June 25, 2012

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Ballot Initiatives, Part 1

Recently, I discussed an attempt by lawmakers to improve the way ballot initiatives are established and presented to voters. The legislation was unsuccessful. However, you will soon see ballot questions that have been thoroughly vetted by the Legislature appear before you on the August ballot. Constitutional Amendment 2 is the result of House Joint Resolution 2, which would guarantee a citizen's right to pray and worship on public property and reaffirm a citizen's right to choose any or no religion. The resolution was passed in 2011 by the Legislature. Here is the wording folks will see when they go to the polls in August: Official Ballot Title: Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure: That the right of Missouri citizens to express their religious beliefs shall not be infringed; That school children have the right to pray

and acknowledge God voluntarily in their schools; and That all public schools shall display the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. It is estimated this proposal will result in little or no costs or savings for state and local governmental entities. Fair Ballot Language: A "yes" vote will amend the Missouri Constitution to provide that neither the state nor political subdivisions shall establish any official religion. The amendment further provides that a citizen's right to express their religious beliefs regardless of their religion shall not be infringed and that the right to worship includes prayer in private or public settings, on government premises, on public property, and in all public schools. The amendment also requires public schools to display the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution. A "no" vote will not change the current constitutional provisions protecting freedom of religion. If passed, this measure will have no impact on taxes. It actually took a couple of years to get this fair ballot language delivered to a ballot. One of my colleagues proposed this ballot language back in 2010, but was unsuccessful in getting it through both the Missouri Senate and House. Finally, last year, we were able to see it all the way through. The reason for this constitutional amendment is simple. There has been an infringement on the right to pray in this country for some time. There is nothing illegal about silent prayer before a football game, school board meeting or any other public gathering. Folks have been led to believe separation of church and state means no

prayer, when it really means the government is not allowed to sanction one religion over another. All this amendment would do is reaffirm what is already law. Next week, I will have more information about potential ballot initiatives that could appear on the November ballot. If you have any questions, please contact my office. Thank you. Senator Stouffer serves the counties of Carroll, Chariton, Cooper, Howard, Lafayette, Macon, Ray, Saline, and a part of Clay. If you have questions or comments about this or any other issue, please call toll free (866) 768-3987 or by e-mail at bstouffer@senate.mo.gov.
bstouffer@senate.mo.gov | www.senate.mo.gov/stouffer State Capitol, Room 332, Jefferson City, MO 65101 | (866) 768-3987