Elections Archives - Missourinet

Term-limited Missouri state senator urging colleagues to increase funding for MoDOT (AUDIO)

July 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The outgoing Senate Transportation Committee chairman says Missouri is not funding roads and bridges adequately.

A truck driver travels on I-70 near Mineola Hill in east-central Missouri’s Montgomery County in 2019 (file photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation)

State Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, is leaving the Senate in January, due to term limits. He says Missouri’s gasoline tax needs to be increased, noting the state’s 17-cent per gallon gas tax has remained the same since 1996.

“We need to do our jobs up here (Jefferson City) and that is to take care of the assets and resources that Missourians deserve and expect and the traveling public for the safety of our families, but also for economic development,” Libla says.

Libla filed Senate Bill 539 in January to raise the state’s gasoline tax from 17 to 19-cents per gallon. While the Transportation Committee approved it, the bill died on the Senate floor. Libla says that proposal would have raised $144 million annually for Missouri transportation.

While Missouri has the nation’s seventh-largest highway system with about 34,000 miles of roadway, it ranks 49th in funding. Chairman Libla says out-of-state motorists pay 40 to 50 percent of Missouri’s gasoline tax.

“When we go into their states, we have to pay what their (other states) going rate is on the fuel user tax per gallon. But they have lots of other taxes on their gasoline too, and diesel fuel,” says Libla.

For instance, he says Pennsylvania’s gasoline tax is 58-cents per gallon. Libla’s bill would also have adjusted the taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel annually for inflation.

Libla praises the job that the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is doing, including Director Patrick McKenna. He says they have a great staff, and are doing more with less.

Libla says MoDOT received about $100 million less in funding in 2019, than they received in 2010. He also notes that cities and counties receive about 30 percent of the funding, from Missouri’s gas tax.

“So it hurts our local county commissions that’s trying to keep our roads up, and our cities and our mayors, our (city) council people,” Libla says.

Libla says Senate Bill 539 would have provided cities and counties with an additional $44 million annually, for transportation.

Missouri voters rejected transportation tax increases in 2014 and again in 2018.

In addition to tight funding, MoDOT has also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. State Rep. Becky Ruth, R-Festus, who chairs the bipartisan Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight, says the pandemic has had an impact of between $45 million and $100 million on MoDOT.

Director McKenna testified in late June that the impact is from several factors, including declines in license and registration fees and a decline in the motor vehicle sales tax. He also says the agency has delayed advertising on about $360 million in projects.

Despite the impact, MoDOT crews are still working every day. McKenna says more than 100 bridges in Missouri’s $350 million bridge bonding plan are now under contract, and 13 have already been completed. He says an additional 58 bridges are currently under construction.

In 2019, Missouri lawmakers approved the $350 million bridge bonding plan, which is repairing or replacing 250 deteriorating bridges.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff, which was recorded on June 25, 2020 at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City:

Missouri gives $4.5 million in federal funding to local election authorities

July 9, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The state has given about $4.5 million in federal money to Missouri’s 116 local election authorities. During a visit with reporters this week in Jefferson City, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says he hopes the money will help poll workers.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft

“We made sure that everyone got at least $20,000, so that even our smallest jurisdictions had enough to really make a difference. One of the things that I’ve suggested, probably suggested it so many times that the election authorities are tired of me mentioning it, is that they should use a portion of those funds to increase their poll worker pay,” he says.

Ashcroft, a Republican, has said during other occasions that the poll worker job is intense. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. the day of elections. Workers have to be there before the doors open and they stay after polls close to count ballots and to do other tasks.

Ashcroft says some states have not had enough polling precincts generally due to a lack of workers.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to be able to put more money into paying poll workers, to get more poll workers, and also help out some people that might be in financial straits, to make sure that we have enough poll workers and we have enough polling locations,” says Ashcroft.

He says he “fully believes” Missouri’s November election will be the “safest election people have participated in in Missouri”.

