Public News Service

Nearly three in 10 (27%) dual-eligible Missourians enrolled in D-SNPs in 2021. (Flamingo Images/Adobe Stock)

Missourians unaware of dual eligible special needs plans for healthcare savings

Dual Special Needs Plans such as Medicare Advantage in Missouri offer low costs with minimal co-pays and deductibles. In Missouri and across the …

Operation Food Search distributes $30 million worth of food and necessities each year to 330 community partners in 40 Missouri and Illinois counties. (Gorodenkoff/Adobe Stock)

MO summit tackles rising child food insecurity as benefits expire

As COVID-era benefits near expiration, a recent Child Wellness Summit brought together nonprofits to tackle urgent child well-being and food-…

Although food insecurity can be faced by anyone, Black and Latino children are twice as likely to face hunger. And in 2022, 33% of single-parent families experienced food insecurity. (LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS/Adobe Stock)

MO gears up for participation in kids' summer food program

Missouri is planning ahead to make sure kids from lower-income families have enough to eat this summer. The state has opted into a federal food …

The increase in funding for community health centers also helps alleviate some of the burdens caused by threats to 340B, the low-cost prescription drug program. (1st footage/Adobe Stock)

New funding a boost for community health centers

Community health centers in Missouri and across the nation are getting a boost in funding thanks to Congress' passage of a bipartisan spending package…

In 2018, the nonprofit Decolonizing Wealth Project defined reparative philanthropy as

Report: Older foundations, regardless of intent, may have racist beginnings

A recent report details how great wealth that later made philanthropy possible around the country but most evidently in the District of Columbia…

When schools have automated external defibrillators, 70% of children survive cardiac arrest, according to American Heart Association data. (hooyah808/Adobe Stock)

MO schools and health advocates promote cardiac emergency response plans

Missouri Senate Bills 1032 and 1081 would require public schools to develop and implement cardiac emergency response plans and advocates are stressing…

Bryce Shanklin, a career rural mail carrier, in the U.S. Postal Service vehicle he uses for delivering mail. In the second year of USPS' 10-year 'Delivering For America' plan, 50,000 workers were converted from non-career positions to employee roles. (Adobe Stock)

Calls for increased rural Postal Service staffing grow louder

Across the country and especially in rural parts of Missouri, U.S. Postal Service staffing shortages are being blamed by some for delays in mail …

On average, the lowest-income 20% of taxpayers face a state and local tax rate nearly 60% higher than the top 1% of households in Missouri, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. (tirachard/Adobe Stock)<br />

Missouri's taxes require more from low and middle-income families

New data show Missouri has the 35th most regressive state and local tax system in the country. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found …

Did Parson's abortion stance prompt historic family, education funding?

State legislators applauded Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's State of the State address last week - although for very different reasons. The governor's …

Part of the program allows taxpayers who donate to child-care facilities to receive the tax credits. Another portion would issue tax credits to employers who provide child care for their employees.(Rawpixel.com/Adobe Stock)

Child care tax credits gain momentum in MO

While Missouri's legislative session has just begun, child-care tax credits are at top of mind with a bipartisan House bill. HB 1488 takes a three-…

More than 180,000 rural students attend public pre-K-through-12 schools in Missouri, almost double the rural U.S. average. (Song_about_summer/Adobe Stock)

Where's the money for rural Missouri education?

Nearly half of Missouri's public schools are in rural areas, and they serve more than one in five of the Show-Me State's students. But Missouri …

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reintroduced what is known as the

Livestock manure makes 'big stink' for MO family farmers

Congress passed a one-year extension of the current Farm Bill, which means the debate over a new bill will continue well into 2024. Advocacy groups …

The Farm Credit System is cumulatively the largest lender to the agricultural sector, making about 45% of all agricultural loans, with $350 billion in assets. (DiedovStock/Adobe Stock)

Report: Farm Credit System needs an update

A new report calls for greater accountability in the system that provides funding to farmers in underserved communities. The research takes a dive …

Family farm advocacy groups have been fighting the proliferation of manure digesters and related factory farm gas infrastructure. They say independent family farms raising livestock sustainably have been shut out of conservation programs due to lack of funding. (Nina Lawrenson/peopleimages.com)

MO family farmers: Inflation Reduction Act funds not for factory farms

Advocates for Missouri's small family farms have taken to the U.S. Capitol today, to talk with lawmakers about what could be done in the next Farm …

Proponents of regular dental care cite the case of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver of Maryland, who died of a toothache in February 2007. (Anna Kosolapova/Adobe Stock)

Greater access to dental care through MO HealthNet

More Missourians should be able to get routine dental care, with a recent change in the way providers are paid by the state. MO HealthNet is paying …

Many of Missouri's working parents have limited and often unaffordable access to quality child care, resulting in

MO loses $1.35 billion annually due to child care issues

Among Missouri parents surveyed, 30% reported they have limited their working hours or stopped altogether because of unreliable child care. The …

Staffing shortages at the Department of Social Services have led to parents seeking child care assistance being placed on hold for as long as two or three hours. (Adobe Stock)

