Rudi Keller | Missouri Independent

Only one state Senate Democrat spoke during the Wednesday night debate on eliminating the income tax. House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said members instead should ‘fight to the end’ to stop the Republican proposal.

Republicans said the revenue reduction that would result if the plan is unchanged is an error and that the measure would be revised before debate.

Only about 200,000 of the 300,000 signatures submitted to force a statewide vote on the gerrymandered congressional map are being checked. Backers of the referendum are less than 200 signatures short of making the ballot but want all signatures reviewed.

The proposal would base funding on the number of students enrolled and some state schools could lose 40% or more of their state support. The plan is part of a budget proposal that cuts $300 million from general revenue spending requested by Gov. Mike Kehoe.

A Cole County judge made the decision about the ballot language on Wednesday.

Judge Christopher Limbaugh has already dismissed one challenge to the law that also provided incentives professional sports stadiums. He has promised a decision by Feb. 10 on the question of whether the property tax caps violate the Missouri Constitution.

State Rep. Jeremy Dean should be ordered to stay 50 feet away from the recipient and be denied committee assignments during this year’s session, the Ethics Committee report recommends.

The hangover from last year’s moves to force through the Republican agenda on abortion, redistricting and more promise to disrupt the opening weeks. The productivity of the session hinges on how long Democrats can stall action in the state Senate.

The fund held $5.8 billion, a record, at the end of June 2023. Without changes to the budget, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick warns, the money will all be gone by June 2028.

The cut was sold as reducing revenue by about $111 million annually. Now the state budget director says the revenue loss could be as much as $500 million the first year and $360 million annual thereafter.