News

• The Missouri House took only an hour to debate and pass the state's budget for next year. The $23 billion spending plan holds K-through-12 spending in place while cutting higher education funding by seven percent. The full Missouri House is scheduled to take up the state budget the week of March 28th, right after lawmakers return from spring break.
•  A task force focused on rural Missouri crime has recovered more than $2.5 million worth of stolen property in the past year and a half.

The House Budget Committee has quickly wrapped up work on Missouri’s state budget for Fiscal Year 2012.

The process of voting 13 budget bills out of committee is often raucous and can take several days to do.  This year, it only took an hour, with each budget bill passing overwhelmingly.

Ameren Missouri is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the company by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The suit filed in January alleges that Ameren violated the Clean Air Act by making multi-million-dollar modifications to its coal-fired power plant in Festus without installing required pollution controls and obtaining the necessary permits.

A former campaign aide to Sen. Claire McCaskill has been hired as executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party.

The state party says Matthew Teter began his new role Tuesday. He'll replace Brian Zuzenak, who is leaving March 31 after a transition period.

Missouri Democrats have undergone a leadership change after losses in the 2010 elections. Former State Auditor Susan Montee took over as chairwoman of the party in December, replacing Craig Hosmer. Montee also is an ally of McCaskill.

The St. Louis firefighters union lashed out at city hall today after the mayor announced the layoffs of 30 firefighters.

The mayor's office claims that firefighter pension payments are doubling to nearly $11 million in just two years and risk bankrupting city government.

Chris Molitor is the President of Firefighters Local 73.  Among other things, he accused the mayor of refusing to negotiate in good faith.

"When I woke up this morning, I had to see if I was living in Wisconsin or St. Louis, Missouri…this is wrong," Molitor said.