target="_blank">&nbsp;they could not afford to have a baby,</a>&nbsp;according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, ​​a reproductive rights research group.

The “Turnaway Study,” a widely-referenced piece of research published by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, found that women who were denied abortions, many of whom were already mothers, experienced an increase in household poverty over the next four years. It also found that children born following a denied abortion were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ansirh.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/the_harms_of_denying_a_woman_a_wanted_abortion_4-16-2020.pdf" target="_blank">more likely to live below the federal poverty line</a>&nbsp;than those born to women who previously had an abortion.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742692119162.png" alt=" Anti-abortion advocates gathered at the Midwest March for Life in front of the Missouri State Capitol on May 1, 2024, in Jefferson City (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Anti-abortion advocates gathered at the Midwest March for Life in front of the Missouri State Capitol on May 1, 2024, in Jefferson City (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Critics argue the way the proposal is crafted could create huge problems for the state budget</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>When the Missouri House signed off on a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-house-approves-1-3-billion-tax-cut-plan/">$1.3 billion tax cut package&nbsp;</a>last week, it included a provision creating a 100% tax credit for donations to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and diaper banks.&nbsp;The credits — allowing up to $50,000 in donations to be accepted in place of taxes owed — are seen by supporters as a way to increase aid to pregnant women in need following Missourians’ decision to legalize abortion last November.“There’s no time in the history of Missouri that I can recall where there’s a better time to support life,” state Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis, said during a committee hearing last month.&nbsp;But pregnancy resource centers have proven controversial around the country, accused of providing women with inaccurate medical information in an effort to discourage them from seeking abortions.&nbsp;And critics have raised concerns that allowing Missourians to satisfy their entire tax bill by donating to anti-abortion organizations could create significant budget uncertainty.“Even if you view this totally in isolation and don’t pay any mind through the mission of the organizations at hand here, this is egregious policy” said Carl Davis, research director at the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. “There’s no reason to do it this way.”The tax credit for pregnancy resource centers was set at&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/" target="_blank">70% in 2021, up from 50%</a>. Maternity homes also currently sit at 70%, and diaper banks are at 50%.&nbsp;Following the 2022 change, the Pregnancy Help Center of Central Missouri in Jefferson City saw a $100,000 increase in tax credit-eligible donations, its executive director, Leslie Kerns, told the House special committee on tax reform.The<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1176&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">&nbsp;original bill’s</a>&nbsp;sponsor, state Rep. Christopher Warwick, a Republican from Bolivar, did not&nbsp;respond to an interview request, but during a House hearing he described the legislation as “a simple bill” that redirects the additional 30% the government has been getting to women in need.“We need to keep government out of a lot of things, and this is one of them,” Warwick said during the hearing in which he was asked if he would include a provision mandating oversight of how the donations are spent. “We need to be able to make sure that donors are getting their resources directly to those that need it, and when we’re talking about pregnancies and women who are looking for help, this bill allows that and puts donors right in front of those who need it most.”&nbsp;A number of tax credit programs in Missouri are built to incentivize donations to certain causes, including the&nbsp;Developmental Disability Care Provider Tax Credit, Domestic Violence Shelter or Rape Crisis Center Tax Credit and&nbsp;“Champion for Children” tax credit.But the credit to pregnancy resource centers tends to get the most attention because of its involvement in Missouri’s longstanding battle over abortion. Pregnancy resource centers are not medical facilities but rather provide services including free pregnancy tests, prenatal vitamins, parenting classes, ultrasounds and counseling.&nbsp;While 100% tax credits — meaning the donor reduces their tax bill the exact amount they gave — aren’t unheard of, they are usually capped.&nbsp;What’s different about this year’s proposal is that while tax credit claims remain capped at $50,000 per individual contribution, there would not be a cap at the aggregate level, meaning there is no limit to how many people can claim credits.Without an aggregate cap, it would take 200 people donating $50,000 to cut into Missouri’s budget by $10 million. If 1,000 people took advantage of the full credit it would cost the state $50 million. The state’s total tax revenue in the most recent fiscal year was about&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Budget_Summary_%28all%29_FY_2025_updated_3-4-2024.pdf" target="_blank">$14.2 billion.</a>Sam Lee finds any concerns about the fiscal impact overblown.The longtime anti-abortion activist and lobbyist pointed to a January 2024 tax credit analysis by the Missouri Department of Social Services concluding that for every dollar redeemed by taxpayers with the tax credit, the state saves $1.77. The report explained the savings by concluding the donations assist women with unplanned pregnancies “who may have, otherwise, accessed state assistance.”&nbsp;Last fiscal year, about&nbsp;<a href="https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills251/fiscal/fispdf/1412H.02P.ORG.pdf" target="_blank">$7.5 million</a>&nbsp;was claimed under this tax credit.Lee noted there is no aggregate cap for pregnancy resource center tax credits under the current law and donations still remain far below what’s directed to other programs that do have a cap, like the private school tax credit program MoScholars.&nbsp;That tax credit program is set at 100% and draws from general fund dollars to pay for private school tuition. It’s capped at $75 million annually.