JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Legislature has sent the governor a proposal to let residents with delinquent taxes pay them back without facing penalties or interest.

The House voted 150-4 Thursday to approve the measure projected to bring in about $60 million in additional revenue for fiscal year 2016.

To receive the amnesty, delinquent taxpayers would need to pay between September 1st and November 30th and comply with state tax laws for eight years.

Revenues from the tax amnesty period are earmarked for dental care for adults on Medicaid.

That provision was inserted by Republican Sen. Rob Schaaf as part of an agreement not to filibuster the bill. Schaaf believes the amnesty period is unfair but supports the dental program.

Democratic Representative Jeremy LaFaver says Schaaf hijacked the legislative process.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A bill to create tax incentives for Missouri data storage centers has been signed into law by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon.

Nixon on Thursday signed the measure, which will create sales tax exemptions on equipment and utilities for new and expanding data storage centers.

The governor vetoed similar legislation last year. He cited concerns that the exemptions were too broad and didn’t guarantee a return on the state’s investment.

But the proposal this year included a requirement that companies eligible for the incentives meet requirements for job creation and capital investments. They’re subject to random audits to ensure compliance.

Nixon says the bill could spur job growth and attract high-tech companies to Missouri.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A measure opponents say increases the risks to motorcyclists and would burden society with the costs of injuries from non-helmet-wearing riders is moving forward in the Missouri Legislature.

The Missouri House on Wednesday gave first-round approval to a measure that would allow people 21 and older to ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

Representative Eric Burlison, of Springfield, says it’s a matter of personal freedom and that the government should not interfere with the choice to wear a helmet.

He says adults should be allowed to make their own decisions.

A similar measure has passed the House in previous years but has not succeeded in the Senate, where it will move after another affirmative vote in the House.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters say a measure raising the standard for workers to prove discrimination based on age, race, gender and other protected classes would prevent frivolous lawsuits while still compensating workers who have been harmed.

The Missouri House voted 95-60 Thursday to raise the standard for showing discrimination in employment cases from the current “contributing factor” to a “motivating factor” in decisions.

Republican Rep. Kevin Austin, a lawyer from Springfield, says that would bring Missouri in line with the federal standard.

Opponents say the measure would make it easier for companies to get away with discriminatory practices and puts women, older workers and minorities at risk.

The measure would also limit when workers who report potential wrongdoing at their company could sue for retaliation.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri has lifted restrictions on the movement of poultry near facilities in two counties where bird flu was confirmed last month.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced in a news release Thursday that the decision was made after testing showed no further spread of the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian influenza. The restrictions were put in place after the disease was detected in Jasper County in the southwest part of the state and Moniteau County in mid-Missouri.

Agricultural officials urged owners to continue keeping their birds away from wild fowl and to report unusual deaths.

The virus is deadly in poultry but poses no immediate public health concern. It’s carried by wild waterfowl that aren’t sickened by it. The incubation period is about 21 days.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Gay rights advocates in Springfield are considering their next steps after the repeal of an anti-discrimination ordinance that provided protection in jobs, housing and public accommodations.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that will continue working to pass statewide nondiscrimination protections. Unofficial returns from Tuesday’s election show the ordinance was repealed by a 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent margin.

The Springfield City Council last October added LGBT residents to the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance. Opponents collected signatures resulting in the ordinance going to a public vote.

The statewide Missouri Nondiscrimination Act will be heard by the House Criminal Proceedings Committee next week.

An event called #AllSpringfieldians: LGBT Support Demonstration organized through Facebook has been scheduled for Friday. More than 1,000 people have indicated on Facebook that they will attend the demonstration.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Associated Press analysis shows that fewer Kansas veterans are experiencing long waits for care at VA hospitals and clinics than their counterparts in many other states.

At the state’s 19 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities, 1.8 percent of appointments were delayed longer than 30 days from September to February. The national average was 2.8 percent.

But problems persist after a scandal led to a $16 billion law overhauling veterans’ health care. Wait times didn’t decline over the six months the AP examined. They actually increased in January and February.

Also, there were 221 Kansas appointments that were delayed longer than 90 days, including 102 at the Eastern Kansas VA-Colmery-O’Neil in Topeka and 93 at Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center.

Walgreens plans to close about 200 U.S. stores as the nation’s largest drugstore chain expands on a $1 billion cost-reduction plan it announced last August.  The Deerfield, Illinois, company did not specify which stores would close.

Officials say Walgreens also will reorganize its corporate operations and streamline its information technology and other functions. It expects the moves to add $500 million to its estimated cost savings from its three-year plan.

The store closings amount to about 2 percent of the 8,232 drugstores it runs in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Late last year, Walgreens completed a nearly $16 billion deal to purchase the remaining stake of European health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots that it didn’t already own. The company was renamed Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.

NEW YORK (AP) — About 30,000 cases of Sabra hummus sold nationwide is being recalled due to a possible Listeria contamination.

Listeria is a bacterium that causes Listeriosis, which can cause high fevers and nausea in minor cases, but the infections can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems and young children.

Health experts say it can also cause miscarriages in pregnant women.

The Sabra Dipping Co. is a joint venture of PepsiCo and Strauss Group.

The recalled products include:

Sabra Classic Hummus in 10-ounce sizes with UPC/SKU 040822011143 / 300067

Sabra Classic Hummus in 30-ounce sizes with UPC/SKU 040822014687 / 300074

Sabra Classic Hummus without Garnish in 32 ounce sizes with UPC/SKU 040822342049 / 301216

Sabra Classic Hummus in 17-ounce six-packs with UPC/SKU 040822017497 / 301290

Hummus Dual Pack Classic/Garlic 23.5 ounce with UPC/SKU 040822342209 / 301283

Here’s the release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Meanwhile, federal health authorities say three more people have become ill with Listeriosis linked to some Blue Bell ice cream products. Carol Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed Thursday that the number of people sickened by listeria has increased.

The CDC says three people in Texas have the same strain of listeriosis previously found in five others at a Wichita, Kansas, hospital. Three of the five in Kansas died.

Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell has temporarily closed a production plant in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, after traces of the pathogen were found there.

Blue Bell on Tuesday announced a third product recall as a result of the contamination.