WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals illegally in the United States over the weekend. ICE also arrested a U.S. citizen who threatened to kill ICE law enforcement while harboring an illegal alien from Iran. The weekend arrests reflect the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.” 

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782397107.png" alt="Ribvar Karimi -photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Ribvar Karimi -photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals illegally in the United States over the weekend. ICE also arrested a U.S. citizen who threatened to kill ICE law enforcement while harboring an illegal alien from Iran. The weekend arrests reflect the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.</p><p>“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.” </p><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, ICE Atlanta arrested&nbsp;Ribvar Karimi&nbsp;in Locust, Alabama. Karimi reportedly served as an&nbsp;Iranian Army sniper&nbsp;from 2018 to 2021 and at the time of his arrest, in his possession, he had an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card. He entered the U.S. on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/visas-for-fiancees-of-us-citizens" target="_blank">K-1 visa</a>, which is reserved for aliens engaged to be married to American citizens, in October 2024 under the Biden administration. Karimi never adjusted his status — a legal requirement — and is removable from the United States. He’s currently in ICE custody, where he’ll remain pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, ICE Houston officials arrested&nbsp;Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, an alien with a final order of removal, who was&nbsp;carrying a loaded 9mm pistol&nbsp;at the time of his arrest. Sepehrian entered the U.S. in Houston on Dec. 9, 2016, on an&nbsp;<a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html" target="_blank">F-1 student visa</a>. On Aug. 19, 2017, Harris County police&nbsp;arrested him for assaulting a family member by impeding breathing; his wife told the local assistant district attorney that Sepehrian was threatening her and obtained a restraining order against him. She also alleged he was threatening her family in Iran. On July 23, 2018, the University of Texas terminated Sepehrian’s status after he was placed on academic suspension. An immigration judge ordered him removed on Oct. 10, 2019, after he was released on an immigration bond; he filed a motion to reopen his case, which a Department of Justice immigration judge denied. Sepehrian is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782459722.png" alt="Nejad-photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Nejad-photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>Also in Houston, ICE arrested&nbsp;Hamid Reza Bayat, an Iranian national an immigration judge&nbsp;ordered removed nearly 20 years ago, on Aug. 4, 2005. Twice&nbsp;convicted of drug crimes&nbsp;and once convicted of driving on a suspended license, Bayat served time before receiving his final order of removal. He’s now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782512971.png" alt="Bayat photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Bayat photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in Tempe — a Phoenix, Arizona suburb — ICE agents arrested&nbsp;Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, an Iranian citizen with a final order of removal&nbsp;convicted of threatening a law enforcement officer&nbsp;and being an alien in&nbsp;possession of a firearm. Eidivand entered the U.S. in San Ysidro, California, in June 2012. In August 2013, an immigration judge granted him a voluntary departure, which allows an alien to leave the country without a formal ICE removal, but he never left. Eidivand will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782589954.png" alt="Eidivand photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Eidivand photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>At the same residence, officials arrested&nbsp;Linet Vartaniann, a United States citizen, for threatening a law enforcement officer and harboring Eidivand, an illegal alien. Vartaniann&nbsp;threatened to open fire on ICE officials&nbsp;if they entered her home, then said she would go outside and “shoot ICE officers in the head.” ICE officials obtained a search warrant for the residence and arrested the pair, who are now charged with federal crimes.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782653736.png" alt="Vartaniann-photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Vartaniann-photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, ICE officers and agents arrested&nbsp;Yousef Mehridehno, an Iranian national and former lawful permanent resident. The U.S. government terminated Mehridehno’s residency in October 2017 after determining he&nbsp;lied on his original visa application and committed potential marriage fraud.&nbsp;In February, Mehridehno was listed as a&nbsp;known or suspected terrorist, and he’s now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782701962.png" alt="Mehridehno-photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Mehridehno-photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in Colorado Springs, ICE officials arrested&nbsp;Mahmoud Shafiei&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mehrdad Mehdipour&nbsp;— two illegally present Iranian nationals living together. Immigration officials first encountered Shafiei in Seattle, Washington, in January 1981; a judge ordered him removed in January 1987. His criminal history includes&nbsp;state and federal convictions for drug crimes and arrests for assault and child abuse. U.S. Border Patrol encountered Mehdipour in June 2023 during the Biden administration near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and processed him as an expedited removal. Both men are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782773266.png" alt="Shafiei photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Shafiei photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782817364.png" alt="Mehdipour photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Mehdipour photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in St. Paul, Minnesota, ICE arrested&nbsp;Mehran Makari Saheli, a 56-year-old Iranian national. He was&nbsp;convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm&nbsp;in Minneapolis, where he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He is a former member of off the&nbsp;Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with admitted connections to Hezbollah.&nbsp;An immigration judge ordered him removed June 28, 2022, under the Biden administration, but he illegally remained in the U.S. Saheli is now in ICE custody pending removal.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782876316.png" alt="Saheli photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Saheli photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, ICE San Francisco arrested&nbsp;Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani, a 62-year-old Iranian national, with a&nbsp;criminal history&nbsp;that includes a 1994&nbsp;conviction for petty theft&nbsp;and a 1995&nbsp;conviction of possession of a controlled substance for sale. Asfestani was&nbsp;sentenced to 10 years in state prison for the drug conviction&nbsp;and is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782924349.png" alt="Asfestani photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Asfestani photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 23, ICE Buffalo arrested&nbsp;Mohammad Rafikian, a 65-year-old Iranian national&nbsp;convicted of grand larceny,&nbsp;schemes to defraud, criminal impersonation and practicing as an attorney.  </li><li>On the same date, ICE San Diego arrested&nbsp;Arkavan Babk Moirokorli, a 57-year-old Iranian national&nbsp;convicted of forging an official seal. Both are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul>

ICE arrests Iranian nationals in US amid fears of secret terror cells

President Donald Trump responded to a U.S. intelligence report suggests that&nbsp;Iran’s nuclear program was set back only a few months after weekend U.S. strikes.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750848409452.png" alt="President Trump at the NATO summit on Wednesday-Image courtesy White House" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump at the NATO summit on Wednesday-Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>President Donald Trump responded to a U.S. intelligence report suggests that&nbsp;Iran’s nuclear program was set back only a few months after weekend U.S. strikes.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;This was an unbelievable hit by genius pilots and genius people in the military, and they&#39;re not being given credit for it because we have scum... CNN is scum. MSDNC is scum. The New York Times is scum.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/IrRhwgqQaK">pic.twitter.com/IrRhwgqQaK</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937800789356896343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> sets the record straight for the Fake News: &quot;These leakers are professional stabbers... There&#39;s no way Iran comes to the table if somehow nothing had happened. This was a complete and total obliteration... They are way behind today compared to where they were just 7… <a href="https://t.co/V3wrIjic8F">pic.twitter.com/V3wrIjic8F</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937800084621558011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We hear it was obliteration... I believe they didn&#39;t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a>: &quot;They landed precisely where they were supposed to. It was a flawless mission... it was devastation underneath Fordow.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/29AT9hj8w7">pic.twitter.com/29AT9hj8w7</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937798413472399483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump pushes back on assessment critical of Iran attack success

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                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750787876972.png" alt="Sherman" />
                        <figcaption>Sherman</figcaption>
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Bobby Sherman, '60s teen idol, dies at 81

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen policy changes from Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” after successfully arguing before the chamber’s parliamentarian that the elements didn’t comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.

Removed is language&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-tries-ease-pain-states-sharing-costs-snap-benefits" target="_blank">that would have transferred some of the cost</a>&nbsp;of running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to state governments, potentially leaving states on the hook for billions in added spending on the food aid program for lower-income people.

Democrats also fended off a proposal to eliminate funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which fields complaints on banking and other financial institutions, and another that sought to bar federal district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.&nbsp;

Among the contested items that remained, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley announced in a social media post that his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/radiation-exposure-fund-backed-missouris-hawley-included-us-senate-mega-bill" target="_blank">years-long effort to reauthorize</a>&nbsp;the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, or RECA, passed what’s known on Capitol Hill as the “Byrd bath” test.

“Terrific news for Missouri, radiation survivors, and MAHA: RECA has passed the ‘Byrd bath’ – Democrats did not strip it – and will be in the final bill,” Hawley wrote, referring to the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again slogan. “Huge step forward #MAHA.”

Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., has cheered many of the parliamentarian’s rulings, though Republican committee chairs say they’ll look for ways to rewrite the various proposals.

“Today, we were advised by the Senate Parliamentarian that several more provisions in this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill will be subject to the Byrd Rule — and Democrats plan to challenge every part of this bill that hurts working families and violates this process,” Merkley wrote in a statement released Saturday night. “Republicans’ relentless attack on middle class families in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires is a slap in the face to working families everywhere, and Democrats are fighting back.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The changes could create several issues for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and eventually for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who need nearly every GOP lawmaker in Congress to vote for the sweeping tax and spending cuts package in order for it to become law.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">voted 215-214 to approve</a>&nbsp;its version of the bill in May, but since the Senate is making substantial changes, the House will have to vote on the measure again before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. GOP leaders hope to complete all that before the Fourth of July.

Republicans are using reconciliation, instead of moving the bill through the regular legislative process, to avoid needing Democratic votes to get past the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.

But the lower threshold for passing a reconciliation bill comes with several requirements, including that all of the proposals in the package have an impact on spending or revenues that’s not “merely incidental.”

The Senate parliamentarian, the chamber’s official scorekeeper who holds a detailed understanding of the rules and procedures, examines each of those policies and hears from both Republicans and Democrats before issuing the rulings.

The Byrd bath began last week behind closed doors and will continue for at least several more days. Once it concludes, Senate GOP leaders can move the bill to the floor, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/both-parties-prep-mega-bill-marathon-us-senate-vote-rama" target="_blank">members of both parties can call for votes on as many amendments as they want</a>.

Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., released a written statement defending&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/chairman-boozman-releases-agriculture-nutrition-and-forestry-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">his committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;after the parliamentarian ruled several provisions must go to comply with the rules.

“To rein in federal spending and protect taxpayer dollars the committee is pursuing meaningful reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve efficiency, accountability and integrity,” Boozman wrote. “We are continuing to examine options that comply with Senate rules to achieve savings through budget reconciliation to ensure SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

The parliamentarian ruled the committee erred in including language that would have shifted some of the cost of the SNAP program to state governments if they didn’t meet an efficiency benchmark before 2028.

A proposal to eliminate SNAP eligibility for “immigrants who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents, with certain exceptions,” was also determined not to comply with the rules, according to a press release from Merkley.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ranking member on the committee, wrote the parliamentarian’s ruling “made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states that would have inevitably led to major cuts.

“While Republicans’ proposed cuts to SNAP will still be devastating to families, farmers, and independent grocers across the country, we will keep fighting to protect families in need. Instead of a rushed partisan process, Republicans should work with us to lower costs for Americans and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that works for all farmers and rural America.”

Consumer financial agency victory for Dems

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/scott-releases-banking-committee-provisions-for-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">proposal to eliminate funding</a>&nbsp;for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48295/R48295.8.pdf" target="_blank">established</a>&nbsp;in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, also doesn’t comply with the rules, under the parliamentarian’s ruling.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, ranking member on the panel, wrote in a statement that the GOP’s proposal for the CFPB represented “a reckless, dangerous attack on consumers and would lead to more Americans being tricked and trapped by giant financial institutions and put the stability of our entire financial system at risk–all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires.”

But committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., wrote in a separate statement that he remains “committed to advancing legislation that cuts waste and duplication in our federal government and saves taxpayer dollars.”

Scott listed provisions that he said will remain.

“As it stands now, the Banking Committee’s reconciliation provisions will delay the implementation of Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank, which reduces CFPB spending and protects the privacy and data of small business owners; rescind unused funds earmarked for green initiatives to give HUD discretion in funding critical housing programs; and save taxpayer dollars by eliminating an unnecessary reserve fund at the SEC,” Scott wrote. “My colleagues and I remain committed to cutting wasteful spending at the CFPB and will continue working with the Senate parliamentarian on the Committee’s provisions.”

The parliamentarian told lawmakers that various elements of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-releases-senate-judiciary-committee-text-of-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">the Judiciary Committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;don’t comply with the rules, including an attempt to block federal district court judges from issuing nationwide preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders.

The issue has become a thorn in Trump’s side during the past few months as he’s watched the courts block several of his executive orders and other unilateral administration actions.

The Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation bill cannot block the Department of Justice from awarding Byrne JAG and COPS grants to “sanctuary cities.” The bill also can’t send funding to local and state governments for the purpose of “apprehending aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States.”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, did not respond to a request for comment, but a committee spokesperson wrote in an email to States Newsroom that “Democrats are clinging to their radical open borders legacy by fighting to keep criminal migrants in the United States.

“Republicans are committed to enforcing the rule of law, and will continue using all available avenues to secure our borders, clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous policies and ensure courts operate according to lawful and constitutional standards.”

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, ranking member on the committee, issued a statement calling the bill’s policies “an attempted power grab by our Republican colleagues that we would not stand for.”

“Here’s what Senate Republicans attempted to sneak into their so-called Big, Beautiful Bill: a provision intended to limit the ability of individuals and organizations to challenge lawless Trump Administration executive actions by putting those potential plaintiffs on the hook for millions of dollars; and a provision conditioning grant eligibility on a state or locality’s compliance with federal immigration policies,” Durbin wrote.

The parliamentarian didn’t, however, remove all of the proposals contested by Democrats.

Language that would prevent local and state governments from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade if those jurisdictions want to receive money from a $500 million fund does meet the reconciliation requirements and can remain in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/6/chairman-cruz-releases-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s bill</a>.

But that doesn’t mean the provision will stay in the bill moving forward, since several GOP lawmakers have expressed concern about potentially tying the hands of local and state governments when it comes to AI.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1929946902566494653" target="_blank">wrote in a social media post</a>&nbsp;after she voted for the House’s bill that she had no idea about the AI provision. That chamber’s package barred state and local AI regulation for a decade without tying it to any funding stream.

“We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous,” Greene wrote. “This needs to be stripped out in the Senate.