&nbsp;But Davis, with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said this year’s pregnancy resource center proposal has the potential to create significant budget uncertainty because, unlike MoScholars, it would allow for more than just cash donations to the centers.Stocks, bonds and property could qualify as well, which Davis said could lead to a “glut of donations” to centers as donors use the program to avoid paying capital gains taxes.Davis recently published a brief<a href="https://itep.org/proposed-missouri-tax-credit-anti-abortion-centers/" target="_blank">&nbsp;laying out his apprehensions</a>&nbsp;after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/missouri-pregnancy-resource-centers-anti-abortion-tax-credit-bill" target="_blank">ProPublica story&nbsp;</a>alerted him to the legislation.&nbsp;The credit for stock or other assets that have appreciated in value would be for the market value at the time of the donation. If sold for the same amount, the owner would pay federal tax on the profit of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc409" target="_blank">up to 20%</a>&nbsp;as well as state income tax of up to 4.7%, depending on income level.“What I’m concerned about is that it would be exceptionally easy for taxpayers to pair this 100% match with avoidance of capital gains tax,” he said. “And then you end up with this scenario of basically personal profiteering off a tax shelter that would be set up in the state.”&nbsp;Davis worries without an aggregate cap on donations in Missouri, the 100% credit could inspire people to game the system.&nbsp;“This is not good policy. This is not neutral policy. This is very distortionary,” he said. “It encourages opportunists to come out of the woodwork and to take part in this, not because they care about the cause at the heart of this bill at all, but just because they want to make a buck for themselves.”Pregnancy resource centers, frequently affiliated with religious organizations and sometimes situated right next to the state’s handful of Planned Parenthood clinics, are often criticized for their efforts to dissuade or even hinder women from accessing abortions.&nbsp;Supporters say the centers help women uncertain about continuing a pregnancy with the resources to feel more secure in the decision.&nbsp;Kerns, with the Jefferson City center, said during the hearing that her center, like all pregnancy resource centers, is not allowed to perform, induce or refer for abortions.&nbsp;She said they have women mark where they’re at on a “decision guide” to see if they’re “abortion-minded.” If they show an interest in abortion, they’re given an information sheet about abortion that includes the procedure’s risks.In many cases, however, the information women are provided at pregnancy resource centers is inaccurate and skewed to influence their decision, said&nbsp;Michele Landeau, chief operating officer of Hope Clinic, an Illinois abortion clinic across the river from St. Louis.&nbsp;“We see a lot of people who have visited these anti abortion centers that receive these tax credits, who are given misinformation,” Landeu&nbsp;said.&nbsp;“And who essentially end up delaying their care because of the misinformation that they receive from these centers.”Landeau said about half of Hope Clinic’s patients are from Missouri. Patients have told her that pregnancy resource centers gave them incorrect gestational ages or told them incorrectly that they weren’t allowed to travel for abortions.&nbsp;“This harm will not only continue, but it will be uplifted, essentially, by these additional tax credits,” said&nbsp;Landeau, who lives in Missouri.&nbsp;For the 2025 fiscal year, there are&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/pdf/qualified-pregnancy-resource-centers.pdf" target="_blank">82 pregnancy resource centers eligible</a>&nbsp;to benefit from the current tax credit. There are<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/pdf/qualified-maternity-homes.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;20 maternity homes</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/dfas/taxcredit/pdf/qualified-diaper-banks.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;six diaper banks.&nbsp;</a>Lee believes the legalization of abortion in Missouri last fall was a catalyst in the renewed desire by&nbsp; lawmakers to support pregnancy resource centers.&nbsp;A Jackson County judge recently struck down several of the state’s abortion regulations, including a law that patients must wait 72 hours before going in for an initial appointment and actually undergoing an abortion.&nbsp;Lee said this puts added urgency on pregnancy resource center staff.&nbsp;“They realize they need to have staff available, if not 24/7, at least every day to respond to women who in the near future could get an abortion that day,” Lee said. “And that’s not been the situation in Missouri for years and years.”Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed a state budget increase of $4 million to federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds that goes to Alternatives to Abortion. It would earmark $12.6 million for programs that provide services, including counseling, to women “at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, to assist in carrying their unborn child to term rather than having an abortion.”&nbsp;A 2004 study of more than 1,200 women who had abortions found that 73% said they decided to undergo the procedure in part because<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/journals/psrh/2005/reasons-us-women-have-abortions-quantitative-and-qualitative-perspectives" target="_blank">&nbsp;they could not afford to have a baby,</a>&nbsp;according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, ​​a reproductive rights research group.The “Turnaway Study,” a widely-referenced piece of research published by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, found that women who were denied abortions, many of whom were already mothers, experienced an increase in household poverty over the next four years. It also found that children born following a denied abortion were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ansirh.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/the_harms_of_denying_a_woman_a_wanted_abortion_4-16-2020.pdf" target="_blank">more likely to live below the federal poverty line</a>&nbsp;than those born to women who previously had an abortion.&nbsp;The anti-abortion movement in Missouri is not solely focused on regulating the procedure, Lee said. Efforts to help reduce abortions have taken a number of shapes through the years, including by extending post-partum Medicaid coverage.&nbsp;The 100% tax credits, he said, are one more piece.“There’s just not one magic bullet here,” Lee said, “which will reduce abortions.”