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Missouri’s newest tax cut will help the wealthy, with smaller savings for middle-income families
Missouri’s latest tax cut will reward many residents with slightly lower tax bills in coming years, with the state’s wealthiest residents seeing the largest returns. The plan will cut income tax rates from 2022’s 5.3% to 4.95% in its first year, but Missourians who are on a fixed income, like Social Security, won’t see the…
Curious about politics and money? Here’s how to research campaign finance in Missouri
If your mailboxes are already flooded with shiny election postcards and you can’t escape the political ads during commercial breaks, there are easy ways to use online resources to find out the groups who are paying for them. Online campaign finance portals allow you to follow the money from the time someone donates it to…
What’s actually inside the amendment to legalize marijuana in Missouri?
Update (Sept. 28, 2022): This story has been corrected to reflect that a person over 21 and without a medical card who smokes marijuana in a non-designated public area would be subject to a civil penalty and fine of up to $100. Missouri could become the 20th state to allow legal weed market if Missourians…
How to research federal and state candidates on the November ballot in Wyandotte County
For voters interested in researching candidates, here are the competitive federal and state races that will appear on ballots in Wyandotte County on Nov. 8, with links to each candidate’s campaign website (if one exists) and Ballotpedia page.
Follow the money: Here’s how to research Kansas campaign finance reports
Follow the money, they say. Ever since the Watergate scandal, when then-President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign funded a 1972 break-in and wiretap at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., the phrase “follow the money” has been shorthand to describe the often fraught relationship between campaign donations and political influence. …
Will Missouri’s abortion ban change the outcome at the polls this year?
Missouri voters won’t find a yes or no question about abortion access on their general election ballots. But Democrats hope the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the state’s abortion ban will help them cut into Republican supermajorities in the state legislature. Polls show that a majority of Missourians…
How to research federal, state and local candidates on the Johnson County ballot in November
For voters interested in researching candidates, here are the competitive federal, state and local races that will appear on ballots in Johnson County on Nov. 8, with links to each candidate’s campaign website (if one exists) and Ballotpedia page.
“It’s a free speech issue”: A new Missouri law has voter registration groups on edge
In a typical election year, groups in Missouri like the League of Women Voters would have volunteers out and about right now, registering new voters and dispensing advice such as how to request absentee ballots. But civic engagement groups are rolling back their activity as the Nov. 8 general election approaches, thanks to a new…
Does Missouri need another income tax cut? Lawmakers head to Jefferson City to decide
Missouri lawmakers are set to gather in Jefferson City this week after Gov. Mike Parson called a special session to cut the state’s income tax rate. Bolstered in part by federal coronavirus relief funds, the 2023 budget is the largest in state history, with $4.9 billion in the state’s general revenue fund. Legislators are at…
New Missouri law loomed over Kansas City’s work to design a climate plan
Update (Sept. 13, 2022): This story has been edited to clarify a quote from Robin Ganahl. Heat pumps can be used to replace air conditioning units only in some cases. The Kansas City Council in late August passed a climate plan intended to drive the city toward a more sustainable future, with goals of becoming…
Who loses – and by how much – with legalized sports gambling in Kansas?
In 2020, the National Council on Problem Gambling told the Kansas Legislature the estimated social cost of Kansas adult problem gamblers is $829 million a year, from gambling-related bankruptcy, divorce, crime and job loss. Using the same methodology, adjusting for inflation and the new population census, The Beacon found that problem gambling would incur an…
Follow the money: How casinos got what they wanted in Kansas’ sports wagering law
How we reported this story: The Beacon relied on publicly available information from company websites and press releases; business registration paperwork filed with agencies in at least five states; legislative documents including hearing testimony, lawmaker voting records and archived video feeds of legislative proceedings; and lobbyist registration directories and campaign finance data available from the Kansas…
In Missouri, the fight for reproductive health care rights will continue in 2023
With primary races decided and reproductive health care a top concern for many voters heading into the November general elections, stakeholders are assessing the year ahead and what possible legislation related to reproductive rights could be introduced in Missouri. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that effectively removed constitutional protections to abortion access allowed…
Civic engagement groups sue over Missouri photo ID requirement and voter outreach rules
Civic engagement organizations filed dual lawsuits this week against Missouri and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft over provisions in the state’s new voting bill, set to go into effect at the end of August. The League of Women Voters of Missouri and Missouri NAACP argued in the lawsuits about the new voting law that the…
Legalized sports betting comes to Kansas before the NFL season
The amount raised by sports betting will determine how much money is available to lure a professional sports team to Kansas, ideally the Kansas City Chiefs from across the state line. That’s because the majority of tax revenues from sports betting is earmarked for a fund for that purpose.
You now need a photo ID to vote in Missouri. Here’s how to get one
Update (Sept. 1, 2022): Civic engagement groups filed lawsuits in late August challenging portions of the law, including the photo ID requirement. Unless a court rules against the photo ID provision, it will be in place for the November election. Under a new law set to go into effect at the end of this month,…
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