Clergy members charged in protest at Legislature

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The 23 clergy members who were arrested in May for disrupting a session of the Missouri Senate are each now charged with two misdemeanors.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reported Friday that Cole County authorities charged the clergy members with obstructing government operations and first-degree trespassing.

They were among about 300 hundred people who briefly interrupted debate in the Missouri Senate on May 6 to protest lawmakers' refusal to expand the state's Medicaid program. They sang and chanted, causing lawmakers to halt work for about an hour. The 23 charged refused a request by Capitol Police to leave the gallery.

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Information from: Jefferson City News Tribune, http://www.newstribune.com