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The 2021 Missouri legislative session was one of the most unusual and unpredictable of the legislative gatherings I’ve covered in some 50 years.
Despite Republicans holding an …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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5/19/21
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One of the fascinating issues for the 2021 legislative session has been the idea of a tax increase.
You would think such an idea would be dead on arrival in a Republican-controlled legislature. …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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5/12/21
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The Missouri House refusal to fund voter-approved Medicaid expansion reminded me of a long Missouri legislative tactic of “kicking the can down the road” involving state funding for …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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4/21/21
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In 2015, the then Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bill Shuster (R-PA) led negotiations with members of both parties in the House, Senate and White House on a …
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By Blaine Luektemeyer
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4/21/21
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The Missouri legislature’s week-long break that began March 15 is a good time to assess where the General Assembly may head in the second half of it’s annual session.
This year taxes, school …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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3/17/21
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A major question for this year’s session of the Missouri General Assembly is whether Republican legislative leaders will continue a recent display of independence from their fellow Republican Gov. …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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2/10/21
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The start of Missouri’s legislature during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic raises questions about how lawmakers will adjust to the realities of this rampant virus.
Just visualize a …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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1/6/21
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This column is inspired by a 1970 song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for parents to “teach your children well.”
I’ve been thinking about that song often as I’ve wondered how my …
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By Phill Brooks
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12/23/20
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When Missouri’s House begins its 2021 session, it may face a fascinating issue of residency which has a long history.
The issue arises from a St. Louis Post Dispatch report that Rep. Nick …
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BY Phil Brooks
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12/9/20
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The title of this column is a question that kept popping into my head during Missouri’s gubernatorial campaign.
That question repeatedly was asked by fictional President Jed Bartlet in the …
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11/25/20
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There are four Missourians who helped develop the systems that provide you with accurate and prompt election night returns.
To understand this column, you need to realize that the results reported …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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11/11/20
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The recent thoughts written by others about the tragic death of Gov. Mel Carnahan two decades ago have prompted me to add some personal details.
There was something about Carnahan that touched all …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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11/4/20
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Before proceeding with this column, I want you to think about what you’ve read, seen or heard from the candidates running for state office during this campaign season.
How often have you …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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10/28/20
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Missouri’s recent veto session was another chapter in a long and fascinating legislative history.
Until the 1970s, there were no veto sessions. Instead, prior versions of the state Constitution …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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9/30/20
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Missouri’s House displayed unusual constitutional discipline during this summer’s anti-crime special session.
House leaders obeyed a state constitutional provision which requires a …
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By Phill Brooks, Contributing Columnist
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9/16/20
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As an emeritus faculty member of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, I feel compelled to offer some thoughts about the recent controversy involving the tweets by two school newsroom …
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Phil Brooks
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7/29/20
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A few decades ago, Missouri’s Senate had a unique visitor — a baby squirrel.
Harvey’s chamber appearance was unplanned.
Arriving to the Capitol late one day, I entered the …
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by Phil Brooks
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7/22/20
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This column is prompted by a simple question asked of the governor at one of his news conferences.
Missouri had reached a peak level of COVID-19 infections.
That record was set after Missouri …
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By Phill Brooks
By Phill Brooks
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7/8/20
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As I reflect on the final months of term-limited state legislators who have made a profound difference for the state, I also remember Harriett Woods.
While she gained national attention for her …
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by Phil Brooks
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6/24/20
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