“When the OBBB comes back to the House for approval after Senate changes, I will not vote for it with this in it.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750772403338.png" alt=" At a farm market in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 14, 2012, SNAP recipients were able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards for food. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA)." />
                        <figcaption> At a farm market in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 14, 2012, SNAP recipients were able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards for food. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;</p><p>WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen policy changes from Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” after successfully arguing before the chamber’s parliamentarian that the elements didn’t comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.</p><p>Removed is language&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-tries-ease-pain-states-sharing-costs-snap-benefits" target="_blank">that would have transferred some of the cost</a>&nbsp;of running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to state governments, potentially leaving states on the hook for billions in added spending on the food aid program for lower-income people.</p><p>Democrats also fended off a proposal to eliminate funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which fields complaints on banking and other financial institutions, and another that sought to bar federal district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.&nbsp;</p><p>Among the contested items that remained, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley announced in a social media post that his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/radiation-exposure-fund-backed-missouris-hawley-included-us-senate-mega-bill" target="_blank">years-long effort to reauthorize</a>&nbsp;the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, or RECA, passed what’s known on Capitol Hill as the “Byrd bath” test.</p><p>“Terrific news for Missouri, radiation survivors, and MAHA: RECA has passed the ‘Byrd bath’ – Democrats did not strip it – and will be in the final bill,” Hawley wrote, referring to the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again slogan. “Huge step forward #MAHA.”</p><h2>Democrats to continue challenges</h2><p>Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., has cheered many of the parliamentarian’s rulings, though Republican committee chairs say they’ll look for ways to rewrite the various proposals.</p><p>“Today, we were advised by the Senate Parliamentarian that several more provisions in this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill will be subject to the Byrd Rule — and Democrats plan to challenge every part of this bill that hurts working families and violates this process,” Merkley wrote in a statement released Saturday night. “Republicans’ relentless attack on middle class families in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires is a slap in the face to working families everywhere, and Democrats are fighting back.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The changes could create several issues for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and eventually for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who need nearly every GOP lawmaker in Congress to vote for the sweeping tax and spending cuts package in order for it to become law.</p><p>The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">voted 215-214 to approve</a>&nbsp;its version of the bill in May, but since the Senate is making substantial changes, the House will have to vote on the measure again before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. GOP leaders hope to complete all that before the Fourth of July.</p><p>Republicans are using reconciliation, instead of moving the bill through the regular legislative process, to avoid needing Democratic votes to get past the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.</p><p>But the lower threshold for passing a reconciliation bill comes with several requirements, including that all of the proposals in the package have an impact on spending or revenues that’s not “merely incidental.”</p><p>The Senate parliamentarian, the chamber’s official scorekeeper who holds a detailed understanding of the rules and procedures, examines each of those policies and hears from both Republicans and Democrats before issuing the rulings.</p><p>The Byrd bath began last week behind closed doors and will continue for at least several more days. Once it concludes, Senate GOP leaders can move the bill to the floor, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/both-parties-prep-mega-bill-marathon-us-senate-vote-rama" target="_blank">members of both parties can call for votes on as many amendments as they want</a>.</p><h2>SNAP program</h2><p>Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., released a written statement defending&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/chairman-boozman-releases-agriculture-nutrition-and-forestry-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">his committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;after the parliamentarian ruled several provisions must go to comply with the rules.</p><p>“To rein in federal spending and protect taxpayer dollars the committee is pursuing meaningful reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve efficiency, accountability and integrity,” Boozman wrote. “We are continuing to examine options that comply with Senate rules to achieve savings through budget reconciliation to ensure SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”</p><p>The parliamentarian ruled the committee erred in including language that would have shifted some of the cost of the SNAP program to state governments if they didn’t meet an efficiency benchmark before 2028.</p><p>A proposal to eliminate SNAP eligibility for “immigrants who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents, with certain exceptions,” was also determined not to comply with the rules, according to a press release from Merkley.</p><p>Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ranking member on the committee, wrote the parliamentarian’s ruling “made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states that would have inevitably led to major cuts.</p><p>“While Republicans’ proposed cuts to SNAP will still be devastating to families, farmers, and independent grocers across the country, we will keep fighting to protect families in need. Instead of a rushed partisan process, Republicans should work with us to lower costs for Americans and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that works for all farmers and rural America.”</p><h2>Consumer financial agency victory for Dems</h2><p>The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/scott-releases-banking-committee-provisions-for-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">proposal to eliminate funding</a>&nbsp;for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48295/R48295.8.pdf" target="_blank">established</a>&nbsp;in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, also doesn’t comply with the rules, under the parliamentarian’s ruling.</p><p>Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, ranking member on the panel, wrote in a statement that the GOP’s proposal for the CFPB represented “a reckless, dangerous attack on consumers and would lead to more Americans being tricked and trapped by giant financial institutions and put the stability of our entire financial system at risk–all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires.”</p><p>But committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., wrote in a separate statement that he remains “committed to advancing legislation that cuts waste and duplication in our federal government and saves taxpayer dollars.”</p><p>Scott listed provisions that he said will remain.</p><p>“As it stands now, the Banking Committee’s reconciliation provisions will delay the implementation of Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank, which reduces CFPB spending and protects the privacy and data of small business owners; rescind unused funds earmarked for green initiatives to give HUD discretion in funding critical housing programs; and save taxpayer dollars by eliminating an unnecessary reserve fund at the SEC,” Scott wrote. “My colleagues and I remain committed to cutting wasteful spending at the CFPB and will continue working with the Senate parliamentarian on the Committee’s provisions.”</p><h2>Judges and injunctions</h2><p>The parliamentarian told lawmakers that various elements of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-releases-senate-judiciary-committee-text-of-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">the Judiciary Committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;don’t comply with the rules, including an attempt to block federal district court judges from issuing nationwide preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders.</p><p>The issue has become a thorn in Trump’s side during the past few months as he’s watched the courts block several of his executive orders and other unilateral administration actions.</p><p>The Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation bill cannot block the Department of Justice from awarding Byrne JAG and COPS grants to “sanctuary cities.” The bill also can’t send funding to local and state governments for the purpose of “apprehending aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States.”</p><p>Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, did not respond to a request for comment, but a committee spokesperson wrote in an email to States Newsroom that “Democrats are clinging to their radical open borders legacy by fighting to keep criminal migrants in the United States.</p><p>“Republicans are committed to enforcing the rule of law, and will continue using all available avenues to secure our borders, clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous policies and ensure courts operate according to lawful and constitutional standards.”</p><p>Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, ranking member on the committee, issued a statement calling the bill’s policies “an attempted power grab by our Republican colleagues that we would not stand for.”</p><p>“Here’s what Senate Republicans attempted to sneak into their so-called Big, Beautiful Bill: a provision intended to limit the ability of individuals and organizations to challenge lawless Trump Administration executive actions by putting those potential plaintiffs on the hook for millions of dollars; and a provision conditioning grant eligibility on a state or locality’s compliance with federal immigration policies,” Durbin wrote.</p><h2>Artificial intelligence and states</h2><p>The parliamentarian didn’t, however, remove all of the proposals contested by Democrats.</p><p>Language that would prevent local and state governments from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade if those jurisdictions want to receive money from a $500 million fund does meet the reconciliation requirements and can remain in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/6/chairman-cruz-releases-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s bill</a>.</p><p>But that doesn’t mean the provision will stay in the bill moving forward, since several GOP lawmakers have expressed concern about potentially tying the hands of local and state governments when it comes to AI.</p><p>Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1929946902566494653" target="_blank">wrote in a social media post</a>&nbsp;after she voted for the House’s bill that she had no idea about the AI provision. That chamber’s package barred state and local AI regulation for a decade without tying it to any funding stream.</p><p>“We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous,” Greene wrote. “This needs to be stripped out in the Senate.</p><p>“When the OBBB comes back to the House for approval after Senate changes, I will not vote for it with this in it.”</p>

US Senate mega-bill drops requirement states help pay for SNAP program

OMAHA— A Nebraska State Trooper was injured just after 8:30p.m. Monday when the trooper’s patrol unit was struck by a large truck, according to a media release from the Nebraska State Patrol.

&nbsp;Troopers were performing traffic control on Interstate 80 near 50th&nbsp;Street as the Omaha Police Department was handling a single-vehicle crash in the area. The initial crash was blocking the shoulder and one lane of traffic. Troopers were assisting first responders by blocking the lane of traffic.

While the trooper’s unit was parked, with emergency lights activated, a box truck struck the cruiser. The trooper was inside the cruiser at the time and was injured. Additional troopers and Omaha police officers were on scene immediately and helped the trooper exit the vehicle safely.

 The trooper was transported to Bergan Mercy Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Nebraska State Patrol has asked the Omaha Police Department to investigate the crash.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750763197257.jpeg" alt="Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Injured Monday in Omaha when cruiser was struck by box truck on I-80-photo Nebraska State Patrol" />
                        <figcaption>Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Injured Monday in Omaha when cruiser was struck by box truck on I-80-photo Nebraska State Patrol</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>OMAHA— A Nebraska State Trooper was injured just after 8:30p.m. Monday when the trooper’s patrol unit was struck by a large truck, according to a media release from the Nebraska State Patrol.</p><p>&nbsp;Troopers were performing traffic control on Interstate 80 near 50th&nbsp;Street as the Omaha Police Department was handling a single-vehicle crash in the area. The initial crash was blocking the shoulder and one lane of traffic. Troopers were assisting first responders by blocking the lane of traffic.</p><p>While the trooper’s unit was parked, with emergency lights activated, a box truck struck the cruiser. The trooper was inside the cruiser at the time and was injured. Additional troopers and Omaha police officers were on scene immediately and helped the trooper exit the vehicle safely.</p><p> The trooper was transported to Bergan Mercy Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Nebraska State Patrol has asked the Omaha Police Department to investigate the crash.</p>

State Trooper hospitalized after patrol car struck by large truck

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services&nbsp;(CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz today met with industry leaders to discuss their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahip.org/news/press-releases/health-plans-take-action-to-simplify-prior-authorization" target="_blank">pledge,</a>&nbsp;to streamline and improve the prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace® and commercial plans covering nearly eight out of 10 Americans, according to a media release from the agency.

(Click below to watch the full press conference.)

(Click below to watch Kan. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's statement)

In a roundtable discussion hosted by HHS, health insurers pledged six key reforms aimed at cutting red tape, accelerating care decisions, and enhancing transparency for patients and providers. Their commitments reinforce the role of CMS in monitoring outcomes and promoting accountability. Companies represented at the roundtable included Aetna, Inc., AHIP, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Centene Corporation, The Cigna Group, Elevance Health, GuideWell, Highmark Health, Humana, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare.

“Thank you to the insurance companies for making these commitments today. Americans shouldn’t have to negotiate with their insurer to get the care they need,”&nbsp;said Secretary Kennedy.&nbsp;“Pitting patients and their doctors against massive companies was not good for anyone. We are actively working with industry to make it easier to get prior authorization for common services such as diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, and outpatient surgery.”

