Missouri Courts

Missouri's Abortion Bans Blocked 

By Preliminary Injunction

    Kansas City, Mo. (ACLU) – 7/6/2025 – A Jackson County circuit court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of Missouri’s abortion bans and several targeted regulations of abortion providers. The new preliminary injunction clears the way for Missouri’s Planned Parenthood members to again provide procedural abortion care.

    In May, the Missouri Supreme Court clarified the state’s legal standard for issuing a preliminary injunction, forcing the circuit court to temporarily vacate its original orders, and effectively implement a de facto abortion ban.

    "While the clarification on the standard is welcome, its immediate consequence temporarily pulled back implementation of Missourians’ constitutional right to access abortion care and providers’ right to offer that care,” said Gillian Wilcox, Director of Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri. “This critical win begins to restore abortion access in our state, but Missourians must be vigilant and defeat the attacks on the constitutional rights that we secured at the ballot box last November.”

    The order did not address the pending request to enjoin other targeted restrictions that are preventing medication abortion access from being restored in Missouri. Previously, both Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri submitted complication plans to satisfy the existing requirements to allow them to offer medication abortions. The Department of Health and Senior Services failed to respond to either affiliates’ submissions or follow-up inquiries for several weeks. Instead, the department manufactured an “emergency rule” that resembled many of the court-blocked regulations and cited it as the reason for refusing the submitted plans.

    “Abortion is legal again in Missouri because voters demanded it and we fought for it. Care starts again on Monday in Kansas City. We’re not stopping until every Missourian can get the care they need, close to home.” said Emily Wales, president and CEO, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains said. “

    “We are grateful that procedural abortion can resume in the state of Missouri, just as voters demanded last November. However, the whiplash has created immense confusion for patients in Missouri,” said Margot Riphagen, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers. “This decision is a step forward toward fully realizing Missourians' right to reproductive freedom, and the staff at our Central West End health center in St. Louis will work as quickly as possible to resume scheduling abortion appointments."

    The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri, who are represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, the American Civil Liberties Union, Crowell & Moring, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The full case is currently slated for trial in January 2026. (press release date: 7/3/2025)

Case: Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains & Planned Parenthood Great Rivers v. Missouri

By the Numbers

COVID-19 Cases Surge; Countries

Struggle To Avoid Second Deadly Wave

Missouri and Illinois a Contrast in Severity, Approach

By Steve Rensberry 

RP News

___________

EDWARDSVILLE - (RP News) - 10/19/2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to threaten the stability of countries around the world, including the United States, with the latest figures showing Europe and many other countries struggling to avoid a potentially devastating second wave amid a new surge in cases.

A graph of COVID-19 cases from statista. 

    According to statista data journalist Felix Richter, increased testing accounts only for portion of the increase in numbers.

Citing data from the World Health Organization, Richter writes: “According to the World Health Organization, daily new cases hit a new high of 394,501 on October 17, with the seven-day average quickly approaching 350,000. While the high number of new cases is partly due to a steep increase in testing compared to a couple of months ago, the most recent surge in new infections, with Europe at the forefront, cannot be attributed to testing alone.”

The total number of people who have contracted COVID-19 worldwide has now topped 40 million, leading to 1.1 million deaths.

On Oct. 18, Illinois officials reported just over 3,100 new cases of COVID-19 and 22 new deaths in the state. Since the start of the crisis, the state has recorded 347,161 infections, and 9,236 deaths.

Illinois Gov. J.P. Pritzker expressed concern on Monday that the state could be facing a new wave of the virus, citing increasing hospitalizations and positivity rates.

Missouri, meanwhile, has been reporting record numbers and positivity rates. As reported in this AP story, the state logged a record number of COVID-19 cases this past Saturday, with 2,357 infections, and 1,768 cases on Sunday. Total cases statewide are at 156,696, with 2,582 deaths.

Nationwide, the United States has experienced more than 8.4 million infections leading to 224,159 deaths (4 percent). Roughly 5.49 million people (96 percent) have been discharged or have recovered.

