Politically Speaking

On the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Senate Majority Leader Cindy O'Laughlin of Shelbina about the state of the Missouri Senate. Rosenbaum also discussed what to expect in the second half of the Missouri General Assembly's session with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg. And in the final segment of the show, St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier talks about her bill to make it easier to open homeless shelters in the city.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum explores the pros and cons of Missouri's legislative term limits. He talked with state Rep. Peggy McGaugh, who wants to allow someone to spend up to 16 years in the Missouri House or the Missouri Senate. And he also discussed term limits throughout the country with University of California-San Diego political science professor Thad Kousser. Rosenbaum also checked in with GOP Rep. Eric Burlison about the lay of the land in Washington, D.C.

State Rep. Ian Mackey is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked about his concerns around the upcoming legislative session and the 2024 elections. Mackey represents Missouri’s 99th House District, which takes in St. Louis County cities like Clayton, Ladue and Olivette. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2018, and won reelection in 2020 and 2022.

State Rep. Mark Matthiesen, R-O'Fallon, talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his journey back to the Missouri House, compensating people who have become sickened due to nuclear waste exposure, and how to tackle rising personal property tax bills effectively.

The leader of Missouri’s agency responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect says its St. Louis office is making progress in eliminating a massive case backlog. Last year, St. Louis Public Radio reported on the troubles in the Children’s Division office in St. Louis, which serves the city and St. Louis County. A combination of high turnover and inability to hire people created a backlog of 6,124 cases of abuse or neglect allegations that remained open after 45 days. And the staff’s 16 investigators had an average caseload of 150 — when federal guidelines say it should be closer to 10 to 12. In a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday, Children’s Division Director Darrell Missey said that increased hiring should play a major role in eliminating overdue cases over the next few months. Missey said the agency is close to reaching its goal of having 60 investigators to look into abuse and neglect claims in St. Louis and St. Louis County.