“Because we’ve had H1N1 or swine flu or other things before and we’ve never gone to the steps that local election authorities are doing with the physical distancing, with the face shields, with the face masks, with the plexiglass barriers that they’re putting up and with the distancing strips. They’re actually going to machines and disinfecting them between voters,” says Ashcroft.

Ashcroft anticipates the state will have about as many polling sites as it usually does during a primary election. Missouri’s primary is August 4.

Medicaid expansion is top priority for Missouri Democratic Party’s new acting chair (AUDIO)

July 8, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Democratic Party’s new acting chair is focusing on the August Medicaid expansion ballot measure and the November elections.

Former State Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 18, 2018 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Former State Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, was elected to the Missouri House in 2010. He served eight years in the House, from 2011-2018, before being forced out by term limits. Smith became acting chair of the party on Thursday.

He says access to health care is critical. He’s pushing for Amendment Two, which will be on your August 4th ballot.

“We believe the state has an appetite for it (Medicaid expansion),” Smith says. “I think the governor saw that too. We saw some jockeying of dates for that ballot initiative being moved to August.”

Medicaid, which is officially known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents who have limited incomes.

Medicaid expansion supporters, including the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, say it will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years. Supporters also predict it will increase personal income by $1.1 billion annually.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, opposes Medicaid expansion, saying it would take dollars out of the classroom. He notes it requires a ten percent match, for the 90 percent draw down. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, says Medicaid expansion will blow a hole in the state operating budget.

As for Clem Smith, he’s confident that Missourians will approve Medicaid expansion at the ballot box next month. He says some GOP lawmakers who oppose Medicaid expansion also supported right-to-work, which Missourians rejected during a 2018 referendum.

“We saw that with the right-to-work that went through (signed into law by then-Governor Eric Greitens in 2017),” says Smith. “The people came and spoke and said we don’t want that, after members of the Legislature voted for it.”

67 percent of Missourians voted against right-to-work, at the August 2018 referendum.

Smith is also focusing on the November elections. He’s hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden (D) will carry Missouri this fall. The last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Missouri was Bill Clinton, who won here in both 1992 and 1996.

Smith is also focusing on the gubernatorial race and the statewide races. State Auditor Nicole Galloway, the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder. Smith also wants to see Democrats pick up seats in the Missouri Senate and Missouri House.

Republicans currently have supermajorities in both chambers. They control the Senate 23-8, with three vacancies. The GOP controls the House 113-48, with two vacancies.

Smith is also encouraging residents to fill out the U.S. Census, which takes place every ten years. He tells Missourinet the census is a nonpartisan issue.

“That’s very important because that determines the federal dollars that are coming into our state, how they’re allocated,” Smith says.

Each year, billions of dollars in federal funding goes to hospitals, fire departments and schools based on census data. The Census results also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Missouri now has eight House seats, and has lost two since 1980. That happened in 1981 and again in 2011, when the districts of then U.S. Reps. Wendell Bailey, R-Willow Springs, and Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis, disappeared.

Smith replaces former Missouri Democratic Party Chair Jean Peters Baker, who is the Jackson County Prosecutor.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Missouri Democratic Party acting chair Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills. It was recorded on July 6, 2020:

Missouri Secretary of State explains voting options, requirements ahead of primary election

July 8, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is traveling the state to get the message out about the different ways to vote this year and the requirements that come with them. Missouri voters can cast a ballot in person, by absentee, and the new mail-in voting option.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (file photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office)

Due to COVID-19, the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 631 this year allowing all registered Missouri voters to mail in their ballot this year, if requested, and the ballot envelope must be notarized.

Absentee voters can cast a ballot without a notary if:
*Incapacitated or confined due to illness
*Having contracted the coronavirus or at-risk due to the following:
*Age 65 or older
*Immunocompromised
*Living in a long term care facility
*Diabetes
*Chronic lung disease/asthma
*Serious heart condition
*Liver disease
*Chronic kidney disease and undergoing dialysis

All other absentee voters will be required to get a notary.

