Meg CunninghamRural health reporter

Since 2016, the state of Missouri has relied on a federal grant to help purchase and distribute naloxone, often known as Narcan, a life-saving treatment that can reverse potentially fatal overdoses. That grant has expired, leaving treatment providers without a centralized resource to turn to for the medicine. With no long-term replacement for the same […]

Update (May 4, 2022): The joint committee responsible for finalizing Missouri’s 2023 budget passed both proposals. With just weeks to go until the Missouri legislature must approve the state’s budget, the outcome looks brighter for teachers and school districts. A joint committee of House and Senate members took another step toward finalizing the Fiscal Year […]

The advocates who successfully campaigned for a constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana in Missouri in 2018 are continuing to push the state toward recreational legalization of cannabis, but sharp disagreements have arisen over fairness in the market. The House Rules Committee on Tuesday afternoon advanced HB2704, called the Cannabis Freedom Act. It awaits full […]

Update (April 21, 2022): This story has been updated to reflect the House’s passage of the bill. A $46 billion budget package passed out of the Missouri House earlier this month, after federal funds left the state flush with cash. The Republican-led House sent the Senate a budget proposal that leaves nearly $2 billion unspent […]

Nearly nine in 10 of the Missouri Children’s Division caseworkers who serve in the Kansas City region will have left the job by the end of the year, far outpacing the statewide rate, a state official predicted last week.  Caseworkers are critical to the success of the state’s child protection system, but low pay, high […]

In February, Missouri was awarded $458 million in a settlement from the nation’s top opioid producers. Now, as lawmakers and state departments prepare to receive and distribute those funds, advocates hope Missouri will use the money wisely to respond to an opioid crisis that has taken thousands of lives.  The $26 billion legal settlement – […]

Lawmakers who call themselves “pro-school choice” think public school money should be spent in ways that allow families to choose the best schools for their children. Opponents say their remedies would harm school districts.

Elections have been top of mind for lawmakers since 2000, when races for many seats, including the U.S. presidency, were close and highly polarized, and the pandemic raised concerns about the safety of in-person voting.  Since then, some elected officials have been seeking ways to expand access to the ballot box, while others are calling for more restrictions.

While legislators from Kansas City say they are frustrated by the acrimony in the General Asseme, that is only one of their concerns.

All residents are represented by a member of the state Senate and a member of the House of Representatives.