“These commitments represent a step in the right direction toward restoring trust, easing burdens on providers, and helping patients receive timely, evidence-based care,”&nbsp;said Administrator Oz.&nbsp;“We applaud these voluntary actions by the private sector, which is how these types of issues should be solved. CMS will be evaluating progress and driving accountability toward our shared goals, as we continue to champion solutions that put patients first.”

Participating health insurers have pledged to:

Praise from members of Congress regarding today’s developments:

“It was an honor to attend this discussion with Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz,”&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) said.&nbsp;“This is an important topic that has continued to be an issue for far too long. I applaud the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for bringing us all to the table to find solutions for our patients and providers.”

“Thank you to President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Administrator Oz for working to improve the prior authorization process for American patients,”&nbsp;Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and co-chair of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, said.&nbsp;“As a physician for over 30 years, I witnessed the ridiculous and ever-increasing obstructions caused by insurance companies to delay or deny care to patients. These bureaucratic hurdles end up hurting patients and those who care for them. Practices have had to hire many more staff just simply to fight with insurance companies. I have made reform a top priority of mine since coming to Congress. I am grateful for the collaborative effort by stakeholders to make commitments to streamline approvals and look forward to them delivering on this pledge.”

These private sector reforms complement ongoing regulatory efforts by CMS to improve prior authorization interoperability within Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace®.

CMS encourages continued innovation and collaboration but reserves the right to pursue additional regulatory actions if necessary.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750759207379.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall spoke at the press conference" />
                        <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall spoke at the press conference</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services&nbsp;(CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz today met with industry leaders to discuss their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahip.org/news/press-releases/health-plans-take-action-to-simplify-prior-authorization" target="_blank">pledge,</a>&nbsp;to streamline and improve the prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace® and commercial plans covering nearly eight out of 10 Americans, according to a media release from the agency.</p><p>(Click below to watch the full press conference.)</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xNgRQoegEPs?si=mF0kiTW6krdJ0w3v&amp;start=769" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>(Click below to watch Kan. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's statement)</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xNgRQoegEPs?si=WYiAgkHir103cICv&amp;start=1670" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>In a roundtable discussion hosted by HHS, health insurers pledged six key reforms aimed at cutting red tape, accelerating care decisions, and enhancing transparency for patients and providers. Their commitments reinforce the role of CMS in monitoring outcomes and promoting accountability. Companies represented at the roundtable included Aetna, Inc., AHIP, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Centene Corporation, The Cigna Group, Elevance Health, GuideWell, Highmark Health, Humana, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare.</p><p>“Thank you to the insurance companies for making these commitments today. Americans shouldn’t have to negotiate with their insurer to get the care they need,”&nbsp;said Secretary Kennedy.&nbsp;“Pitting patients and their doctors against massive companies was not good for anyone. We are actively working with industry to make it easier to get prior authorization for common services such as diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, and outpatient surgery.”</p><p>“These commitments represent a step in the right direction toward restoring trust, easing burdens on providers, and helping patients receive timely, evidence-based care,”&nbsp;said Administrator Oz.&nbsp;“We applaud these voluntary actions by the private sector, which is how these types of issues should be solved. CMS will be evaluating progress and driving accountability toward our shared goals, as we continue to champion solutions that put patients first.”</p><p>Participating health insurers have pledged to:</p><ul>
                        <li>Standardize electronic prior authorization submissions using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®)-based application programming interfaces.</li><li>Reduce the volume of medical services subject to prior authorization by January 1, 2026.</li><li>Honor existing authorizations during insurance transitions to ensure continuity of care.</li><li>Enhance transparency and communication around authorization decisions and appeals.</li><li>Expand real-time responses to minimize delays in care with real-time approvals for most requests by 2027.</li><li>Ensure medical professionals review all clinical denials.</li>
                    </ul><p>Praise from members of Congress regarding today’s developments:</p><p>“It was an honor to attend this discussion with Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz,”&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) said.&nbsp;“This is an important topic that has continued to be an issue for far too long. I applaud the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for bringing us all to the table to find solutions for our patients and providers.”</p><p>“Thank you to President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Administrator Oz for working to improve the prior authorization process for American patients,”&nbsp;Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and co-chair of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, said.&nbsp;“As a physician for over 30 years, I witnessed the ridiculous and ever-increasing obstructions caused by insurance companies to delay or deny care to patients. These bureaucratic hurdles end up hurting patients and those who care for them. Practices have had to hire many more staff just simply to fight with insurance companies. I have made reform a top priority of mine since coming to Congress. I am grateful for the collaborative effort by stakeholders to make commitments to streamline approvals and look forward to them delivering on this pledge.”</p><p>These private sector reforms complement ongoing regulatory efforts by CMS to improve prior authorization interoperability within Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace®.</p><p>CMS encourages continued innovation and collaboration but reserves the right to pursue additional regulatory actions if necessary.</p>

RFK Jr.: Health insurers promise to improve prior authorization process

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of Flora on a reported shooting , according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. 

Officers observed a vehicle facing the wrong direction, parked on the curb. Inside the vehicle officers located a male victim, later identified as 17-year-old Camren A. English suffering from a gunshot wound. 

Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported the English to a local hospital where he died a short time later. Police initially indicated the incident was a death investigation. On Monday police reclassified the case to a homicide investigation, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Detectives are working to determine what led to shots being fired and the victim being struck.

<p>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.</p><p>Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of Flora on a reported shooting , according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. </p><p>Officers observed a vehicle facing the wrong direction, parked on the curb. Inside the vehicle officers located a male victim, later identified as 17-year-old Camren A. English suffering from a gunshot wound. </p><p>Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported the English to a local hospital where he died a short time later. Police initially indicated the incident was a death investigation. On Monday police reclassified the case to a homicide investigation, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.</p><p>Detectives are working to determine what led to shots being fired and the victim being struck.</p>

KCPD: Teen's death reclassified to homicide investigation

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on Israel and Iran: &quot;We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xrztmebALZ">pic.twitter.com/xrztmebALZ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1937468807536169315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">⭕️&quot;In light of the severe violation of the ceasefire carried out by the Iranian regime, we will respond with force.&quot;<br><br>-The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir in a situational assessment now</p>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1937427038090006827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Sirens sounding in northern Israel due to missile fire from Iran 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/woGhqD7VCK">pic.twitter.com/woGhqD7VCK</a></p>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1937414143637639295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

=🎥Trump uses the 'f bomb' to describe Israel and Iran

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a>&nbsp;<br><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — Two years after a motion-filled and filibuster-riddled 2023 session, Nebraska lawmakers in 2025 settled into a new rhythm as stall tactics again dominated legislative debate.

Throughout the 89-day session that concluded June 2, Nebraska lawmakers filed 347 motions, according to legislative records. It’s the second-highest tally for any session except 2023, when a record 1,160 motions were filed throughout the 88-day session. Similar to that year, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/nebraska-lawmakers-adjourn-but-break-will-be-short-lived-as-special-session-looms-this-summer/">again filed the most motions</a>.

In 2023, Cavanaugh filed 437 motions (38% of the total filed). In 2025, she filed 80 (23%).

The extent of filibustering also has changed — the procedural effort to extend debate to time limits as set by the speaker of the Legislature. At those limits, 33 votes are required to enact “cloture” to advance legislation, instead of the usual 25.

Since 2023, it has been more routine for legislative opponents to file all three kinds of filibuster motions ahead of debate — to&nbsp;<b>recommit</b>&nbsp;to committee, to&nbsp;<b>bracket</b>&nbsp;(or delay debate) to a set date or&nbsp;<b>indefinitely postpone&nbsp;</b>(or kill a bill).

Motions to&nbsp;<b>reconsider</b>&nbsp;those motions and various amendments also are common. Introducers have more frequently filed these “kill” motions to their own bills because they get the chance to introduce the motions and speak ahead of opponents trying to stop their proposals from advancing.

A total of 24 measures reached cloture votes in 2025, the second most in a “long” session behind only 2023, which had 58 separate votes held for cloture motions. This year, four bills fell to filibusters, compared to one in 2023.

