####Anti-drone legislation passed in House####
The Missouri House of Representatives passed a measure Tuesday that would ban surveillance in manned or unmanned aircraft conducted without a warrant.
House Bill 46, sponsored by Rep. Casey Guernsey, R-Bethany, also would require journalists, private organizations or state agencies in the state to seek permission from property owners before conducting surveillance.
The bill passed with an 87-66 vote in the Republican-controlled House.
HB46 originally only targeted the use of drones and other unmanned aircraft, but it was amended on the House floor to include manned aircraft used for law enforcement surveillance in the state.
The bill could also impact MU’s School of Journalism drone journalism program, a collaboration between the university, KBIA, Columbia’s NPR affiliate and the MU Department of Information Technology.
“We have been operating under similar restrictions since the program began and we do not believe this bill will shut us down or prevent us from pursuing more stories,” Scott Pham, Missouri Drone Journalism Program director, said in a statement on the program’s website.”We are, however, deeply concerned with the bill and its implications for journalism as a whole.”
####House committee approves GOP Medicaid plan####
In the continuing debate on whether to expand Missouri’s Medicaid system, the House Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday approved a Republican-backed plan to expand coverage to additional Missourians.
Under the federal Affordable Care Act, states are able to expand their Medicaid coverage and receive federal funding for all new enrollees for the first three years of the expansion. The ACA mandates that states wishing to receive federal dollars must set eligibility at 138 percent of the poverty level, which equates to about $15,800 for a single person or $32,500 for a family of four.
The plan approved by the committee, sponsored by Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, would set eligibility at the poverty level, which is $11,490 for a single person or $23,550 for a family of four.
The bill still needs to be debated on the House floor, passed by both the House and the Senate and signed by Gov. Jay Nixon before becoming law.