Farm Supply Retailer to Pay $54,922 Civil Penalty

   KANSAS CITY, KAN. -  2/26/2011 - ADI Agronomy, Inc., which owns a group of farm supply facilities in southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas, has agreed to pay a $54,922 civil penalty to the United States for chemical Risk Management Program violations at its Ag Distributors retail facility at Kennett, Mo., which sells liquid fertilizer made with anhydrous ammonia.
    EPA Region 7 issued an administrative compliance order to the Kennett facility in July 2010, after an inspection noted eight violations of the chemical Risk Management Program regulations contained in the federal Clean Air Act. Specifically, Ag Distributors failed to establish and implement maintenance procedures to ensure the ongoing integrity of its anhydrous ammonia process equipment, and failed to document that the equipment complied with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices, among other violations.
    As part of an administrative consent agreement issued by EPA in Kansas City, Kan., ADI Agronomy, doing business as Ag Distributors, agreed to pay the $54,922 penalty.
    The Ag Distributors facility in Kennett is subject to the Risk Management Program regulations because it uses, stores, manufactures or handles the on-site movement of 10,000 pounds or more of anhydrous ammonia in its fertilizer production process, the agreement says. Anhydrous ammonia is corrosive, and exposure to it may result in chemical-type burns to skin, eyes and lungs.
    Facilities like Ag Distributors that mix or blend fertilizers using anhydrous ammonia, but which do not sell anhydrous ammonia directly to farmers, must implement the most stringent type of Risk Management Program, known as the Program 3 Prevention Program. Ag Distributors failed to comply with the Program 3 Prevention Program requirements, which require detailed safety precautions, preventative maintenance, operating procedures, and employee training measures.
    Risk Management regulations are intended to help prevent accidental releases of harmful chemicals, and help local emergency responders prepare for and respond to chemical accidents. Failure to have an adequate Risk Management Program and Plan can compromise a facility’s ability to prevent releases and minimize the impact of releases that do occur.
    As part of its settlement with EPA, ADI Agronomy has certified that the Ag Distributors facility in Kennett is now in compliance with the chemical Risk Management Program regulations.
   Source: U.S. EPA

Nixon Hopes Incentives Will Keep Ford in Missouri

By Steve Rensberry

srensberry@rensberrypublishing.com

   (RPC) - 7/15/2010 - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon put pen to paper today at United Auto Workers Union Local 249 in Kansas City in signing a bill that gives Ford Motor Company approximately $150 million in tax breaks to stay the course at the Claycomo plant near Kansas City. 
   Ford representatives released a statement congratulating Nixon for the step, while reserving final comment on what the company ultimately intends to do.
   The bill was approved Wednesday after a filibuster that lasted nearly 20 hours.
   "We congratulate Governor Nixon and the Missouri State Legislature on the passage of the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act," the statement says. "We believe this will be a great benefit to the future of auto manufacturing in the state of Missouri," Ford statement released this week and reported by NBCActionNews. See video of 7/14: Ford incentives sent to Nixon's desk
   The bill was approved by Missouri legislators Wednesday after four weeks of contentious debate and a filibuster that lasted nearly 20 hours.
   The plant began production in the 1950s and employs about 3,900 people. It is a major producer of the F-150 pickup trucks and Escape SUVs.
   Although Nixon had not released a formal statement as of Thursday, a previous news release from the governor's office, following a visit to a plant in Dexter, explains his position.