Praise for MO Early Childhood Funding; Concerns About Sustainability, Gaps

Missourians scored some big wins for child care and pre-K programs in the 2023 legislative session, although some said it is just a start. Brian …

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls well-child visits

Contentious 2023 MO Legislative Session Saw Wins for Struggling Families

Although Missouri's 2023 legislative session was contentious and resulted in a historically low number of bills being passed, advocates for children …

Kaiser Family Foundation calcula que entre 5 y 14 millones de personas perder�n la cobertura de Medicaid ahora que la situaci�n de emergencia sanitaria ha terminado y los estados reanuden su proceso anual de renovaci�n. (suthisak/Adobe Stock)

Renovación de Medicaid en MO; insta a beneficiarios a actualizar información

El Departamento de Servicios Sociales de Missouri prevé que unos 200,000 ciudadanos perderán sus prestaciones de Medicaid el próximo a&…

Fortune magazine reported in January 2022 child care expenses had risen an average of 41% from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and some families spend 20% of their income on child care. (Ljiljana/Adobe Stock)

MO Legislation Would Help Families Afford Child Care

Like others across the country, many Missouri families struggle with the cost of child care, and state lawmakers are proposing some relief. Rep…

Kiplinger rates Missouri, and nine other U.S. states, as

MO Lawmaker Proposes Raising "Circuit Breaker" Tax Credits

Every Missourian knows property values and property taxes have risen dramatically in the past 15 years, as well as the cost of rent. State lawmakers …

Black farmers ran 14% of all U.S. farms in 1920 and 1.6% in 2017. The Inflation Reduction Act includes more than $2 billion for farmers and ranchers who can show they have been discriminated against in USDA lending programs. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Conservation Funding for Smaller Farms Needed in Farm Bill

The U.S. Department of Agriculture touts its conservation programs for farmers, but a new study from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy …

Community Health Centers provide care at more than 14,000 locations across America. (Adobe Stock)

States Take Action Against PBM's 340b Workarounds

With Community Health Centers' funding facing challenges from pharmacy benefit managers, some state lawmakers are getting involved. The centers are …

Nationally, the number of uninsured children fell by more than 200,000 during the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Health Insurance Coverage Increases for MO Kids During Pandemic

A new Georgetown University report showed the number of uninsured children in Missouri dropped during the pandemic thanks to a shift in federal policy…

Missouri ranks last in the United States in the percentage of education funding provided by the state. (Adobe Stock)

Panel on Teacher Hiring, Retention to Hold Public Meetings Across MO

The Missouri state commission on teacher recruitment and retention has released its recommendations and will now be holding a series of public-engagem…

LPI reports annual teacher turnover rates are highest in the South and lowest in the Northeast. (Adobe Stock)

Missouri School Districts Face Ongoing Teacher Shortage

School districts nationwide are struggling to meet student needs with a teacher shortage made worse by COVID. The Missouri Department of Elementary …

According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, co-ops power 56% of the nation's landmass. (Adobe Stock)

Missouri Electric Co-ops Poised to Benefit from Inflation Reduction Act

Within the Inflation Reduction Act are provisions to help rural electric co-ops in new ways. Rural electricity generation often is structured as a …

Just a few large corporations control the vast majority of the food supply, and many operate concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs. (agnormark/Adobe Stock)

Testimony from MO Farmer: Bolster Regenerative Practices, Not CAFOs

Farmers and ranchers are raising red flags about the need for more regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs, and …

At least part of every county in Missouri, except one in the Kansas City area, has a doctor shortage, and mental health professionals can be especially hard to find. (loreanto/Adobe Stock)

MO Residency Training Program to Help Relieve Doctor Shortage

Nearly every county in Missouri faces a doctor shortage, and the Ozark Center in Joplin for behavioral health is getting a funding boost to help …

A proposed economic-recovery payment tax credit would be non-refundable, and leave out about a third of Missouri residents. (Natee Meepian/Adobe Stock)

MO Group: Economic-Recovery Payment Plan Excludes Too Many

As the Missouri Senate considers a proposal for economic-relief payments passed by the House, advocates for working families urge lawmakers to make …

Some 20% of respondents to a diaper bank survey said they've used a payday or other short-term loan to purchase diapers. (laboko/Adobe Stock)

MO Groups Urge Federal Support for Diaper Banks

Groups in Missouri are urging Congress to pass a full-year, fully funded appropriations bill, instead of a parade of stopgap continuing resolutions …

Missouri has nine Planned Parenthood clinics across the state. (Adobe Stock)

MO Budget Bill Blocks Medicaid Patients from Accessing Planned Parenthood

Missouri's supplemental budget bill signed into law Thursday includes a provision to block patients who rely on Medicaid from accessing Planned Parent…

Between February 2020 and June 2021, more than 139,000 Missourians enrolled in Medicaid. (sofiko14/Adobe Stock)

Report: MO Kids Could Lose Medicaid When Public-Health Emergency Ends

A new report shows Missouri kids enrolled in Medicaid could be at risk of losing that coverage when the official public-health emergency for COVID-19 …