In 2025, 47 of Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers had a bill reach the governor’s desk, whether on its own or after being folded into various legislative packages, including the budget. The two exceptions: State Sens. Rob Clements of Elmwood and Loren Lippincott of Central City.&nbsp;

Clements, chair of the Appropriations Committee, played an instrumental role in ushering several budget bills to passage, which ultimately faced no line-item vetoes from Gov. Jim Pillen&nbsp;over a gubernatorial attempt to trim $14.5 million in general fund spending, most of that to the Nebraska Supreme Court. Lippincott also serves on the Appropriations Committee.

The state will end with a final positive budget balance of $4.15 million for the next two fiscal years. Lawmakers started with a projected budget deficit of $432 million in January.

Speaker John Arch of La Vista has already warned senators to pay attention to changing fiscal dynamics, including in Congress, ahead of the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 7.

2025 statistics — from 89 days in session

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750762609472.png" alt=" Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch of La Vista addresses state senators on the final day of the 2025 legislative session. June 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption> Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch of La Vista addresses state senators on the final day of the 2025 legislative session. June 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a>&nbsp;<br><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a></p><p>LINCOLN — Two years after a motion-filled and filibuster-riddled 2023 session, Nebraska lawmakers in 2025 settled into a new rhythm as stall tactics again dominated legislative debate.</p><p>Throughout the 89-day session that concluded June 2, Nebraska lawmakers filed 347 motions, according to legislative records. It’s the second-highest tally for any session except 2023, when a record 1,160 motions were filed throughout the 88-day session. Similar to that year, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/nebraska-lawmakers-adjourn-but-break-will-be-short-lived-as-special-session-looms-this-summer/">again filed the most motions</a>.</p><p>In 2023, Cavanaugh filed 437 motions (38% of the total filed). In 2025, she filed 80 (23%).</p><p>The extent of filibustering also has changed — the procedural effort to extend debate to time limits as set by the speaker of the Legislature. At those limits, 33 votes are required to enact “cloture” to advance legislation, instead of the usual 25.</p><p>Since 2023, it has been more routine for legislative opponents to file all three kinds of filibuster motions ahead of debate — to&nbsp;<b>recommit</b>&nbsp;to committee, to&nbsp;<b>bracket</b>&nbsp;(or delay debate) to a set date or&nbsp;<b>indefinitely postpone&nbsp;</b>(or kill a bill).</p><p>Motions to&nbsp;<b>reconsider</b>&nbsp;those motions and various amendments also are common. Introducers have more frequently filed these “kill” motions to their own bills because they get the chance to introduce the motions and speak ahead of opponents trying to stop their proposals from advancing.</p><p>A total of 24 measures reached cloture votes in 2025, the second most in a “long” session behind only 2023, which had 58 separate votes held for cloture motions. This year, four bills fell to filibusters, compared to one in 2023.</p><p>In 2025, 47 of Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers had a bill reach the governor’s desk, whether on its own or after being folded into various legislative packages, including the budget. The two exceptions: State Sens. Rob Clements of Elmwood and Loren Lippincott of Central City.&nbsp;</p><p>Clements, chair of the Appropriations Committee, played an instrumental role in ushering several budget bills to passage, which ultimately faced no line-item vetoes from Gov. Jim Pillen&nbsp;over a gubernatorial attempt to trim $14.5 million in general fund spending, most of that to the Nebraska Supreme Court. Lippincott also serves on the Appropriations Committee.</p><p>The state will end with a final positive budget balance of $4.15 million for the next two fiscal years. Lawmakers started with a projected budget deficit of $432 million in January.</p><p>Speaker John Arch of La Vista has already warned senators to pay attention to changing fiscal dynamics, including in Congress, ahead of the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 7.</p><h2>2025 statistics — from 89 days in session</h2><ul>
                        <li>715 bills introduced, an average 15 per senator. An additional 18 constitutional amendments and six policy-based resolutions introduced.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>347 motions filed, about one-fourth (23%) from State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha (80). State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha followed with 29 motions.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>Top bill targeted:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59124" target="_blank">LB 316</a>, from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, seeking to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/30/proposal-to-ban-most-thc-consumable-hemp-products-in-nebraska-delayed-until-at-least-2026/">ban most consumable hemp and other tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products</a>&nbsp;(22 motions). The runner-up was&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59447&amp;docnum=LB258&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 258</a>, from State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, seeking to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/21/nebraska-minimum-wage-would-see-fixed-annual-increases-under-new-compromise-amendment/">weaken voter-approved minimum wage provisions</a>&nbsp;(17 motions).</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>Top senator targeted: State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha (55 motions).&nbsp;The runner-up was State Sen. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse (33 motions).</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>24 bills were forced to maximum debate limits, or cloture. Four efforts to end debate failed: moving the state’s allocation of presidential electors to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/08/winner-take-all-bill-stalls-in-nebraska-legislature-a-blow-to-governor/">winner-take-all</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58830&amp;docnum=LB3&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 3</a>), reducing the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=38878" target="_blank">inheritance tax</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58985&amp;docnum=LB468&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 468</a>), adding&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/19/sales-tax-tobacco-tax-push-doom-nebraskas-one-big-beautiful-bill-for-property-tax-relief/">property tax relief</a>&nbsp;by expanding sales taxes (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59157&amp;docnum=LB170&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 170</a>) and providing clearer regulatory guardrails to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/20/absolute-failure-medical-cannabis-regulatory-bill-stalls-in-nebraska-legislature/">medical cannabis</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58979&amp;docnum=LB677&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 677</a>). Two more bills were pulled before they reached maximum debate, because they likely lacked the 33 votes needed to stop a filibuster — one to legalize online sports betting (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58877&amp;docnum=LR20CA&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LR 20CA</a>) and the other to ban most consumable hemp or THC products (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59124&amp;docnum=LB316&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 316</a>).</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>204 bills passed — 177 laws and 27 accompanying appropriations bills. Two bills were vetoed.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>One constitutional amendment passed —&nbsp;to ask voters in 2026 whether to extend lawmaker term limits to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/28/nebraskans-to-decide-in-2026-whether-to-allow-three-four-year-terms-in-legislature/">three four-year terms</a>. They can currently serve up to two full terms (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59458&amp;docnum=LR19CA&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LR 19CA</a>).</li>
                    </ul>

By the numbers: Nebraska’s 2025 legislative session

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750552826391.png" alt="File photo President Trump returning to the White House Saturday-image White House" />
                        <figcaption>File photo President Trump returning to the White House Saturday-image White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🚨 <a href="https://t.co/lzIfANo7sd">pic.twitter.com/lzIfANo7sd</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937271127958573387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!&quot; –President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/c5u6uneVBY">pic.twitter.com/c5u6uneVBY</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1937242445026050171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE...&quot; –President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/hLTBT34KnG">pic.twitter.com/hLTBT34KnG</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1937275983603597473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Peace through STRENGTH! <a href="https://t.co/ykFdscPAW6">https://t.co/ykFdscPAW6</a></p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1937277441778565233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/FvLK6djP9w">https://t.co/FvLK6djP9w</a> <a href="https://t.co/36Q8EJiqqq">pic.twitter.com/36Q8EJiqqq</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1937280247340388696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

President Trump says Israel, Iran agree to 'complete and total ceasefire'

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/sLix9I0PWO">pic.twitter.com/sLix9I0PWO</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937237851571134524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/AYbDjEBZWC">pic.twitter.com/AYbDjEBZWC</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937240686325006762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/y2PfbJGgZY">pic.twitter.com/y2PfbJGgZY</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937238331009695862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Read President Trump's statement after Iran's strike on U.S. air base

Sara Smith, the new Children’s Division director, has moved away from her predecessor’s focus on shrinking the foster care system. The Independent sat down with her for an interview about her tenure so far and plans for the future

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a>

In the nearly two decades Sara Smith spent working at Missouri’s Department of Social Services, she remembers nine different people running the agency in charge of investigating child abuse and neglect.&nbsp;

In March, Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-social-services-agency-appoints-new-child-welfare-director/">took the helm</a>&nbsp;herself.&nbsp;

She hopes to provide more stability in leading the agency which has seen growing scrutiny over the last several years from nearly every direction — including lawmakers, judges, advocates and the media.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Children’s Division is Missouri’s child welfare agency and is responsible for overseeing foster care, working on frontline child abuse and neglect investigations and managing calls to the child abuse and neglect hotline.

