Amendments and propositions on sports gambling, sheriffs retirement fund, voting rights and minimum wage also on ballot.

Four amendments to Missouri’s constitution and one proposition on minimum wage were certified Tuesday for the November ballot by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

This includes one amendment that could eliminate Missouri’s abortion ban and enshrine abortion and contraception access.

More than 380,000 signatures were gathered in an initiative petition and were determined as sufficient in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts. Republican lawmakers failed to pass initiative petition rule changes likely aimed at this issue during the Missouri General Assembly regular session earlier this year.

With the certification of the abortion access amendment, it likely takes the wind out of Republican sails for changing initiative petition rules next year, said Peverill Squire, professor of political science and Hicks and Martha Griffiths Chair in American Political Institutions at the University of Missouri, last month.

The abortion access question could help boost Democratic candidates in the November election, added Ben Warner, MU associate professor in the Department of Communication and co-director of the university’s Political Communication Institute.

“(Abortion rights) is a winner for Democrats if it is what voters have in mind when they go to the ballot box all over the country. It is unclear whether that will be top of mind for voters. That is why I would expect Democrats to do everything to make it top of mind,” Warner said last month.

The Amendment 3 ballot question will ask for a Yes or No vote to amend the Missouri Constitution to:

• establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid;
• remove Missouri’s ban on abortion;
• allow regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain the health of the patient;
• require the government not to discriminate, in government programs, funding, and other activities, against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and
• allow abortion to be restricted or banned after Fetal Viability except to protect the life or health of the woman?

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft in ballot information online notes local governmental entities estimate costs of at least $51,000 annually in reduced tax revenues and significant state revenue losses. A full fiscal note explaining the the estimated losses was not yet available.

Other ballot questions

Ballot amendment questions also were certified by Ashcroft on sports gambling (Amendment 2), sheriffs retirement fund (Amendment 6), voting rights (Amendment 7), and a proposition on minimum wage (Proposition A). The only one that failed certification was an Osage River gambling boat license amendment.

Amendment 2 depending on how the vote goes in November could allow sports betting, puts an age limit on betting, imposes taxes and license fees on sports betting, and allows the Missouri General assembly to enact laws consistent with the amendment. There is an estimated one-time cost of $660,000 and annual costs of $5.2 million. Initial license fees are estimated at $11.75 million and betting revenues are estimated anywhere from $0 to $28.9 million annually for the state. Local government revenue estimates were not available. Advocates say this will boost education funding.

Amendment 6 reestablishes a retirement fund for county sheriffs, county prosecutors and circuit court attorneys that had used ticket fines and court costs as its funding source. A state law from 1983 originally set up the fund, but it was deemed unconstitutional in 2021. Two bills signed in 2023 by Gov. Parson set up the Sheriff’s Retirement System, but a person elected Sheriff has to serve two four-year terms before they are vested by it and must contribute 5% toward their own pension. Those already retired could lose out on their pension under the old fund, based on statements made by Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey during a primary election forum last month. Carey sits on the Missouri Sheriffs retirement board.

Amendment 7 makes it unlawful for non U.S. citizens to vote in elections, which already is state law; prohibits ranked-choice voting; requires whoever has the most votes winning the party nomination during a primary election that their name is what is on the ballot for the general election, which already is done in Missouri. Ranked-choice voting is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots, per Ballotpedia. There is an exception for the final part of the amendment for municipal elections where more than one candidate may fill a seat, such as at-large alder persons, council members or trustees.

The proposition could raise Missouri minimum wage by $1.25 each year on Jan. 1 until 2026, bringing the state minimum wage to $15. The statutory proposition also requires employers to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked. State governmental entities estimate additional one-time costs of $0 to $53,000, and ongoing costs ranging from $0 to at least $256,000 per year by 2027. State and local government tax revenue changes are unknown and dependent on business decisions.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – An April report from the insurance marketplace website Policy Genius placed Missouri 25th among states when considering those that best accommodate people with disabilities.

The site considered multiple factors including affordability, healthcare access and economic conditions.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt spoke to a statewide group of disability rights advocacy organizations and providers in a roundtable discussion.

The Show-Me state was the subject of a recent report from the Department of Justice that revealed the state has been routinely subjecting patients with serious mental health disabilities to years-long stays in nursing home facilities through the misuse of the guardianship process.

“I haven’t seen that report, but generally speaking, we can do a lot better as it relates to intellectual disabilities,” Schmitt said when asked about the DOJ report.

Schmitt emphasized the need to create more employment opportunities for the disabled community.

“Allowing individuals with disabilities to save in a way that they’re not punished by way of benefits that they might otherwise receive is an important reform that I’ve advocated for in the past and will continue to do,” Schmitt said.

READ MORE: Sports betting, minimum wage and abortion access questions approved for Missouri November ballot

Missouri’s junior senator also acknowledged a lingering stigma surrounding mental health disabilities, which are often carved out of conversations about public accommodations and services.

Lydia X.Z. Brown serves as the policy director for the National Disability Institute. They said almost every single public policy issue affects the disabled community in a disporportunate manner, and that the community itself is an extremely diverse group with diverse needs.

“People oftentimes will come to the conversation with misconceptions and preconceived notions about what a disability is and who counts as having a disability,” Brown said.

For example, people with disabilities are more likely to be living below the poverty line, more likely to experience housing insecurity or homelessness, more likely to experience domestic abuse,  more likely to experience employment discrimination, and less likely to establish retirement security.

“People with disabilities are affected by every single issue that is of concern to any community that cares about the future of humanity, and that cares about the good of society,” Brown said.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Defensive end Darris Smith will miss the season for No. 11 Missouri after hurting his knee in practice, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said Wednesday.

Smith transferred to Missouri from SEC rival Georgia, where he appeared in 16 games over his first two seasons. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound pass rusher was competing for a starting job with Michigan State transfer Zion Young.

“We are devastated by the injury to Darris,” Drinkwitz said. “He was having an outstanding camp and was poised to have a great year. We will support Darris in his recovery and look forward to him returning stronger than before.”

The Tigers return Johnny Walker Jr. at one defensive end spot, but they are trying to replace all-SEC pass rusher Darius Robinson on the opposite side of the line. Joe Moore III and Georgia Tech transfer Eddie Kelly also are in the mix for playing time.

Smith did not redshirt while at Georgia, so he still will have two years of eligibility remaining.

The Tigers open the season Aug. 29 against Murray State.