The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

(AP) -- JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's incentive for parents seeking to adopt children from other countries could be coming to an end.

Senators passed legislation this week eliminating a tax break for families adopting children outside Missouri and the United States.

The incentive is used by families to pay for home studies, legal fees and travel when adopting a child. Similar compensation is offered to families adopting children from within the state's foster care system.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Jolie Justus, a Democrat from Kansas City, sponsored an amendment eliminating the tax break for international adoptions. She says parents should be incented to adopt from the more than 10,000 kids currently in the state's foster care system.

The bill now heads to the House.

(Copyright ©2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)