Missouri Senate passes farm exemptions to open records laws

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The state Senate has approved exempting some types of farm data from Missouri’s open-records laws. Senators voted 25-6 Tuesday on a bill requiring state agencies to keep confidential the information collected for voluntary agricultural programs, including registration data for animal disease tracking programs. Anyone who improperly releases that information could…

Missouri House votes to make it easier for women to access birth control

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s Republican-controlled House has voted to increase women’s access to birth control by allowing pharmacists to prescribe oral contraceptives. Tuesday’s 97-50 vote in the House sends the measure to the Senate. Under Republican Rep. Sheila Solon’s bill, those under 18 would have to show pharmacists a doctor’s previous prescription. The…