From the category archives:

Human Interest

Missouri’s budget crisis has triggered a call for restructuring state government that could lead to the most significant change in structure and financing the 1970s.

Senate President Pro tem Charlie Shields of St. Joseph is pushing an effort he calls “Rebooting Government.” He outlined the efforts shortly before the Senate recessed this morning.

Charlie Shields speaks to Senate 5:46 mp3

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Collecting an existing tax: a tax increase?

by Bob Priddy 03/15/10 8:38 PM

If you’re supposed to pay a tax and you don’t, is it a tax increase when the state forces you to pay the tax you owe? To hear one Senator argue the point, it is.
At issue is a bill setting up a system to collect Missouri sales taxes on items bought and sold through the [...]

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Bond knows Nixon’s pain

by Bob Priddy 03/15/10 12:01 PM

Senator Bond has some sympathy for Governor Nixon’s budget problems. But he has no advice.
Bond recalls beginning his second term in 1981 knowing that the administration of his predecessor, Joseph Teasdale, had significantly overspent in the first half of the fiscal year. Bond determined that the budget would have to be slashed $900 million for [...]

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Monsanto anti-trust issues topic of agriculture summit

by Bob Priddy 03/14/10 10:02 PM

The first of a series of national summit meetings on antitrust issues in agriculture has been held, with Attorney General Chris Koster one of the key players. He’s the co-chair of the National Association of Attorneys General antitrust task force.
Koster says much of the discussion focused on antitrust implications of Monsanto’s dominance of the biotechnology [...]

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Lawmakers return to deepening budget problems

by Bob Priddy 03/14/10 10:01 PM

Time is short for the legislature to solve major state government financial problems as lawmakers return from their Spring break. The state’s financial picture has deteriorated so far that lawmakers have suggested Governor Nixon to scrap his January recommendations and present a new plan. Within the last week, Nixon has cut another 126-million from this [...]

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