Lawmakers across the aisle want to curtail students’ use of electronic devices in class.
Cellphones, cursive and teacher pay: A round up of Missouri teaching and learning bills in 2025
Posted inState Government
Housing, tax credits and unions: Missouri economic development bills to watch in 2025
For the next five months, lawmakers will consider what kind of businesses to boost, how landlords will be allowed to manage their properties and whether to overhaul Missouri’s income, sales and property taxes.
These bills are only proposals for now. They could be amended — in some cases, dramatically — before they ever come to a vote. More than 1,000 bills have been proposed this year, and only a few will pass the House and Senate and get a signature from Gov. Mike Kehoe. You can find a guide to following the legislative session here.
Here’s a guide to some of the legislative proposals that could affect development, taxes and the economy.
Posted inState Government
Is 2025 the year Missouri eliminates its grocery sales tax?
Missouri is one of 10 states that impose a statewide sales tax on groceries. As the cost of food soared in recent years, states have moved to reduce or eliminate sales taxes on groceries. Kansas started this year without a state grocery sales tax after gradually reducing it in recent years. Illinois plans to eliminate […]
Posted inState Government
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s cautious approach to spending taxpayer dollars in 2025
Gov. Laura Kelly is taking a cautious approach to spending taxpayer money. Her proposed budget for Kansas anticipates just a 0.7% increase on the already approved 2025 budget. As a result, the state can’t afford large increases in government services. The Legislature passed a $2 billion tax cut last year. The full impact of that […]
Posted inKansas
A key Kansas water source is in trouble. Gov. Kelly wants to preserve it in new proposal
There is no Kansas as we know it without the Ogallala aquifer. The aquifer provides clean drinking water and a vital source of water for crops. If the aquifer dries up, so too will many farms and towns in western Kansas. And make no mistake, the Ogallala aquifer is drying up. The Kansas Water Office […]
Posted inHealth
New Missouri rule tries to protect mail-order medications from extreme cold and heat
If your mail-order prescription landed in a pile of snow on your doorstep last week, you may want to proceed with caution. Pharmacists warn that extreme temperatures — cold or hot — can change the chemical makeup of medicine, often making it less effective. But medicine coming through the mail in overheated UPS trucks or […]
Posted inHousing
Healthy Homes found nearly 75 health code violations at Quality Hill Towers. So why is it considered habitable?
Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that Sentinel communicated with the Quality Hill Tenant Union during 2024. The company added that a third-party tested the water systems at 929 Jefferson in November 2024 and found no health issues. Hell Woods has been couch-surfing between two friends’ apartments since their landlord refused to renew […]
Posted inState Government
Private school, charters, home schooling and open enrollment: Missouri bills to watch in 2025
Some Missouri lawmakers want to give families more options beyond their traditional local public schools.
Posted inState Government
State line competition complicates economic development for the Kansas City metro
The Kansas City region is a major contributor to the economies of Missouri and Kansas despite border competition that has fueled massive government giveaways. Will efforts to finance stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals undermine a fragile truce?
Posted inEducation
Scholarships, degrees and hazing: Missouri higher education bills to watch in 2025
Lawmakers have proposed changes to scholarships, in-state tuition and transfer credits, but they face a long road before potentially becoming law.