There are&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/" target="_blank">over 11,000 Missouri children in foster care,</a>&nbsp;as of May, which is down from a peak of over 14,000 in 2021. The state continues to take kids into care at a rate higher than the national average,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/12/missouri-foster-care-parents-legal-representation/">and is slower to reunite families</a>&nbsp;than the national average.&nbsp;

Children’s Division is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/kids-stay-in-foster-care-beyond-federal-standard-in-most-missouri-counties/">acting under a performance improvement plan&nbsp;</a>with the federal government over issues ranging from failure to provide timely permanent placements for kids to caseworkers failing to provide sufficient engagement with parents.&nbsp;

Lawmakers over the years have also raised concern about&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/30/federal-watchdog-finds-missouri-failed-to-adequately-report-protect-missing-foster-kids/">missing foster kids</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/05/06/furious-lawmakers-demand-answers-from-missouri-dss-for-undercount-of-abuse-reports/">unlicensed boarding schools</a>&nbsp;and severe&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/05/missouri-caseworkers-drowning-as-childrens-division-plagued-by-staff-shortages/">understaffing.</a>

In a brief sit-down with The Independent last week, Smith said she wants to bring Children’s Division back to the basics, which she defines as ensuring safety for children. She highlighted her long experience in the agency, beginning as a frontline child abuse and neglect investigator.

She took over from Darrell Missey, who was outspoken about what he felt was a needed course correction for the agency that was taking too many kids into foster care and keeping them there too long. Missey spent his career as a judge before leading Children’s Division, and his vision reflected a national trend toward family preservation efforts.

Smith, on the other hand, said she doesn’t see reducing the number of kids in foster care as an especially valuable metric. She highlighted several policies during the 30-minute interview, including:&nbsp;

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What do you think you bring to the role having spent decades in the agency?&nbsp;

Carrying a caseload as a frontline investigator really helped me understand. I remember the manila folders where I had files for each family, and I would carry those around and try to make sure — have I seen all the kids on this one? Have I seen all the kids on this one? And kind of triaging.

You could be down in Laclede County in Lebanon, and then get a report in Moniteau County and be in California, Missouri. That’s an hour and a half, two hours.

And so just knowing all of those factors, then you have to learn your partners, and every one of those circuits I needed to know law enforcement and courts and juvenile offices and city and county police officers, schools — and so just the importance of having those relationships is one of the things that I learned that I think adds value to getting to see the full picture.

Have the first three months on the job been what you expected?

I think it is more [than I expected], very honestly.

Having stepped away from Children’s Division for a couple of years and worked at Family Support Division, and then having an opportunity to work with some of our residential services, there are just different pieces. We have more team members than we did two years ago. We have different-sized caseloads than we had a couple years ago. Families, I think, coming out of COVID, have more unique sets of circumstances in some areas, with the service array available.&nbsp;

And so just being able to understand all that, to know how to help team members, has just been a little bit more challenging than I expected. It is definitely worth all of the time and effort though, that everybody’s putting into it.

Do you think that Children’s Division deserves the scrutiny and reputation that it’s gotten over the last few years?&nbsp;

I think there’s a lot to Children’s Division. Being in it for so long, it’s complicated, and it’s a space that — we respect families’ privacy, and we can only share certain things, and there’s a lot that we can’t share about the work that happens. And that’s really hard sometimes, because you want to be able to share all the complicating factors that are happening and the ins and outs of different pieces. But we can only talk about how the process should work in a best case scenario.&nbsp;

And I don’t think we should necessarily talk about case specifics, because that is a family’s right to privacy. A child’s right to his or her information being kept close to the vest for Children’s Division, but then having the opportunity to be transparent with our stakeholders about what’s happening, what the pain points are and using those systemic things and trends to be able to work with them to create some change.&nbsp;

Because I do think that lack of stability in the Children’s Division director role does play a part in the practice that people see and the partnerships. I think I’ve had nine [directors] since I started Children’s Division. And I’ve heard this from Children’s Division team members: ‘We’re just going to wait it out. There’ll be somebody else coming in with a different philosophical view.’ Or stakeholders that aren’t sure that you’re going to stay so they don’t take the time to really get to know you or what practice should look like.

Because we’re not adding anything new or different. It’s just following the policy and tools that we have already been provided by the legislators, and really helping support our team. And so I do think that in regard to the scrutiny, some of it is just building that trust factor. And that’s a really big part of our executive team, and I know the department as a whole, is being able to build trust with stakeholders.

You mentioned philosophical differences. What do you see as the main differences between you and former director Darrell Missey?&nbsp;

The director’s role is really hard as I mentioned. Being in this spot, everybody comes in with their plan about how to fix the broken system, or how to help support kids and families better.&nbsp;

And I don’t think that anybody would ever enter into this space and take on this role if they didn’t feel like they could make a difference. And so, for me, I think making sure that we are training really the basics, the back to basics.

We have a workforce that really wants to know at the end of the day what their job is from day to day, and not as much of the philosophical, the ‘why’ behind certain practices. They’re not in it for the social work degree, in most cases — they are here trying to keep kids safe on a day-to-day basis.

And they want to know the practical tools and what they need to enter into the system, when they should notify the court, when they should reach out to law enforcement.&nbsp;

So just having that expertise, coming from Children’s Division, I think that gives me just a little bit different lens, because I’ve worked in every single program area. And so being able to connect those pieces and know what the hand-off looks like, I think that gives me a little bit different flavor than some previous directors.&nbsp;

The last time that I checked, we had around 52 vacancies statewide, which is really amazing, actually, for Children’s Division. We’re still at around 26% turnover statewide. And of that, 41% of that is our front line workers.

We really hear training is the biggest issue. And so that is one of our main priorities, is revamping the training to make it more practical. We are interested in shortening up the length of time, as well, that team members are in the initial training now. There’ll be some trainings that — once they get in and get comfortable and know their role, some specialized trainings that we’ll be able to provide.

Do you see training as potentially helping remedy some of the federal issues outlined in the Performance Improvement Plan, such as family engagement?

If you’re not meeting with families, how are you moving the needle towards permanence here, or identifying safety threats? I don’t think we can hang our hat there and not do any other work around things, but I do think solid training is going to set us up for a lot better success.

I’ve heard you say in other interviews that reducing the number of kids in care is not a particularly valuable metric of progress. How should progress be measured?

To me, creating a culture that kids are safe whether they’re in the home, or if there’s a temporary alternative placement agreement in place, that they’re safe in that placement. Or if we have some intensive in-home services or if we may recommend to the juvenile office for removal and place them with a family member or another placement — that we’re really looking at safety no matter what placement the youth is in.&nbsp;

And so, I think that a good metric for us would be: If we’ve had a touch with a family, are we thoroughly assessing safety and having them in the least-restrictive setting possible, depending on what the allegations are, and then are we having another touch with that family later on?&nbsp;

Is the way I characterized your thoughts on lowering the number of foster kids accurate?

I think it’s an important metric, but I do think you’re accurate. I think that, it’s really looking at how many calls do we have to the hotline that year? Of those, how many were alerted to the field? Are we seeing kids? So what’s our response time to making sure that we’ve assessed the safety of kids? How fast or thoroughly are we giving families closure? So when are those reports closed? Are we meeting our monthly visits with families…how quickly are they going to permanency?&nbsp;

And then how many kids do we have in care as a metric, but it’s more so, is it that they’re staying in care longer, or are we getting permanency in a timely manner? Kind of that whole scorecard of our organizational health as an agency. So I wouldn’t drive that on just one metric unless I knew that my number of critical incidents and retouches with our system had gone down as well.

Do you think that Missouri relies too heavily on foster care? That the portion of kids in care is higher here than in other states and people say neglect is often confused with poverty — do you think that’s an issue?

I think we’re lucky in Missouri to have what I would call kind of a bifurcated system. It’s something that a lot of other states don’t have. Children’s Division cannot remove a child. We would recommend removal to the juvenile office. So the juvenile office that’s receiving that referral, they’re making sure that it’s legally sufficient and that we should be recommending removal.&nbsp;

And we have those [referrals] denied from Children’s Division where, Children’s Division might think that there’s a safety threat, the child can’t remain in the home. And the juvenile office might look at it and help us understand why that’s not a legally sufficient avenue.&nbsp;

They’ve been really great partners to us in that space, but having that other look to make sure that you know whatever the concerns are, do meet legal standards, I think helps make me feel better, especially with our turnover rate, that the kids that are in care are actually there for a reason that is legally supported.

So you see the juvenile office as an important check on Children’s Division’s power?