During a visit with reporters in Jefferson City, Ashcroft says the governor signed an executive order allowing electronic notarization.

“If you follow those steps, then that notarization will meet the requirements under the law for ballots,” he says.

Ashcroft says the governor has signed another bill, HB 1655, into law about remote notary that will apply to the November election.

He says his office is working on a list of organizations that have agreed to provide notarization for free for mail-in and absentee ballots. The list will be updated as more Missouri notaries volunteer to help.

“It is against Missouri law for a notary to charge to notarize an absentee ballot,” says Ashcroft. “It is not against the law for a notary to charge to notarize a mail-in ballot.”

July 22 is the deadline to ask for an absentee ballot by mail for the August 4 election. Absentee ballots can be requested in person up until the day before Election Day. They must be turned in by mail or in person and received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Ashcroft says if voters have coronavirus concerns and would prefer to avoid going into the courthouse, some clerks might meet you at your car.

July 22 is also the deadline voters can deliver their application to their local election authority to request a mail-in ballot for the August 4 election. The ballot envelope must be notarized and returned through U.S. mail in time for its receipt on Election Day.

Ashcroft advises voters to turn in these requests as soon as possible.

“If you can’t tell, I’m really concerned about people that want to use one of these mail-in options having the time to get the ballot, fill it out and get it back in time so that their vote counts,” says Ashcroft.

Ashcroft pushed in-person voting. He says the safest way to vote and to ensure that your vote counts is by voting in person. Missouri has had two elections since the coronavirus began to grip the state in March and Ashcroft says there have not been any noted spread of the virus as a result of in-person voting.

“I fully believe that November will be the safest election people have participated in in Missouri, because we’ve had H1N1 or swine flu or other things before and we’ve never gone to the steps that local election authorities are doing with the physical distancing, with the face shields, with the face masks, with the plexiglass barriers that they’re putting up and with the distancing strips. They’re actually going to machines and disinfecting them between voters,” says Ashcroft.

Today is the last day to register to vote in Missouri’s August 4 election.

Missouri court hears lawsuit again about mail-in voting law

July 8, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetum is considering a lawsuit designed to let all Missouri voters cast a ballot by mail this year without a notarized signature. The NAACP of Missouri and the ACLU of Missouri are suing the state and contend that a new law requiring some voters to get a notary could put their health and the health of others at risk during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Missouri court hears lawsuit again about mail-in voting law

Beetum dismissed the case in May and said the groups did not state a claim. He went on to say they are trying to get widespread absentee voting for all future elections. The case was then appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court and the high court reversed Beetum’s decision. It said the groups actually stated a claim.

Plaintiffs want the court to block the notarization requirement in Senate Bill 631. Under the plan, all registered Missouri voters can mail in their ballot this year, if requested, and the ballot envelope must be notarized.

Absentee voters can cast a ballot without a notary if:

Incapacitated or confined due to illness
Having contracted the coronavirus or at-risk due to the following:
*Age 65 or older
*Immunocompromised
*Living in a long term care facility
*Diabetes
*Chronic lung disease/asthma
*Serious heart condition
*Liver disease *Chronic kidney disease and undergoing dialysis

All other absentee voters will be required to get a notary.

The governor has signed an executive order allowing electronic notarization.

The key witness for the plaintiffs, Dr. Hilary Babcock, a medical professor from Washington University in St. Louis, says the safest way to vote is not to leave home and instead vote by mail. But she says getting ballots authorized through a notary is safer than voting in person. If voters use public transportation to get to the polls, Babcock says those voters increase the chances of getting the virus.

Arguing for the state, Missouri Solicitor General D. John Sauer, raised the point that some notaries already have a porch or window-separated notary option. He also questioned Babcock about using safety measures while voting in person. Babcock says using social distance, frequent hand washing and wearing masks could help to minimize the risks of getting the virus. But she says they are not as safe as staying confined.

