WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, issued the following statement on Dec. 2, 2024: * * * Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (Mo.) released the following statement after President Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon after previously stating "I will not pardon him," for crimes over a ten-year period committed by his son Hunter Biden who was charged and convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and tax evasion: "The same President Biden who unequivocally   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 -- Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, issued the following news release: St. Louis, MO (December 3, 2024) Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) announced Pattonville High School Senior Matthew Wasser as this year's winner of Missouri's first district's 2024 Congressional App Challenge. "I'm truly impressed by the thoughtfulness, innovation, and creativity that students across Missouri's First Congressional District have exemplified throughout this competition," said Congresswoman   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division issued the following news release on Dec. 2, 2024: * * * Sod farm operator, landscaping retailer made improper deductions, misapplied exemption * * * TULSA, OK - The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment and injunction to recover $72,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 20 workers whose Oklahoma employer misapplied the agriculture exemption to retail workers and did not pay overtime to employ  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: LENEXA, KAN. (DEC. 3, 2024) - On Dec. 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement with BCP Ingredients Inc. to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act at its Verona, Missouri, facility. According to EPA, the company had a release of ethylene oxide (EtO), a toxic and flammable substance, and failed to comply with reg  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following news release: Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) called on the Biden-Harris administration's Department of Education to withdraw its proposed rule to "cancel" borrowers' student loans based on "hardships." In a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Foxx outlines the illegality of this latest debt transfer sche  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 3, 2024: House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), T&I Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE), and EPW Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today announced a final agreement on the Thomas R. Carper Water Resour  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 3, 2024: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) today asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General to conduct an investigation of incidents in which Federal Emergency Managemen  more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: An indictment was unsealed yesterday in Nashville, Tennessee, charging nine members of a multi-state money laundering organization responsible for laundering millions of dollars derived from internet fraud, including business email compromise schemes. The nine defendants were arrested in a takedown coordinated across three jurisdictions. According to court documents, Samson A. Omoniyi, 43 of Houston; Misha  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, Dec. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Collaboration links large genetic database, photosynthesis expertise At the ORNL-led CBI, scientists have studied poplar for years as a fast-growing, nonfood perennial crop for feedstock production. They assembled the first genome-wide association study, or GWAS, of Populus trichocarpa by sampling from 1,500 trees in the wild and analyzing their physical characterist  more

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Dec. 4 (TNSres) -- The Missouri Department of Conservation issued the following news: By Jill Pritchard Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that hunters harvested 11,424 deer during the state's chronic wasting disease (CWD) portion of the firearms deer-hunting season, Nov. 27 - Dec. 1, in CWD Management Zone counties. Of the 11,424 deer harvested, 3,917 were antlered bucks, 1,052 were button bucks, and 6,455 were does. MDC initia  more

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Dec. 4 (TNSres) -- The Missouri Department of Conservation issued the following news: Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows young hunters ages 6-15 harvested 2,530 deer during Missouri's late youth portion of the 2024 firearms deer hunting season, Nov. 29 - Dec. 1. Of the 2,530 deer harvested, 1,046 were antlered bucks, 270 were button bucks, and 1,214 were does. Top counties for the late youth portion were Pike with 58 deer harvest  more

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Dec. 4 -- Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued the following news release on Dec. 3, 2024: Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey led a 23-state coalition in putting the Biden Administration's Department of Education on notice about their fourth illegal attempt to saddle working Americans with someone else's debt. "We are 10-0 with the lawless Biden Administration in our fight to block their illegal redistribution of wealth. Missouri has successfully defend  more

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Dec. 3 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri issued the following news release: A Columbia, Mo., man who distributed thousands of fentanyl pills pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing fentanyl and several firearms. Keaveon Zaniyah T. Harris, 25, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps, Jr., to one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon i  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, Dec. 3 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service - Missouri Field Office issued the following news release: The October Prices Received Index 2011 Base (Agricultural Production), at 112.8, decreased 6.5 percent from September and 1.1 percent from October 2023. At 90.0, the Crop Production Index was down 9.0 percent from last month and 14 percent from the previous year. The Livestock Production Index, at 155.0, increased 6.0 percent from  more

FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, Dec. 3 -- Defense Health Agency issued the following news: By TRICARE Communications Jan. 1, 2025, marks the start of health care delivery under TRICARE's new regional contracts. There will be changes to the TRICARE regions in the U.S. as part of the new contracts. While there will still be two TRICARE regions, six states currently in the East Region (Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin) will move to the West Region. There are also some zip codes i  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, issued the following news release on Dec. 3, 2024: This week, U.S. Representative Jason Smith (Mo.), along with members of the Missouri congressional delegation, called on the Biden administration to move quickly to approve Missouri Governor Mike Parson's request for a major disaster declaration following the severe weather that destroyed homes, businesses, and infrastructure and caused multiple deaths in southeast and south-central Missouri l  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, issued the following news release on Dec. 2, 2024: Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) led members of the Missouri Congressional delegation--including Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (Mo.), Rep. Mark Alford (Mo.), and Rep. Jason Smith (Mo.)--in urging President Joe Biden to approve Missouri Governor Mike Parson's request for a major disaster declaration following severe storms and flooding in Missouri last month. The   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 -- The Senate Judiciary Committee released the following testimony by Doug Kantor, general counsel of the National Association of Convenience Stores, from a Nov. 19, 2024, hearing entitled "Breaking the Visa-Mastercard Duopoly: Bringing Competition and Lower Fees to the Credit Card System": * * * Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to testify on the swipe fees that are imposed by the credit card industry on merchants and the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023, a  more