Voters To Decide On Amendments, Propositions
General Election Is Tuesday, November 6
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November 1, 2018
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Isaac Estes-Jones
When voters in Stone County and across Missouri head to the polls on Tuesday, November 6, they will be faced with more than electing a Senator and US House of Representative. There are four proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution and three legislative propositions.
Absentee voting has been underway for a few weeks now, and the polls will open for election day at 6 a.m. Polls will close at 7 p.m., but, if you are in line at 7 p.m., you have the right to cast your vote.
Two of the proposed Constitutional amendments and one of the ballot propositions concern medical marijuana. If any of these pass, Missouri would become the 32nd state in the nation to approve medical use of marijuana. Currently, 31 states, plus Washington D.C. and the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico, allow for medical marijuana use. Should all three pass, the ballot item that received the highest number of votes would become law.
The proposed amendments are as follow, in ballot order:
Constitutional Amendment 1 would change the process of redrawing legislative districts and change campaign donation and records specifications.
According to the official ballot language, if passed Amendment 1 has estimated operating costs at the state level to increase by $189,000 but expect no changes for local governmental entities. It would establish rules for a new non-partisan state demographer to redraw districts on the basis of population as determined by the US Census.
It would also introduce a so called “cooling off period” of two years between when an elected official or Missouri General Assembly employee stopped serving in that post and when they may register as a paid lobbyist. Further, campaign contributions would be required to have some limit. That limit is not specified in the submitted ballot language.
Constitutional Amendments 2 and 3 concern the legalization of medical marijuana.
Amendment 2 would impose a four percent (4%) tax on the sale of the product, with those tax dollars used to administer the program and fund health and care services for military veterans.
The proposal is estimated to generate $18 million for operating costs and veterans programs, and a further $6 million for local governments each year. Operating costs for the state are estimated to be $7 million per year.
Amendment 2 allows for a home grow option, where patients prescribed marijuana by their doctor could grow up to six plants at home in a locked and secured indoor space. According to the text of the ballot, “This section is intended to permit state-licensed physicians to recommend marijuana for medical purposes to patients with serious illnesses and medical conditions.”
Amendment 3 would tax the sale of marijuana at 15% and use the funds to run the program and to establish and fund, “a state research institute” to develop treatments and cures for cancer.
If passed, the proposal estimates $66 million in annual tax revenue. Implementation costs are estimated at $186,000 and $500,000 annually.
The proposed amendment would create a research board of nine members for the “Biomedical Research and Drug Development Board.” This research board would exist as a separate state entity, not under any existing department. The members of the board would be tasked with developing rules and regulations for medical marijuana vendors and cultivators and otherwise run the program while also undertaking research to “find cures for presently incurable diseases.”
Each board member would receive annual compensation equal to that of the Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, currently $179,883.
Proposed Amendment 4 to the Missouri Constitution would alter the language related to bingo game advertising, which was found unenforceable in a recent court ruling. Further, members of organizations conducting licensed bingo games would be eligible to join the management of those games after serving for six months, instead of two years.
No costs or savings to state or local governments are estimated if this amendment passes.
Proposition B is the first of the ballot propositions on this year’s ballot. Ballot propositions alter Missouri law, rather than the Constitution.
Proposition B seeks to increase the state minimum wage by $0.85 per hour per year until 2023. At that time, the minimum wage would be $12 per hour.
No direct costs or savings are estimated for state or local governments. However, tax revenue could change by an unknown amount, ranging from an estimated decrease of $2.9 million to a $214 million increase.
Proposition C, like Amendments 2 and 3, seeks to legalize the use of medical marijuana. It would impose a 2% tax on the sale of marijuana, with those funds going to fund “veterans’ services, drug treatment, early childhood education and public safety” in cities with a medical marijuana facility.
State government estimate a one-time set-up cost of $2.6 million and annual costs of $10 million. At least $10 million in annual revenues are also estimated. Local governments, if this proposition passes, are expected to have at least $152,000 annual revenues from the program.
The state division of alcohol and tobacco control would be tasked with regulating and enforcing the cultivation, distribution, testing and sale of medical marijuana.
The final proposition is Proposition D. It would increase the Missouri fuel tax by 2.5 cents per gallon each year for four years.
If passed, this measure is estimated to generate $288 million per year for the State Road Fund to provide for state law enforcement. Further, it is estimated to generate $123 million each year for local road construction and maintenance.
Under Missouri law, fuel taxes can only be used for state law enforcement and road maintenance and construction.
