Four MO Initiative Petitions Meet Signature Deadline
By: Gretchen Bolander
Updated: May 10, 2012
JOPLIN, MO-- With 143 initiative petitions logged at the Missouri statehouse in 2012 - just four meet the deadline to submit signatures. Of those that did, one deals with local control of the St. Louis Police Department. Another deals with how the state handles tobacco tax revenue. The others would cap the interest rate charged for payday and title loans... and hike the minimum wage to $8.25 cents per hour.
The next step in the process is to verify whether there are enough signatures of voters registered in Missouri; the process requires more than 91,000. Once a petition passes that hurdle, it's approved for the November 6th ballot.
But that leaves 139 initiative petitions that didn't make the cut. One of those failed proposals would have given Missouri cities and counties the authority to impose a beverage tax. The "Show Me Cannabis Regulation" would have legalized marijuana for those over 21 and medicinal use for younger Missourians. And proposed constitutional amendment 139 would have placed limits on stem cell research. To see the full list of proposed initiatives, click here.
