State Rep. Lyle Rowland Reviews Amendments For August Ballot
Douglas County Community Health Assistance Resource Team (CHART) met last Friday morning at the MOCH Wellness Center in Ava.
Among those in attendance was State Representative Lyle Rowland who informed the group of five amendments that will be on the ballot for consideration at the Aug. 5 primary election.
Three more ballot questions passed by the Missouri General Assembly will appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
The ballot measures set for the Aug. 5, ballot include:
House Joint Resolution No. 11, passed by the General Assembly in 2013, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to include language forever guaranteeing the right of farmers and ranchers to engage in agricultural production and ranching practices.
House Joint Resolution No. 48, passed by the General Assembly in 2014, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to direct the state lottery commission to develop and begin selling a ‘Veterans Lottery Ticket’, from which all net proceeds would be deposited into the Missouri Veterans’ Commission’s capital improvement trust fund.
House Joint Resolution No. 68, passed by the General Assembly in 2014, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to enact an additional sales tax to fund infrastructure projects including highways and roads.
Senate Joint Resolution No. 27, passed by the General Assembly in 2014, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to include language stating that people shall be secure in their electronic communications and data from unreasonable searches and seizures as they are now likewise secure in their persons, homes, papers and effects.
Senate Joint Resolution No. 36, passed by the General Assembly in 2014, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to include a declaration that the right to keep and bear arms is an unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right.
The remaining ballot questions passed by the Missouri General Assembly that will appear on the Nov. 4, ballot include:
House Joint Resolution No. 16, passed by the General Assembly in 2013, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to allow relevant evidence of prior criminal acts to be admissible in prosecutions for crimes of a sexual nature involving a victim under 18 years of age.
House Joint Resolution No. 72, passed by the General Assembly in 2014, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to include language relating to a governor’s fiscal management authority.
House Joint Resolution No. 90, passed by the General Assembly in 2014, proposes amending the Missouri Constitution to permit voting in person or by mail for a period of six business days prior to and including the Wednesday before the Election Day in all general elections.
Two additional measures submitted by initiative petition are pending certification for the November ballot.
Article 12 Section 2(b) of the Missouri Constitution provides that all Constitutional amendments proposed by the General Assembly shall be submitted either at the next general election or at a special election called by the Governor prior to the next general election.
Other topics discussed included the tax-cut measure that was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon, and the status of license offices in Ava and Gainesville. A contract has apparently been approved for the Ava office but the Gainesville office has been resubmitted for bids.
The wide range of topics discussed during the morning meeting also included prenatal health care for uninsured mothers, a pending drug-free community grant, the Healthy Schools project, sexually transmitted diseases, foster care, and drug-endangered children.