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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Republican-led Missouri House has advanced a new effort to require voters to show photo identification at polling places.

On Thursday, the House approved a constitutional amendment that allows a photo ID requirement. Lawmakers then endorsed legislation to implement it. Both measures now move to the state Senate.

Lawmakers have considered enacting a photo ID requirement for voting several times in recent years. Debate generally has split along partisan lines. Republicans now control a veto-proof supermajority in both the House and the Senate.

Supporters of a photo ID requirement say it would help prevent voter fraud and protect legitimate votes. Critics say Missouri has not had recent incidents of voter fraud and the requirement could make it more difficult for some people to cast ballots.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - A Joplin man will face trial for first-degree murder after waiving a preliminary hearing in the killing of his estranged wife.

Thirty-five-year-old Rondias Webb waived the hearing Wednesday in Jasper County Circuit Court. He is charged in the Nov. 17 shooting death of 36-year-old Monica Webb.

Prosecutors say Monica Webb was shot inside the home where she had moved to get away from her husband. Police say Rondias Webb shot himself after shooting his wife.

The Joplin Globe reports Monica Webb had obtained a protection order against her husband in September after he was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault at an apartment they had shared. Two weeks before her shooting, Webb reported that her husband had violated the protection order.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The slate of Democratic candidates is in flux for a vacant Missouri congressional seat with just two days remaining before party leaders pick a nominee.

State Rep. Linda Black, of Bonne Terre, announced Thursday that she would not seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Republican Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, who resigned last month. Black had been among the leading contenders for the 8th District seat in southeast Missouri.

Poplar Bluff chiropractor Jack Rushin, who lost to Emerson last year, said Thursday that he also is considering whether to drop his bid for the June 4 special election.

But state Rep. Steve Hodges, of East Prairie, announced he was entering the race.

The two other Democratic candidates are Todd Mahn of Festus and Markel Fitchpatrick of Blodgett.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - People fired for sleeping on the job and missing work could have a harder time getting unemployment benefits under a bill endorsed by the Missouri Senate.

The Senate gave initial approval Wednesday to a measure expanding the definition of "misconduct" in the workplace. The change would make it harder for people to qualify for unemployment insurance after they are fired. Supporters say the bill will protect businesses from liability and give them more freedom to fire employees who misbehave at work. The legislation is sponsored by Republican Sen. Will Kraus, of Lee's Summit. It needs one more affirmative vote in the Senate before moving to the House.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A proposal to raise Missouri’s fines for seat belt violations could have a better chance in the Senate this year.

Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Mike Kehoe said Wednesday that he wants to advance the bill to the full Senate for debate. The legislation by Sen. Joe Keaveny has died each of the past three years in the transportation committee.

The Democratic senator from St. Louis is proposing to increase the fine from $10 to $50 for people caught not wearing seat belts in vehicles.

The percentage of people using seat belts in Missouri lags behind the national average, and Keaveny hopes a higher fine would encourage more people to buckle up.

The bill drew support Wednesday from police, insurance, doctors’ and trucking groups.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Republican senators are making another push to alter the wages paid by government entities for public works projects.

One proposal considered by a Missouri Senate committee Tuesday would eliminate the "prevailing wage" altogether.

Missouri calculates the prevailing wage for various construction trades in each county based on surveys of wages already paid on jobs.

The measure's sponsor, Sen. Dan Brown, of Rolla, told the panel the current wage calculation does not adequately reflect construction wage rates in rural Missouri, thus driving up a project's cost.

Another bill would keep the prevailing wage intact, but would use a federal database to set the guidelines for projects in rural counties.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri lawmakers have endorsed separate measures focused on the open meetings and records law, commonly called the Sunshine Law.

The Senate and House each gave first-round approval Tuesday to their versions of a bill to renew security exemptions that expired at the end of 2012. One had covered security systems and structural plans and the other dealt with plans for responding to terrorism incidents.

The Senate legislation also would require officials give more notice before meetings and disclose general topics of closed sessions. Plus, it would put the burden on the governmental body to demonstrate something can be closed.

The House measure states that logs and records from elected officials' flights are an open record.

Both versions of the legislation require another vote before moving to the other chamber.

Mizzou Football fans who are still hungry for recruiting talk, can have their appetites sated over the next couple of weeks, as recruiting reception events are planned across the state.

The tour gets underway Tuesday in Kansas City. Then it heads to Columbia Wednesday morning and St. Louis Wednesday evening, before wrapping up in Springfield on Thursday.

The annual Mizzou Tiger Club of St. Louis recruiting event will be held at the Edward Jones Building near I-270 and Manchester. A private dinner is set for 5:00 p.m., with a public social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The festivities will move to the auditorium at 7:00 p.m. for the review of video by Tiger coaches.

For reservations on the private dinner, contact Curt Sawyer at curt@sawcap.com or call 636-530-3696.

The public portion of the evening is $5 at the door. Those 19 and under are free.

For more information, visit the club website at www.mizzoutigerclubstl.com.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Some Missouri environmental groups say the state's major utilities are not following renewable energy requirements.

The Columbia Missourian reports that eight environmental advocacy organizations filed complaints with the Missouri Public Service Commission in late January against Ameren Missouri, Empire District Electric Co. and Kansas City Power & Light.

A 2008 law approved by Missouri voters required investor-owned utilities to generate at least 2 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2011. That requirement increases to 10 percent in 2018 and 15 percent by 2021. Utilities that didn't meet the standard could buy power from other sources to help cover the gap.

The utilities say they are following the law

VAN BUREN, Mo. (AP) -- Republican Party leaders from southeast Missouri are gathering at a popular river resort to nominate a replacement for former U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson.

An 86-person committee was scheduled to meet Saturday in rural Van Buren to pick one of 10 potential candidates to run in the 8th District. Whoever gets the nod will immediately become the front-runner in a June 4 special in the Republican-leaning district. Democrats will pick their candidate next weekend.

The Missouri congressional seat is one of three vacant in the nation, but it's the only one where party leaders - not voters - are picking the candidates.

Emerson resigned Jan. 22 to lead a national association for rural electric cooperatives. Missouri's 8th District had been represented by either Emerson or her late husband since 1981.