Today’s court hearing came with some technical glitches, causing the hearing to last more than three hours. Plaintiffs used a video conference platform to dial into the hearing. Understanding what they were sometimes saying did not always come easy. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office represented the state in-person.

Beetum could rule on the case at any time. Missouri’s primary election is on August 4.

Missouri Supreme Court sending absentee voting case back to Cole County Circuit Court

June 23, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Supreme Court issued a decision on Tuesday involving absentee voting, ruling that a lawsuit that aims to allow all Missourians to cast absentee ballots without notarization in 2020 can proceed.

Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice George Draper takes notes on June 15, 2020, while listening to oral arguments in the absentee voting case (photo courtesy of Missouri Supreme Court communications counsel Beth Riggert)

The Supreme Court is sending the case back to Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem. The decision means the lawsuit from the NAACP of Missouri and the ACLU of Missouri can proceed.

The circuit court dismissed the lawsuit, finding that the plaintiffs failed to state a claim on which relief could be granted. The Supreme Court reversed that decision, finding the plaintiffs had stated a claim and remanded the case to the circuit court so the parties can proceed.

The organizations filed a lawsuit in mid-Missouri’s Cole County, challenging the constitutional validity of absentee voting legislation that was approved by the Missouri Legislature on the final day of session in May.

Governor Mike Parson (R) signed the legislation from State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, in June. It expands voting by mail through the rest of 2020. There are two but separate options under the bill.

The first option has been non-controversial, and is not part of the lawsuit. That option expands absentee voting to those 65 and older, or who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Elderly people are considered at greater risk. Under the bill, notarization is not required for those 65 and older or who are vulnerable.

The second option is the key part of the lawsuit. It expands voting by mail for everyone in 2020, but requires notarization.

The Missouri Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on June 15.

During those oral arguments, Sophia Lin Lakin, who argued the case, told the Supreme Court that requiring some voters to get a notary could put their health and the health of others at risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“SB 631 still requires voters whom the Legislature did not deem at-risk for COVID or those caring for others who may be at risk, to comply with the notary requirement in order to vote by mail,” Lakin argued on June 15.

But state Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who represents the state attorney general’s office and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, disputed that.

“A bad flu season does involve tens of thousands of deaths nationwide,” Sauer told the Supreme Court last week. “But nobody has ever contended that fear of contracting or spreading the flu is a statutory ground to cast an absentee ballot in Missouri.”

Sauer also argued in court that the NAACP and the League of Women Voters lack associational standing in this case.

Lin Lakin praises Tuesday’s ruling, saying “this decision is a big victory for Missouri voters.”

Click here to read the 73-page legal brief from the NAACP of Missouri, the ACLU of Missouri and others.

Click here to read the 85-page legal brief from state Solicitor General D. John Sauer.

State Supreme Court hears lawsuit about expanded absentee voting this year

June 16, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit designed to let all Missouri voters cast a vote by mail this year without a notarized signature. Under a bill signed into law this month by Gov. Mike Parson, Missouri voters can vote absentee during this year’s August and November elections only, but some are required to get a notary.

State Supreme Court hears lawsuit about expanded absentee voting this year

Those who have contracted or are at-risk of getting COVID-19 can cast an absentee ballot without notarization. All other voters can mail in their ballot without an excuse, but they must submit a notarized statement.

During oral arguments Tuesday, Sophia Lin Lakin, who is representing the NAACP, says requiring some voters to get a notary could put their health and the health of others at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

“SB 631 still requires voters whom the Legislature did not deem at-risk for covid or those caring for others who may be at risk, to comply with the notary requirement in order to vote by mail,” she says.

Assistant Missouri Attorney General D. John Sauer fired back.

“A bad flu season does involve tens of thousands of deaths nationwide. But nobody has ever contended that fear of contracting or spreading the flu is a statutory ground to cast an absentee ballot in Missouri,” says Sauer.

Lakin says the state already allows voters to cast an absentee ballot without a notary for multiple reasons.

