Jason Hancock
Politics and Policy Reporter | The Missouri IndependentJason Hancock has spent two decades covering politics and policy for news organizations across the Midwest, with most of that time focused on the Missouri statehouse as a reporter for The Kansas City Star. A three-time National Headliner Award winner, he helped launch The Missouri Independent in October 2020.
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Missouri Gov. Mike Parson reduced Britt Reid's sentence after Reid crashed his truck into two vehicles near the Chiefs’ practice facility in February 2021 while drunk, permanently injuring a 5-year-old girl. Reid is Kansas City Chief head coach Andy Reid's son.
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Plocher’s hold on his speakership remains tenuous and his campaign for lieutenant governor is now considered a longshot. His top legislative staff are gone, either fired or resigned in the wake of the scandals. But the impact of the ethics probe is playing out in more subtle ways in the Missouri House.
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The two Missouri legislators who called for Plocher to resign from his position as speaker were, until last week, the only Republicans without any of their bills referred to committee.
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After clearing a backlog of public records requests by his predecessor, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey told lawmakers his office expects to finalize all sunshine requests submitted in the last year by May.
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Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher bristled this week at questions about a recently fired legislative staffer and an ongoing ethics investigation he’s facing, cutting off a press conference he convened after only four minutes.
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A Republican candidate for attorney general called the governor’s efforts to pressure a political organization to support Andrew Bailey "egregious and potentially illegal."
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Missouri Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury, faced widespread criticism in recent weeks for her social media activity, including posing for a photo next to an alleged Holocaust denier.
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Public records show the Missouri House spent $60,000 of taxpayer money renovating the speaker’s office — including $29,000 on new furniture like a leather sofa and new fridge. At the same time, other legislative offices remain inaccessible to constituents with disabilities.
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On Friday a jury ordered Giuliani to pay more than $148 million in damages.
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It’s taken Attorney General Andrew Bailey his entire first year in office to work through a backlog of requests he inherited from his predecessor.
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He was arguably the most powerful politician in Missouri until he faced allegations of corruption and sexual assault. Now it’s Rod Jetton’s job to help another speaker navigate accusations of misconduct.
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Accused of threatening legislative staff and stealing from taxpayers, Dean Plocher has denied any wrongdoing and rebuffed calls for his resignation.