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Lila Patel - stock.adobe.com/742962398Policy experts are urging Congress to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits and address the larger problem of escalating health care costs, warning that premiums could more than double if no action is taken. A Century Foundation analysis shows rural and high cancer-rate counties would be hit hardest, as ACA premiums are already projected to rise an average of 18% next year, potentially affecting a record 466,000 Illinoisans. -
ValentinValkov - stock.adobe.com/200585311The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released funds for farmer-driven agriculture research in Missouri and nationwide after a months-long delay. Farmers across the country launched a campaign to insist the government release the money, which it did in mid-September. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program grants funds to farmers and ranchers for on-farm studies and helps distribute the results.
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At an event in Columbia, Gov. Mike Kehoe said he is confident he was on firm legal ground when he called lawmakers into a special session. But with three lawsuits pending against the new map, the governor said it was up to the courts to prove him right. -
Judge Daniel Green ruled that giving only the attorney general power to appeal preliminary injunctions in cases involving state law is unconstitutional. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway plans to appeal, as does the liberal activist challenging other provisions upheld by Green. -
Missouri hog farmers are stepping into the national spotlight as Congress considers Prop 12, California’s crate-free pork law. They say losing the law would wipe out a fair market that rewards crate-free pork. -
Illinois environmental advocates are fighting against the Trump Administration's repeal of the Roadless Rule which protects millions of acres of National Forests. They argue the law already allows flexibility for fire management - a key reason the administration cites for the repeal - and that roads, not their absence, are the leading cause of forest fires. -
Legal sports betting is scheduled to start in the state on Dec. 1. Many bettors are eager for it to begin, but addiction health advocates are concerned about easily accessible mobile gambling. -
The special session featured a number of unprecedented actions that would have been unthinkable before July when it became clear that Missouri would join other states overhauling their congressional lines. -
From the grocery aisle to the factory floor, the speed of America’s meat and poultry processing lines is once again under debate in Congress. Backers of a bill to speed up processing lines say faster production would help the industry, while unions that represent workers warn of safety tradeoffs. -
Missouri senators are expected to debate and then vote on redistricting Friday that seeks to oust Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver as well as a plan to make it harder to pass citizen-led constitutional amendments. -
The plan requires constitutional amendments placed before voters through the initiative petition process to pass in a statewide vote and in all eight of Missouri's congressional districts. -
Protesters demanded that Republicans halt their efforts to redistrict Missouri and make it harder for voter-led constitutional amendments to pass. After protesting in the rotunda, rally-goers packed the Senate chambers, where lawmakers are set to take up both proposals.
