JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State lawmakers are poised to end the regular session of the General Assembly Friday having largely done a lot of what was expected when the session began in January, with one exception that has muddled the legislative process over the past two weeks.

Lawmakers approved a budget before last Friday’s constitutional deadline. They renewed a medical provider tax known as the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, which puts more than $4 billion into the state’s Medicaid program.

But a key GOP priority– asking voters to make it harder to amend the state’s constitution in anticipation of an abortion rights initiative petition question being on the August or November ballot–is unlikely to pass despite supermajorities in both chambers.

A small faction of Republicans in the Senate known as the Freedom Caucus sought near-immediate action on initiative petition reform when lawmakers came into session in January and held up legislative action while battling with Senate leadership.

Instead of the current “50+1” simple majority, Republicans sought to require a majority of voters in five of the state’s eight congressional districts. The Senate ultimately sent the House a version of the bill that stripped out so-called “ballot candy” of requiring voters to be citizens and to ban foreign spending on initiative petition campaigns–things that are already illegal under state law–after Democrats filibustered in February. 

The House restored those provisions and sent them back to the Senate, where Democrats again filibustered, starting Monday until Wednesday afternoon, setting a record at roughly 50 hours. 

The bill was ultimately sent to committee when Republicans did not have enough support to take what is considered a nuclear option in the Senate–moving the previous question–to force a vote. That led to more threats from Freedom Caucus members to hold up any other business that might come before the chamber before Friday’s deadline.

When the Senate twice gaveled back into session Thursday, there were skirmishes between Freedom Cacus members and GOP members aligned with leadership that quickly led to adjournments.

The House on Thursday said it would not agree to the committee request from the Senate on the initiative petition measure and instead sent it back to the Senate unchanged, setting the stage for one more battle in the Senate Friday, either with the potential for one final Freedom Caucus or Democratic filibuster.

The House did give final passage Thursday to an omnibus property rights bill that would ban municipalities from passing eviction moratoriums that weren’t authorized under state law. The bill included three separate pieces of legislation authored by State Rep. Jim Murphy, a Republican from South St. Louis County. One bars homeowners associations from preventing people from raising chickens, an issue Murphy conceded was a big deal for his grandchildren. Another exempts non-profits from St. Louis County requirements for electronic vehicle charging stations, while the third would give business owners rebates on taxes and fees in the event a local government prompted a shutdown, harkening back to the COVID era.

Another bill Murphy shepherded wasn’t so fortunate.

He sponsored legislation that would clarify that the city of St. Louis could not collect an earnings tax based on remote work done outside the city. The legislation passed the House in late March and got out of a Senate committee on May 6. 

“It was high on the Senate calendar. It had a path to get done, and then the Senate just simply shut down for the last week as they’ve done in the past. We’re hoping in the future that somehow we get a Senate that will work the entire session rather than closing down the last week or so. It’s unfortunate,” he said. “It got very close to the end and unfortunately suffered the fate of many great bills that should have passed this year. Hopefully next year we’ll do much better.” 

Another legislative casualty is a Senate bill that, if passed, would have authorized St. Louis County to hold a vote for a sales tax to support early childhood education and care. Backers conceded that it won’t get across the finish line this year. A proposal to put a similar question before voters in the city of St. Louis in November is similarly in doubt.

For a legislative session that figures to see a relatively small number of bills reach the governor’s desk this year, Murphy is taking “a win is a win” approach.

“Getting three things across the line in this session was probably as much as you could hope for,” he said.

FLORENCE, Neb. (WOWT) – Authorities have positively identified the body recovered from the Missouri River just north of Omaha on Wednesday.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday afternoon that it will release the identity of the body once next of kin has been notified. It is an adult male, officials confirmed.

The cause of death is pending the Douglas County Coroner’s official report, but the autopsy is complete, according to DCSO.

Around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers and rescue crews responded to an area along the Missouri River a few miles north of the Mormon Bridge on Interstate 680 for a report that Omaha Police Department’s Able-1 helicopter had located a body.

Fire and rescue personnel brought the body to the boat landing at NP Dodge Park, where it was handed over to the sheriff’s office.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to call DCSO’s tip line at 402-444-6000.

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This is a developing story. Stay with 6 News for updates.

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STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State baseball has a lot riding on their final regular season series with Missouri. Earlier this season, the thought of this team playing for a hosting spot on the final weekend was far-fetched. 

However, this team’s resiliency has prevailed all year long, and they have an opportunity to bring postseason baseball back to Dudy Noble Field for the first time since 2021. While State controls its destiny regarding hosting, its non-conference slip-ups have made the road more challenging. 

MSU sits at 15-12 in the conference; typically, a 17-13 record is enough to feel confident about being a host site. Still, it would be cutting it close if that is their record going into Memorial Day. 

Luckily for the Bulldogs, Missouri is one of the worst teams in the conference with an 8-19 conference record, and they are coming off a series loss to the only team below them in the standings, Auburn. MSU swept Auburn at Dudy Noble Field less than a month ago, but the story is reminiscent for Bulldog fans. 

In 2021, before winning a national title, State was in the thick of the SEC regular season title race as it welcomed Missouri to Starkville for its final home conference series. Much like this year, the Tigers were at the bottom of the SEC, but that did not matter as they took the series from the eventual national champions. 

Missouri is still playing for a spot in the SEC tournament, and a sweep over the Bulldogs would help them get to Hoover. Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis understands his team must focus on the task at hand. 

“They are still playing for a lot… I have been that team,” Lemonis said. “It is about us.” 

State seems to be piecing together its roster as guys such as Joe Powell and Logan Kohler are finding more consistency. Both guys struggled early in the season but have found their stride, especially Powell, who hit three home runs in the Bulldogs’ 8-4 win over North Alabama. 

Although the series loss to Arkansas in Fayetteville was frustrating, it may have shown the rest of the country how good this State team is. 

“The series at Arkansas did not go the way we wanted, but we showed that we are one of the top teams in the country,” Powell said. 

The win over North Alabama also saw the return of former MSU ace Nate Dohm. The Indiana native tossed two perfect innings and showed great control with his 92-94 MPH fastball. 

Dohm’s role on this team is still up in the air, but having him back in any capacity can only be positive for State. This team has all of its goals in front of it, and they seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. However, if they want to ensure that the Road to Omaha starts in Starkville, they must take care of business against Missouri. 

“I have told them all week, I don’t care about scenarios or tournaments; all we can control is what is between the white lines,” Lemonis said. “Our job is to prove to the committe that we are one of the top 16 teams in the country.”