July 7 News Release From Nixon's Office

   Speaking to workers at the Faurecia plant in Dexter today, Gov. Jay Nixon called on the General Assembly to reach an agreement this week to pass the Missouri Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act to help save thousands of existing Missouri automotive jobs and attract next-generation automotive jobs to the state.
   Gov. Nixon called the General Assembly into special session on June 24 to pass the Missouri Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act, after numerous conversations with legislative leaders from both parties.  At the time of the Governor's call, legislative leaders indicated that strong, bipartisan support existed to pass the act quickly, but the bill now remains unnecessarily stalled in the legislative process. Today, Gov. Nixon urged the House and Senate to work together to reach an agreement on passing the jobs act this week.
   "For more than 100 years, automotive production has been a critical component of Missouri's economy," Gov. Nixon said.  "As major manufacturers, including Ford, restructure their production operations, it's critical that Missouri has the sharpest, strongest tools available to compete for next-generation automotive jobs.  The Missouri Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act would give us those vital tools.  I call on the General Assembly to get their work done and reach an agreement on passing this bill this week."
   Every day the General Assembly meets in special session costs taxpayers approximately $25,000.
   The Missouri Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act would allow qualified manufacturing facilities or suppliers that bring next-generation production lines to Missouri to retain withholdings taxes typically remitted to the state.  To be eligible for these incentives, manufacturers would be required to make a substantial capital investment in production capacity and put people to work.  Incentives would be triggered only after a company is making that investment and workers are on the job.  Strict requirements would force a company to repay the incentives if that commitment were not upheld.    
   The total amount of incentives available under the act would be capped at $15 million a year.
   Manufacturers would not be eligible for any incentives until they had made a significant capital investment in the state and workers actually were on the job.  The Governor also has called on the General Assembly to pass legislation to offset the costs of the Missouri Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act by reducing expenditures in other areas.
   Passing the Missouri Automotive Manufacturing Jobs Act has become increasingly important in recent weeks.  Ford Motor Co., which employs 3,700 workers at the Claycomo facility near Kansas City, is finalizing decisions about restructuring operations and locating production lines.  Other states, including Michigan, have come forward with aggressive proposals to compete for those jobs.  This legislation would help Missouri compete to bring next-generation vehicle production to the state.
    The Ford facility at Claycomo also supports a network of suppliers located in every corner of Missouri. The Faurecia plant in Dexter, which employs more than 900 workers, is a major supplier of emission-control equipment for Ford.  Other suppliers are located in such communities as Columbia, Farmington, Hannibal, Nixa, Perryville and Sedalia, producing seats, wheels, steering wheels and other components.  Relocation of jobs from the Ford facility from Kansas City would severely affect these suppliers and put Missourians out of work.
   In total, Missouri's automotive manufacturing industry contributes $4 billion annually to the state's economy, and automotive products represent 18 percent of Missouri's export market, according to a 2009 report by the Missouri Automotive Jobs Task Force.  Automotive industry suppliers, manufacturers and dealers are located in nearly every Missouri county, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

For more information:

Missouri Legislature
Ford Motor Company
Ford Stock Information

Fight Over Incentives, Tax Breaks, Isn't the First

By Steve Rensberry

srensberry@rensberrypublishing.com

   (RPC) - 7/5/2010 - One hundred and fifty million dollars. That's the kind of money in the form of tax breaks Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and some state legislators are talking about as an incentive to get Ford Motor Company to put its factory in Claycomo to good use in rolling out the company’s new line of vehicles.
   As of Monday, July 5, the package remained in committee in the Missouri Senate.
   Union leaders are fearful the 3,700 workers at the plant will be out of work by year's end. Nixon is pushing for plant upgrades they say are necessary to build the newer Ford models. And the very same arguments heard in every other incentive deal proposed anymore can be heard in this debate, along with the customary allegations of committee stacking.
   Can the state afford to be giving out $150 million in tax breaks in the face of a $1 billion shortfall? That's the "billion" dollar question, being asked by critics. Should Ford be the sole recipient of incentives created with the public purse, or would the state be better off expanding such incentives to everyone as it tries to strengthen the economy?
   Republican State Rep. Bryan Pratt from Blue Springs, Mo., who was at one time on that very Senate committee, makes that exact argument. (1)
   For the record, in 2003, the company was offered an incentive package which consisted of more than $25 million in various kinds of aid and tax breaks to keep its plant in Hazelwood, Mo., up and running. It closed in 2006 before receiving only a small portion of those incentives. Chrysler's operations in Fenton drew incentive proposals of an even larger number, more than $85 million in total. Chrysler's last assembly line in Fenton shut down in the summer of 2009. Finally, state legislators gave their stamp of approval to as much as $240 million in tax credits to Bombardier to build airplanes at a plant in Kansas City. It wasn't enough. (2)
   Ford Motor Company is currently the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in the world in terms of production volume. But despite its size, market share in the United States has plummeted from about $25 percent in FY1995 to only about 5.5 percent in FY 2009. More than 40,000 employees have been cut from the company's payroll in the past three years. The company stock value stood at $10.28/share as of Tuesday, down from a high of $14.46 on April 26.
   (1) Tess Koppelman, Fox 4 - Ford Tax Incentive Package Stalled in Missouri Senate
   (2) David A. Lieb, The Kansas City Star - New session, new crisis for Missouri Jobs