Yeah, and not a lot of other states have that. I mean, they would still go through a hearing in a lot of other states within certain timeframes depending on that state.&nbsp;

But for Children’s Division to have that check on the front end, I think, is something that’s really valuable to us. And so we pull those numbers to look at different circuits. What does removal look like in our partnership with the juvenile office, and I think that’s really important.

You mentioned the temporary alternative placement agreements. In previous years, there’s been some concern — lawmakers have called them uncounted foster kids. Do you have any plans to make data surrounding TAPAs more transparent?

Definitely, that is something that we’ve been messaging, especially with our juvenile office partners, to make sure that they know that our circuit managers can provide them a listing of TAPAs. I mean, they should be notified, but we were hearing from some pockets that they weren’t receiving those notifications. And so we want to make sure that they know that they can continually get a list.&nbsp;

We’re also working on how we could make a public-facing dashboard with that. That’s something that Director Bax, I think, is really big on — the transparency piece.&nbsp;

So figuring out how we can get not just that data, but any of our data that we get a lot of requests for, or that there’s interest in, that we’re making sure to just try to make that as available as possible to, media partners, local counties — sometimes people are interested and they want to know what’s happening in their circuit — and so just trying to make that available.

Why do you think those temporary placements are a tool that the state should rely on more?

Depending on what the concern is, it might be a safety threat that we would be able to mitigate within 30, 60, days, and be able to have supports wrapped around the family and, for the child to go home without entering Children’s Division custody.&nbsp;

And so if that can safely be done, we should definitely be utilizing the TAPA.&nbsp;

It just gives a little bit more formality to what in the old days, it was called a diversion. And I remember diverting a youth from a placement and doing my investigation or assessment, and then there was no policy or procedure at that time, back in 2006, to close the case. And it’s like, okay, well, everything’s safe now, and you just closed it and so, but then that leaves everybody wondering, when can the child go back home? So this process of having a TAPA just really gives, I think, more support to the family.

What about the federal Family First Prevention Services Act funding? Why do you think Missouri has lagged in spending it and what timeline is there now?

I think that probably the stability in leadership plays a part in that, right?&nbsp;

When you have multiple directors, just that transition, getting a spend plan, or getting that money out the door — I think that’s played a part of it. And just the ability for everyone to understand, since it was a little bit newer, how to do it, I think played a part.

Is it true that a certain amount of money expires in October?

That’s correct. I think it was $10 million in transition funding that we got 2018, 2019, somewhere in there that will expire if it’s not expended by October.&nbsp;

And so that is something that we’re trying to see what we’re able to get out the door by October in a meaningful way to help kids and families. That’s something that we’re definitely looking at, and was on our first quarter plans to look at that and see what we can do.

I hate leaving money on the table. And so if we’re able to utilize that money here in Missouri, let’s do it and let’s get it out the door.

Are you hopeful about utilizing it in time?

I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to get it out the door. Coming in, in the eleventh hour, it kind of doesn’t set me up for the best success as a team for that, but I think we’re going to do our best. This exec team has a lot of support, and we’re going to try to do our best around that.&nbsp;

Regarding the problem with children staying in offices and hotels and residential treatment out of state, what kind of steps are you taking to alleviate those issues? And do you have a sense of how many kids are in those situations?

We definitely don’t have any kids in offices.&nbsp;

We are utilizing hotels. Any time there’s a kiddo in a hotel, we are asking those to be sent up so we can try and help and support to make sure that that doesn’t happen proactively.&nbsp;

That’s a priority. Is getting kids that are placed out of state and residential back into Missouri, and we’re excited about that, working with a lot of partners around what we need.&nbsp;

So this is an issue around higher-acuity youth that people, legislators and stakeholders have been talking about for years.

And so I think we’ve admired the problem enough. I think we know what the problem is. And so how do we jump into some solutions to find them appropriate placement and supports here in Missouri, and to wrap services around them.

It was just Friday that I think at least three of us on the exec team were on a call for numerous hours with partners to try and strategize on how to help. The hospitals have been great partners to us, and so, trying to problem-solve and strategize on getting a youth some supports — and in some areas, there’s just not a lot of supports that are offered. And so how do we help make sure we can do that when there’s nothing in the area for that youth in that family.&nbsp;

It’s something that takes more than just Children’s Division leaning in to help — hospitals, Department of Mental Health, Department of Health and Senior Services. Children’s Division doesn’t offer services. We work with others to get family services, and so we rely a lot on that provider network. Just working with our residential providers and acute and sub acuity settings to try to make sure that they feel that their programming is equipped enough to handle higher acuity youth, is something that almost everybody has come to the table wanting to help.&nbsp;

And so we’re just really excited to see what action steps those individuals take to help Children’s Division and our contracted providers find spaces for these youth.

It’s no secret that DSS has had trouble with its technology being old. I’ve encountered issues getting accurate data through Sunshine Requests, and I know others have had data issues, too. What do you think the roots of those problems are, and how do you plan to address them?

The department has made some efforts on bringing individuals on board that have a lot of IT knowledge. And so we’re excited that they’re in place and can help us in that space.&nbsp;

And so we’re excited to have some IT team members on staff to be able to help us with this, because once we figure out the system and how that’s going to work, then the quality of data will help us be able to help kids and families better, and to be able to intelligently talk about the problems in a better way than we are able to today, to, media and partners.

I like the idea of sharing the data that we have now, whatever is available when we can that protects families’ privacy, because it’s at least a starting place. And that’s what we’re working with today. And so what we have today is what we’re going to use today, and then hope that it’s better as we go along.&nbsp;

Overall, I’m really excited to see over the next few months, and I would say, especially in a year — where Children’s Division is at in a year with our policy and practice and new training.

I think we’re going to be in a vastly different space than for people feeling comfortable in their work, and that’s what I’m most excited about, because when people feel comfortable and stakeholders trust us, then it’s only going to equal good things for kids and families.

New Missouri child welfare leader looks for a clean break from the past

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — The next hurdle for Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate and the “big, beautiful bill”: Democrats — and possibly a few of their own members — in a marathon voting session will make last-ditch attempts to change the tax and spending cut measure.

The vote-a-rama, as it’s known, is expected to begin sometime during the last full week of June as Congress heads toward the Fourth of July recess. It will likely begin in the afternoon and&nbsp; last overnight into the next morning. Senators will debate and vote on dozens of amendments attempting to revise the massive legislation that could have an effect on nearly every American.

Democrats, who have 47 votes in the Senate compared to 53 for Republicans, plan to zero in on Medicaid, taxes, corruption, policies that could raise energy costs and proposals that would increase the deficit, according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and the committee chairs tasked with drafting pieces of the package have spent weeks combing through the House-passed bill to figure out what needs to be altered to avoid divisive floor votes.&nbsp;

They’ve rewritten numerous policy proposals to comply with the strict rules that go along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/five-questions-and-answers-about-reconciliation-us-senate" target="_blank">the complex reconciliation process</a>&nbsp;and are now trying to work out disagreements among GOP senators that could doom or complicate a final deal.

The goal is to avoid a protracted debate over core GOP provisions in full public view once the vote-a-rama begins, though some senators are already predicting votes on GOP amendments.

Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-senators-warn-mega-bills-new-medicaid-cuts-will-hurt-rural-hospitals" target="_blank">who has raised concerns about the bill’s impact on rural hospitals</a>, said he hopes GOP leaders reach a consensus before vote-a-rama but didn’t rule out offering his own amendments if they don’t settle their disputes.

“Amending it on the floor, that’s a potentially messy process,” Hawley said. “I would hope that we could get to a good place before that. But we have to fix the rural hospital issue.”

Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he will likely propose amendments during floor debate, though he declined to say what specific policies he’d seek to change or eliminate from the package.

“Yeah, we’ll have some,” Tuberville said. “And we’ve got them all, we just haven’t turned them in yet.”

Thune said he and other negotiators are making “headway” toward consensus on the more significant provisions in the package, which in many respects is far from its final form.

“The meetings right now are on the major provisions in tax and health. We have sort of pre-litigated a lot of that,” Thune said. “But there are a lot of the other provisions in the bill, chapters in the bill that are still subject to going through the Byrd bath, and we’re in the process of doing that. But hopefully that’ll be done by early next week.”

Republicans are using the reconciliation process to pass their sweeping tax and spending cuts package through the Senate with just a simple majority vote, requiring them to comply with the Byrd rules.

That includes the Byrd bath — going before the Senate parliamentarian to explain how each provision has an impact on federal revenue or spending that is not “merely incidental.” Democrats then usually debate before the parliamentarian the various changes that don’t meet that threshold. The process is named after the late Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat.