Click Here To Read The Full Text Of The Amendments
When voters in Stone County and across Missouri head to the polls on Tuesday, November 6, they will be faced with more than electing a Senator and US House of Representative. There are four proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution and three legislative propositions.
Absentee voting has been underway for a few weeks now, and the polls will open for election day at 6 a.m. Polls will close at 7 p.m., but, if you are in line at 7 p.m., you have the right to cast your vote.
Two of the proposed Constitutional amendments and one of the ballot propositions concern medical marijuana. If any of these pass, Missouri would become the 32nd state in the nation to approve medical use of marijuana. Currently, 31 states, plus Washington D.C. and the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico, allow for medical marijuana use. Should all three pass, the ballot item that received the highest number of votes would become law.
The proposed amendments are as follow, in ballot order:
Constitutional Amendment 1 would change the process of redrawing legislative districts and change campaign donation and records specifications.
According to the official ballot language, if passed Amendment 1 has estimated operating costs at the state level to increase by $189,000 but expect no changes for local governmental entities. It would establish rules for a new non-partisan state demographer to redraw districts on the basis of population as determined by the US Census.
It would also introduce a so called “cooling off period” of two years between when an elected official or Missouri General Assembly employee stopped serving in that post and when they may register as a paid lobbyist. Further, campaign contributions would be required to have some limit. That limit is not specified in the submitted ballot language.
Constitutional Amendments 2 and 3 concern the legalization of medical marijuana.
Amendment 2 would impose a four percent (4%) tax on the sale of the product, with those tax dollars used to administer the program and fund health and care services for military veterans.
The proposal is estimated to generate $18 million for operating costs and veterans programs, and a further $6 million for local governments each year. Operating costs for the state are estimated to be $7 million per year.
Amendment 2 allows for a home grow option, where patients prescribed marijuana by their doctor could grow up to six plants at home in a locked and secured indoor space. According to the text of the ballot, “This section is intended to permit state-licensed physicians to recommend marijuana for medical purposes to patients with serious illnesses and medical conditions.”
Amendment 3 would tax the sale of marijuana at 15% and use the funds to run the program and to establish and fund, “a state research institute” to develop treatments and cures for cancer.
If passed, the proposal estimates $66 million in annual tax revenue. Implementation costs are estimated at $186,000 and $500,000 annually.
The proposed amendment would create a research board of nine members for the “Biomedical Research and Drug Development Board.” This research board would exist as a separate state entity, not under any existing department. The members of the board would be tasked with developing rules and regulations for medical marijuana vendors and cultivators and otherwise run the program while also undertaking research to “find cures for presently incurable diseases.”
Each board member would receive annual compensation equal to that of the Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, currently $179,883.
Proposed Amendment 4 to the Missouri Constitution would alter the language related to bingo game advertising, which was found unenforceable in a recent court ruling. Further, members of organizations conducting licensed bingo games would be eligible to join the management of those games after serving for six months, instead of two years.
No costs or savings to state or local governments are estimated if this amendment passes.
Proposition B is the first of the ballot propositions on this year’s ballot. Ballot propositions alter Missouri law, rather than the Constitution.
Proposition B seeks to increase the state minimum wage by $0.85 per hour per year until 2023. At that time, the minimum wage would be $12 per hour.
No direct costs or savings are estimated for state or local governments. However, tax revenue could change by an unknown amount, ranging from an estimated decrease of $2.9 million to a $214 million increase.
Proposition C, like Amendments 2 and 3, seeks to legalize the use of medical marijuana. It would impose a 2% tax on the sale of marijuana, with those funds going to fund “veterans’ services, drug treatment, early childhood education and public safety” in cities with a medical marijuana facility.
State government estimate a one-time set-up cost of $2.6 million and annual costs of $10 million. At least $10 million in annual revenues are also estimated. Local governments, if this proposition passes, are expected to have at least $152,000 annual revenues from the program.
The state division of alcohol and tobacco control would be tasked with regulating and enforcing the cultivation, distribution, testing and sale of medical marijuana.
The final proposition is Proposition D. It would increase the Missouri fuel tax by 2.5 cents per gallon each year for four years.
If passed, this measure is estimated to generate $288 million per year for the State Road Fund to provide for state law enforcement. Further, it is estimated to generate $123 million each year for local road construction and maintenance.
Under Missouri law, fuel taxes can only be used for state law enforcement and road maintenance and construction.
Click Here To Read The Full Text Of The Amendments