Missouri budget moves ahead

By Rudi Keller | Deputy Editor

Good morning,

Missouri lawmakers plan today to hold the final series of votes that will finish the state budget for the year. The differences between the Missouri House and the state Senate were hashed out in Monday conference committee meeting, with Rudi Keller and Steph Quinn on hand to watchdog the major items.

And when the House considered 41 amendments during debate on a public safety bill, Steph Quinn was there. Meanwhile, the state Senate debated but was unable to pass the bill called the ‘Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.’ Reporter Anna Spoerre has the details on that debate.

by Rudi Keller and Steph Quinn

There are no increases in basic state aid to public schools or higher education in the compromise Missouri budget worked out Monday in a day-long conference. Final votes will come Wednesday, two days ahead of the constitutional deadline to pass spending bills.

by Anna Spoerre

Missouri Senate Democrats secured a victory Tuesday evening in a deal with Republicans to ax provisions in an anti-abortion a bill that sought to open the door for lawsuits against anyone involved in an illegal abortion.

by Daniel Schramm

In its ruling on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court created a new “updated” totality of the circumstances test that will be virtually impossible for plaintiffs to satisfy when challenging racial gerrymandering. The most troubling part of this new multipart test is how to deal with state claims of partisan gerrymandering.

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