Missouri
Voters backed abortion rights but state judges have final say
This story first appeared on KFF Health News. In November, Montana voters safeguarded the right to abortion in the state’s constitution. They also elected a new chief justice to the Montana Supreme Court who was endorsed by anti-abortion advocates. That seeming contradiction is slated to come to a head this year. People on polar sides […]
Minimum wages are increasing in nearly half the states this year
The minimum wage will increase in nearly half the states this year even as the federal wage floor remains stuck at $7.25 per hour. In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises. But voters in several states, including deeply red ones such as Alaska and Missouri, chose in November to […]
Judge blocks DACA recipients from getting subsidized health insurance
This story first appeared in the North Dakota Monitor. A North Dakota federal judge’s ruling temporarily will keep some immigrants in 19 states from getting federally subsidized health insurance. U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor on Monday granted a request from a coalition of Republican attorneys general to suspend a new federal rule from the U.S. […]
Republican AGs sue BlackRock, other investment firms over ‘woke’ climate action efforts
This story first appeared in the Kansas Reflector. Major institutional investors have artificially lowered coal production and raised energy costs for consumers in an effort to lower global carbon emissions, a federal lawsuit claims. Republican attorneys general in 11 states filed a joint lawsuit last month against BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, claiming the organizations’ efforts […]
States go after ‘claim sharks’ that charge vets for help with disability claims
For-profit consultants across the country make millions each year by charging military veterans for help in filing their disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The practice exists in a legal loophole: It’s illegal under federal law for companies that aren’t accredited by the VA to charge veterans fees for helping file their […]
Growth of sports betting may be linked to financial woes, new studies find
While states have cheered the new tax revenue from sports gambling, some new studies have linked the burgeoning industry to lower consumer credit scores, higher credit card debt and less household savings. With access on their cellphones, gamblers can bet more often and easily than in traditional casinos, heightening concerns about problem gambling and the […]
State prisons turn to extended lockdowns amid staffing shortages, overcrowding
Across the United States, state prison systems are grappling with chronic understaffing and overcrowding — dual crises that are keeping incarcerated people confined to their cells for far longer periods than in recent decades. Lockdowns are common in jails and prisons nationwide, but most usually last only a few hours or days. During lockdowns, access […]
Abortion bans could reverse decline in teen births, experts warn
Houston OB-GYN Dr. Hillary Boswell says she has seen how abortion bans affect teenage girls: More of them are carrying their pregnancies to term. “These are vulnerable girls, and it’s just heartbreaking to see the number of pregnant 13-year-olds I’ve had to take care of,” Boswell said, referring to the change since Texas prohibited abortions […]
Voters deliver mixed verdicts on increasing minimum wage, but support paid sick leave
Voters in two red states agreed to increase their minimum wage in steps to $15 an hour and to require employers to give workers paid sick time, and a third red state also approved sick leave. But a proposed $18-an-hour base wage in California failed, as did initiatives in two states to change the hourly […]
Ranked choice voting faces cloudy future after election setbacks
Voters in several states last week delivered a stinging rebuke to ranked choice voting, clouding the future of an idea that had seen strong momentum in recent years. Ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank political candidates by preference, is used statewide in Alaska and Maine and in major U.S. localities such as New […]
New abortion-rights measures in 7 states could trigger legal, legislative challenges
Widespread support for abortion rights continued to defy partisan labels in Tuesday’s election, but several of the ballot measures that voters approved may face legal and legislative challenges in the coming months. And supporters worry that federal efforts could eventually override the state measures. Voters in seven states — including deep-red Missouri and Montana — […]
To save affordable housing, states promote resident-owned mobile home parks
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. LIBERTY, Mo. — Over her 25 years living in a quiet suburban mobile home park, Kristi Peterman got to know the neighbors directly next door and a few across the street. But since she and her neighbors collectively […]