(AP) – A Republican state House member from south-central Missouri will lead a new committee looking into government regulations.

Rep. Robert Ross, of Yukon, was chosen as chairman of the panel by House Speaker Tim Jones.

Jones wants the committee to identify ways to reduce regulations affecting Missouri businesses, farmers and individuals. He said the committee is based partly on an office created by Florida Gov. Rick Scott that reviewed thousands of state regulations and identified many that could be repealed.

Ross said he wants to find ways to “minimize government interference in our lives” and remove regulations that “stifle growth and opportunity.”

(AP) – Missouri senators are expected to pass legislation that would send federal agents to jail for enforcing some federal gun laws.

The measure on the Senate’s Thursday calendar provides for any federal law considered by the state to infringe on gun rights to be declared null and void in Missouri. Federal agents enforcing those laws could face up to a year in prison and a $1,000.

Courts have consistently ruled that states cannot nullify federal laws. But supporters argue the measure is necessary to protect law-abiding gun owners from intrusive federal regulations. Opponents say it wouldn’t survive a court challenge.

Earlier this week, the Senate stripped a provision requiring gun thefts to be reported within 72 hours.

Senate approval of the bill would send it to the House.

(AP) – The Missouri House has endorsed legislation cutting income taxes for businesses.

The bill given initial approval Wednesday in the Republican-led chamber would phase in a 50 percent deduction for business income reported on individual tax returns. It also would gradually cut Missouri’s corporate income tax rate to 3.125 percent from the current 6.25 percent.

Republican supporters contend that a tax cut for businesses could help spur the economy.

But Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon objects to the proposed business tax cut. He says he only would support an individual income tax cut, and then only if various conditions are met to protect funding for public schools.

The House gave first-round approval to the bill on a 104-48 party-line vote. A second vote is needed to send it to the Senate.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A northeast Kansas doctor says he feels better about his financial future after winning $1 million in a Missouri Lottery game.

Lottery officials said Wednesday that 60-year-old orthopedic surgeon Truett Swaim bought a Mega Millions ticket in early December, but didn’t realize it was a big winner until he checked the numbers last week.

Swaim lives in Leawood, Kan., and bought the ticket just over the state line in Kansas City, Mo.

Swaim says the prize won’t change much about his daily life, but he does plan to work less, play more golf and take a few more vacations. It also will give him and his fiancee some extra cash for a planned honeymoon in Fiji following their upcoming wedding.

(AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is criticizing House budget writers for not going along with his plan for constructing a new mental health facility at Fulton State Hospital.

The governor wants to issue $198 million in bonds for the facility. He asked lawmakers for $14 million in the current state budget for initial bond payments, but the House Budget Committee did not include those funds in its proposal.

Nixon said Wednesday that he is “sick and tired” of inaction on the hospital and that its current conditions were a threat to patients and employees. Lawmakers say the funds weren’t needed in the current budget.

The hospital opened in 1851 and is the oldest public mental health facility west of the Mississippi River.

 (AP) — The Missouri Senate has taken up a proposal to lengthen the waiting period for abortions from the current 24 hours to 72 hours.

The state’s informed consent law mandates a waiting period for a woman to have an abortion after initially seeing a doctor. Women with medical emergencies would remain exempt.

South Dakota and Utah require a 72-hour wait before an abortion. Utah enacted its requirement in 2012. South Dakota’s measure passed in 2011 and took effect last year after a legal challenge was dropped.

(AP) – The Missouri Senate has endorsed legislation that would prohibit borrowers from getting a renewal on payday loans.

State law currently allows borrowers to renew their loans six times. A payday loan can be no larger than $500 and can run only from 14 to 31 days.

The legislation was given first-round approval Wednesday by voice vote. It needs another affirmative vote to move to the state House.

Sponsoring Sen. Mike Cunningham, a Rogersville Republican, says his bill would prevent borrowers from getting into a trap by continuing to renew a loan and accumulate interest. His bill would give borrowers an extended time period to pay back a loan with no additional interest or fees.

 (AP) – A Missouri House committee has endorsed a $100 million funding increase for public schools that still would be significantly less than funds sought by Gov. Jay Nixon.

A budget plan embraced Wednesday by a House appropriations committee would add $100 million to the roughly $3 billion in basic aid that already goes to K-12 school districts.

Nixon had proposed a $278 million increase in basic school aid, which would cover half of the projected shortfall in the state’s school funding formula.

Republican legislative leaders contend Nixon’s budget proposal relies on overly optimistic revenue projections, so they have scrapped some of his suggestions.

The House committee also embraced a $43 million funding increase for public colleges and universities to be distributed based on performance criteria. That’s similar to Nixon’s recommendations.