Ezra Bitterman

2 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Ezra Bitterman

JEFFERSON CITY — The ghost of failed policy past reared its head in the Senate Wednesday afternoon as a bipartisan group of legislators stood up to block an open enrollment program for Missouri public schools. After being loaded up with amendments, the bill appeared to collapse under its own weight. The upper chamber can still return to the proposal but just 10 days remain in the legislative session.

2 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Ezra Bitterman

JEFFERSON CITY — When legislation to energize the development of large vacant buildings in downtown St. Louis cleared the Missouri Senate, it seemed the hard part was over. The upper chamber is notoriously slow-moving. Just one member can lock up the floor over policy or personality differences. And yet, Sen. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, was able to get his bill through with relatively little hand-wringing — aside from a short-lived Republican filibuster, which labeled the idea a “globalist” plot.

2 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Ezra Bitterman

CHESTERFIELD — Since President Donald Trump was elected to a second term, outspoken Democrats have been traveling the country fighting against what they see as an authoritarian shift in America. U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maxwell Frost along with Sen. Bernie Sanders have taken their “Stop the Oligarchy Tour” to a wide range of venues, from downtown Los Angeles to small-town Idaho. Missouri got a taste of that action Friday night.

3 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Ezra Bitterman

JEFFERSON CITY — The House approved legislation preventing welfare officials from using around $10 million of foster children’s benefits to pay for their care. Currently, the state’s Children’s Division uses benefits granted to foster children, such as Social Security, to cover their expenses. As of October 2024, 1,267 kids in foster care were receiving some kind of federal benefit.

3 weeks ago | stltoday.com | Ezra Bitterman

JEFFERSON CITY — After a House committee failed to advance legislation seeking to ban soda and candy from a federal food assistance program, the idea seemed dead in Missouri. Turns out, the plan may have support from Missouri’s governor. Gov. Mike Kehoe was among governors who recently met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to look at ways to “reform” the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Gabby Picard, Kehoe’s communications director, told the Post-Dispatch.