No state's application for American Rescue Plan K-12 education spending includes a comprehensive plan for tracking that spending, according to a new report. (wavebreak3/Adobe Stock)

Report Urges States to Track Rescue Plan Spending, Increase Transparency

Missouri ranks middle of the pack in a new report assessing states' proposals for using American Rescue Plan funds for schools. The federal stimulus …

Missouri residents can fill out a waiver form for federal unemployment overpayments, and a bill before the Legislature seeks to allow the same for state payments. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

MO Bills Would Provide Relief to Recipients of Unemployment Overpayments

During the pandemic, the Missouri Department of Labor paid out too much unemployment compensation to more than 45,000 residents, and two bills before …

Gov. Mike Parson delivers the State of the State address before a joint session of the Missouri Legislature on Wednesday. (State of Missouri)

MO Budget Proposal Includes Medicaid Expansion, State Worker Pay Raise

During Wednesday's State of the State address, Gov. Mike Parson discussed his priorities for Missouri in the next year, including the supplemental …

Nearly 30% of Missouri families reported paying more than $1,000 a month for child care, according to a report from United WE. (santypan/Adobe Stock)

MO Budget Proposal Includes Dispersing Federal Funds for Child Care

More than half of Missouri families report paying more than $500 a month for child care, and child-care providers have been struggling to keep their …

An estimated 80% of white Americans own a home computer, compared to 69% of Black Americans and 67% of Latino Americans. (urby/Adobe Stock)

Federal Funds Key to Broadband for 330,000+ in MO

Missouri ranks 34th in the nation for broadband coverage and speed, with more than 330,000 residents lacking broadband access, but now, agencies hope …

Experts urge people to be diligent about their online security, with ransomware attacks on the rise nationally. (Song_about_summer/Adobe Stock)

Calls to Beef Up Cybersecurity Follow Missouri Information Breach

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Gov. Mike Parson is facing calls to get the Missouri Cybersecurity Commission off the ground after it was created by the …

One in ten Missouri teens didn't graduate high school on time in 2019, down from 19% in 2010 - though last fall, more than 40% of Missourians planning to pursue higher education either cancelled or reduced course loads. (Tom Wang/Adobe Stock)

Report: MO Children, Families to Benefit from Child Tax Credit Expansion

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri is ranked 30th among states for overall child wellbeing in a new report, and advocates for kids and families say the …

The $1.6 billion from the Medicaid provider tax draws nearly $3 billion in federal Medicaid match funds. (Steven Martin/Flickr)

Groups Urge MO Legislators to Renew Medicaid Provider Tax

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that state fiscal relief has "maintenance of effort" requirements. (8:15 a.m. MDT…

Missourians working full time at the minimum wage often pay more than half their income on rent each month, and many people lost their jobs during the pandemic. (asiraj/Adobe Stock)

Report Urges Strong Eviction Moratoriums, Robust Rental Aid

ST. LOUIS -- A new study of eviction filings in St. Louis during the pandemic found people within protected classes under the Fair Housing Act…

Public-school advocates oppose bills before the Legislature that would allow for the expansion of charter schools and give tax credits for paying private school tuition. (Wikimedia Commons)

Groups Say Slate of School Bills Would Undermine Public Education

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Advocates for public schools are urging the Missouri Legislature to bolster funding for public education, rather than shift …

Experts say expanding Medicaid will help prevent uninsured Missourians from letting health conditions go untreated, making it less likely they'll end up in an emergency room. (niyazz/Adobe Stock)

Lessons for MO Lawmakers from States that Expanded Medicaid

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - As the state Senate debates Missouri's budget for next year, groups are urging lawmakers to learn from the 38 states that have …

Voters in Missouri approved a ballot initiative expanding Medicaid. If the state funds it, Missouri will be on track to receive more than $1 billion in federal incentives. (Drazen/Adobe Stock)

Pediatricians: Failure to Fund Medicaid Expansion Could Have Long-Lasting Impacts

COLUMBIA, Mo. - As lawmakers continue their debate on whether to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion in Missouri, pediatricians say lack of access …

The Missouri state House voted 100-52 to exclude funding for Medicaid expansion from the state budget. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

MO State House Excludes Medicaid Expansion from Budget

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Despite a majority of Missourians voting for Medicaid expansion in last year's elections, Republican state House lawmakers …

Missouri's minimum wage currently is $10.30 an hour, but a bill before the Legislature would bring it down to slightly more than $8 an hour. (Paul Sableman/Flickr)

Workers, Small-Business Owners Oppose Bill to Cut Minimum Wage

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Workers and small-business owners are voicing opposition to a bill before the Legislature which would tie Missouri's minimum wage …

Missouri is one of two states, along with Oklahoma, in the process of implementing Medicaid expansion with voter-approval through ballot initiatives. (Julia/Adobe Stock)

Report: MO Kids to Benefit from Voter-Supported Medicaid Expansion

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Voters in Missouri passed a ballot initiative last fall expanding Medicaid, and the state is on track to receive more than $1 …

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MO: Budget Policy & Priorities