Sitting Sen. Rick Brattin, who represents the 31st district, is running for reelection in the Aug. 6 Missouri primary. The district represents Cass, Johnson and Bates counties just south of Kansas City. Brattin, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus who has focused on hot-button issues related to gun rights and anti-LGBTQ efforts, faces a […]
Missouri
The Beacon reports on the Missouri government to help bring depth, nuance and new ideas to our readers about how their tax money gets spent and about laws passed by their elected officials.
Posted inLocal Government
Why North Kansas City pays its residents’ internet bills, and your city doesn’t pay yours
Free internet?
It sounds like a nice dream. We’d all love to ditch the $80 a month we pay for the ability to stream movies, do doctor’s appointments from home or check in on our cousin’s latest Facebook post.
But in North Kansas City, residents get a steady online connection covered by their taxes.
Posted inState Government
Where Missouri Republican candidates for governor stand on personal property taxes
Missouri Republicans running to win the governor’s race are trying to harness frustration over 2023’s property tax assessment fiasco with varying promises of cuts. State Sen. Bill Eigel, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, has made eliminating personal property taxes on things like cars, farm and business equipment a top priority as a lawmaker […]
Posted inEducation
Missouri uses money, laws to push evidence-based reading instruction
If you drop into an elementary reading lesson, you might see kids learning about the long U sound, building their vocabulary or practicing how to read aloud without sounding like robots. And if you visit Kansas City Public Schools this fall, you should see all students in the same grade learning the same thing. After […]
Posted inHealth
Missouri wants pharmacists to stay quiet about ivermectin, but a judge gets to say if that’s constitutional
A politically charged Missouri law that would prevent pharmacists from counseling patients or doctors about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, two treatments that have been debunked for COVID-19, has been on hold for two years in federal court. Yet the Missouri Board of Pharmacy posted a guidance statement at the end of June that doesn’t mention that […]
Posted inHealth
How Missouri is getting more people to the dentist — for more than a pretty smile
Missouri Medicaid began covering teeth cleanings, and almost no other routine dental work, for adults a few years ago. But the bill for the dentist actually peering in your mouth to check teeth and gums went to the patient. While some dentists wrote off the cost of the dental exam, many patients just stayed away […]
Posted inElections
What to know about Amendment 1 on Missouri’s Aug. 6 primary ballot
Missouri voters will weigh in on Aug. 6 on whether to give property tax exemptions to child care centers when they cast ballots on Amendment 1. As the state looks to address its chronic child care provider shortage, lawmakers have looked to tax exemptions as incentives for opening child care centers — even if that […]
Posted inElections
What’s on your Missouri primary ballot this August
In cases where one party is heavily favored to win, or is even running unopposed, the primary election could be your best chance to influence who ends up in office.
Posted inState Government
Missouri counties say they lose money housing people headed to state prison
The cost of holding someone in a Missouri county jail for those days and months before and after a conviction ultimately falls to the state. In 2024, the state spent about $50 million to reimburse counties for the cost. But it’s had trouble keeping up with that tab. That’s left counties stuck with most of […]
Posted inState Government
Missouri Amendment 4: What to know about the Kansas City Police funding ballot question
When you look at your Aug. 6 Missouri ballot and see the same question about funding for the Kansas City Police Department as two years ago, that’s not a mistake. In April, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered the state to run the vote again. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’s lawsuit challenging the police funding question prompted the court to throw out […]