News

The Missouri House has approved legislation barring the state Revenue Department from scanning the personal documents of drivers' license applicants into a state computer system.

The House passed the measure 118-40 on Tuesday. It now returns to the Senate.

The Revenue Department began scanning documents, such as birth certificates and concealed weapons permits, in December. Agency officials say it provides more security to licensing. But Republican lawmakers objected to the procedures and argue it is an invasion of privacy.

The Missouri House and Senate have passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee farmers and ranchers the right to farm and ranch using "modern methods."

Missouri House members have endorsed a 1-cent sales tax that would be dedicated to paying for state and local transportation projects.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would need to ask lawmakers for permission to purchase vehicles that cost more than $100,000 under a bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.

For the month of April, Missouri employers added more than 12,000 new jobs while the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 percent.

Regional news coverage from the KBIA newsroom, including:

• The top Senate leader says a criminal code revision and $1.2 billion bond issue are dead this session
• The legislature makes a third run at passing a use tax
• Much more from the last week of the 2013 legislative session

Missouri lawmakers have voted for a third time to reinstate local taxes on cars, trucks and boats bought from out-of-state dealers or in private transactions.

The state Supreme Court struck down such taxes in 2012 but said a local "use tax" could be levied on such purchases if local voters approved. Legislators approved proposals to reverse the ruling's effect last year and again this year. But Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed both, including the most recent one last month.

The top lawmaker in the Missouri Senate says there will be no vote this year on a revision of the state's criminal laws or a $1.2 billion bonding program. Both measures already passed the House. But Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey says they are too complex to bring up with just a few days remaining before Friday's mandatory adjournment for the 2013 session.

Children leaving Missouri's foster care system after their 18th birthday would be able to return to state custody under a bill sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.

House Speaker Tim Jones has named additional members to a newly created House commission reviewing driver's license policies and the sharing of gun data.