Once the parliamentarian rules what elements comply and which need to be removed, the bill can go to the floor and senators can trudge through vote-a-rama. Eventually, all 100 lawmakers will vote to approve or disapprove of the legislation.

GOP senators passing their version of the package would send it back to the House, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">passed its version</a>&nbsp;on a slim 215-214 vote earlier this year — and could make yet more changes in the Senate bill.

Democrats are hoping to highlight policy divisions among Republicans during the vote-a-rama. And even if they don’t succeed in getting any of their amendments adopted, several votes could serve as fodder for campaign ads during next year’s midterm elections.

Schumer said Wednesday during a press conference it would be “difficult” for Democrats to peel off at least four GOP senators from the rest of the party in order to get an amendment adopted, but said he’s hopeful Republicans will “vote with us on some things they’ve all said they’ve agreed with.”

Democratic senators, he said, have created a task force to reach out to Republicans on major issues in the package, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/medicaid-cuts-rippling-through-rural-america-could-bring-hospital-closures-job-losses" target="_blank">how it would impact rural hospitals</a>.

“Many of these hospital administrators and employees are Republican,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said. “In many of the rural hospitals, they are the largest employer in the county, and in most they’re the only supplier of health care. It infuriates the rural counties, and they tend to be Republican.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747785438346.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — The next hurdle for Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate and the “big, beautiful bill”: Democrats — and possibly a few of their own members — in a marathon voting session will make last-ditch attempts to change the tax and spending cut measure.</p><p>The vote-a-rama, as it’s known, is expected to begin sometime during the last full week of June as Congress heads toward the Fourth of July recess. It will likely begin in the afternoon and&nbsp; last overnight into the next morning. Senators will debate and vote on dozens of amendments attempting to revise the massive legislation that could have an effect on nearly every American.</p><p>Democrats, who have 47 votes in the Senate compared to 53 for Republicans, plan to zero in on Medicaid, taxes, corruption, policies that could raise energy costs and proposals that would increase the deficit, according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.</p><p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and the committee chairs tasked with drafting pieces of the package have spent weeks combing through the House-passed bill to figure out what needs to be altered to avoid divisive floor votes.&nbsp;</p><p>They’ve rewritten numerous policy proposals to comply with the strict rules that go along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/five-questions-and-answers-about-reconciliation-us-senate" target="_blank">the complex reconciliation process</a>&nbsp;and are now trying to work out disagreements among GOP senators that could doom or complicate a final deal.</p><p>The goal is to avoid a protracted debate over core GOP provisions in full public view once the vote-a-rama begins, though some senators are already predicting votes on GOP amendments.</p><h2>‘A potentially messy process’</h2><p>Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-senators-warn-mega-bills-new-medicaid-cuts-will-hurt-rural-hospitals" target="_blank">who has raised concerns about the bill’s impact on rural hospitals</a>, said he hopes GOP leaders reach a consensus before vote-a-rama but didn’t rule out offering his own amendments if they don’t settle their disputes.</p><p>“Amending it on the floor, that’s a potentially messy process,” Hawley said. “I would hope that we could get to a good place before that. But we have to fix the rural hospital issue.”</p><p>Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he will likely propose amendments during floor debate, though he declined to say what specific policies he’d seek to change or eliminate from the package.</p><p>“Yeah, we’ll have some,” Tuberville said. “And we’ve got them all, we just haven’t turned them in yet.”</p><p>Thune said he and other negotiators are making “headway” toward consensus on the more significant provisions in the package, which in many respects is far from its final form.</p><p>“The meetings right now are on the major provisions in tax and health. We have sort of pre-litigated a lot of that,” Thune said. “But there are a lot of the other provisions in the bill, chapters in the bill that are still subject to going through the Byrd bath, and we’re in the process of doing that. But hopefully that’ll be done by early next week.”</p><p>Republicans are using the reconciliation process to pass their sweeping tax and spending cuts package through the Senate with just a simple majority vote, requiring them to comply with the Byrd rules.</p><p>That includes the Byrd bath — going before the Senate parliamentarian to explain how each provision has an impact on federal revenue or spending that is not “merely incidental.” Democrats then usually debate before the parliamentarian the various changes that don’t meet that threshold. The process is named after the late Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat.</p><p>Once the parliamentarian rules what elements comply and which need to be removed, the bill can go to the floor and senators can trudge through vote-a-rama. Eventually, all 100 lawmakers will vote to approve or disapprove of the legislation.</p><p>GOP senators passing their version of the package would send it back to the House, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">passed its version</a>&nbsp;on a slim 215-214 vote earlier this year — and could make yet more changes in the Senate bill.</p><h2>Democrats develop strategy</h2><p>Democrats are hoping to highlight policy divisions among Republicans during the vote-a-rama. And even if they don’t succeed in getting any of their amendments adopted, several votes could serve as fodder for campaign ads during next year’s midterm elections.</p><p>Schumer said Wednesday during a press conference it would be “difficult” for Democrats to peel off at least four GOP senators from the rest of the party in order to get an amendment adopted, but said he’s hopeful Republicans will “vote with us on some things they’ve all said they’ve agreed with.”</p><p>Democratic senators, he said, have created a task force to reach out to Republicans on major issues in the package, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/medicaid-cuts-rippling-through-rural-america-could-bring-hospital-closures-job-losses" target="_blank">how it would impact rural hospitals</a>.</p><p>“Many of these hospital administrators and employees are Republican,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said. “In many of the rural hospitals, they are the largest employer in the county, and in most they’re the only supplier of health care. It infuriates the rural counties, and they tend to be Republican.”</p><h2>‘It’s just a show, it’s a charade’</h2><p>West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said she’s not concerned about having to vote on dozens of amendments.&nbsp;</p><p>“We’re here to vote,” Capito said. “As a creature of the House, we voted all the time on everything, so this doesn’t bother me. And, you know, just let the body work its will. If some changes are made, those will have to be dealt with. But I’m not worried about that.”</p><p>Arkansas Republican Sen. John Boozman said he expects the vote-a-rama will be “a very late night” and that he’s not planning to offer any of his own amendments.</p><p>As chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, Boozman expects to spend a considerable amount of time during vote-a-rama arguing against amendments seeking to change those provisions — including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-tries-ease-pain-states-sharing-costs-snap-benefits" target="_blank">controversial cuts</a>&nbsp;in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid for lower-income families.</p><p>Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said he plans to spend much of the vote-a-rama “going back and forth from my hideaway,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/clip/qa/senate-hideaways/5109792" target="_blank">the ceremonial office</a>&nbsp;that every senator holds in the Capitol building.</p><p>But Johnson cast doubt on actually being able to amend the package during that process, saying changes to the various bills that Senate committees have released need to be agreed to before then.</p><p>“You’ve got to get this before it ever goes to the floor. I mean, you’re not going to change things substantially or significantly with amendments. I know people have some idealized version that happens. It doesn’t,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to get these things in the base bill. Amendments; it’s just a show, it’s a charade.”</p><h2>Vote-a-rama after vote-a-rama</h2><p>The Senate has held two vote-a-ramas so far this year, and both demonstrated how difficult it is to change a piece of legislation.</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/why-did-us-senate-pull-all-nighter-budget-look-inside-vote-rama" target="_blank">first all-nighter</a>&nbsp;in February went along with Senate debate on its budget resolution and included votes on 25 amendments, with lawmakers adopting just two — one from Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and one from Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee.</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-wins-approval-sprawling-budget-blueprint-shipping-it-house" target="_blank">second vote-a-rama</a>&nbsp;took place in April just before the Senate voted to approve the budget resolution that ultimately cleared the way for Congress to use the budget reconciliation process to advance the “big, beautiful bill.” Senators debated 28 amendments, voting to adopt one change from Sullivan.</p><p>Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, ranking member on the Finance Committee, said he and staff on the panel will continue to parse through details of the panel’s bill, which Republicans just released Monday.</p><p>Wyden said he plans to hold several town hall meetings in GOP areas of his state over the weekend to gauge how residents there view the policy revisions Republican senators have put forward.</p><p>“We’ve had this bill for basically 36 hours. The first time I had it, I stayed up all night, so last night I got a little sleep,” Wyden said on Wednesday. “But on the plane, I’ll be working through it. And I expect to be working through it all through the next few days, except when I’m having these town hall meetings where I’ll have a number of questions.”</p>