“The sky hasn’t fallen and there is no indication that it would so here either,” she says.

The NAACP appealed its case to the high court after Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetum dismissed the case in May. In Beetum’s decision, he said the group wants widespread absentee voting for all future elections regardless of whether COVID-19 is still around.

The court could rule at any time. Beginning June 23, local election officials are scheduled to send absentee ballots for the August primary election.

To view the arguments, click here.

Galloway tells Missouri Democrats she’ll put Jefferson City back on the side of working families (AUDIO)

June 15, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee is urging voters to approve a Medicaid expansion proposal on the August ballot. State Auditor Nicole Galloway addressed the Missouri Democratic Party state convention this weekend.

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D)
(Missourinet file photo)

“We’re going to bring our (Missouri) tax dollars home, to invest in our people,” Galloway says. “Giving coverage to working people, saving health care jobs and creating new ones in parts of our state that desperately need them.”

Amendment Two will be on the August 4 statewide ballot. 36 states have approved Medicaid expansion.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced its support of the August ballot measure on Friday.

“Let’s not miss this chance to bolster our economy during this recovery, while expanding access to healthcare for our fellow Missourians,” Missouri Chamber President Dan Mehan says, in a written statement.

The Missouri Chamber describes the Medicaid expansion proposal as a “pro-jobs measure that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.”

The Missouri Hospital Association says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

Governor Mike Parson (R) and House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, oppose Medicaid expansion. Speaker Haahr says it would take dollars out of the classroom, noting it requires a ten percent match, for the 90 percent draw down.

During her Friday evening address, Galloway also condemned George Floyd’s recent death in Minneapolis. The Columbia Democrat says America’s criminal justice system is fractured.

“Addressing it begins with accountability, accountability for the law enforcement officers involved. And accountability in the systems that perpetuate systemic inequality,” says Galloway.

Galloway says the disparities in our criminal justice system are real.

The former Minneapolis police officer who was charged with murdering Mr. Floyd is now charged with second degree murder, and the three other officers have been charged with aiding and abetting.

Galloway also addressed the issue of voting, during her presentation. She is urging Governor Parson to issue an order that would allow any Missourian in 2020 to vote absentee, without notarization.

The governor signed absentee voting legislation this month.

It expands absentee voting to those 65 and older, or who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Elderly people are considered at greater risk. Notarization is not required for those 65 and older or who are vulnerable.

The bill also expands voting by mail for everyone, but requires notarization.

“Missouri’s notary requirement is voter suppression, especially during a pandemic,” Galloway told the convention on Friday.

Galloway faces four primary opponents in August: Jimmie Matthews of St. Louis, Antoin Johnson of St. Louis, Kansas City’s Eric Morrison and Robin John Daniel Van Quaethem of St. Louis.

Galloway is expected to face Governor Parson in the November general election.

Click here to listen to State Auditor Nicole Galloway’s full eight-minute address to the Missouri Democratic Party state convention on June 12, 2020:

Missouri Chamber backs Medicaid expansion, which remains key issue in gubernatorial race

June 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s most influential business group is endorsing a Medicaid expansion issue that will appear on your August ballot. Medicaid, which is formally known as MO HealthNet, is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents who have limited incomes.

Governor Mike Parson (right) briefs Missouri Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on June 11, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Missouri’s current Medicaid budget is about $10 billion, accounting for about one-third of the state’s $30 billion operating budget.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry has endorsed Amendment Two, which will be on the August 4 statewide ballot. The Chamber describes the Medicaid expansion proposal as a “pro-jobs measure that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.”

The Chamber quotes a study from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which says Medicaid expansion will create more than 16,000 new jobs annually during its first five years, while increasing personal income by $1.1 billion annually. The Chamber says most of the new positions would be outside St. Louis and Kansas City, and that 90 percent of those jobs will pay more than $15 an hour.

The Missouri Hospital Association says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014.

36 states have approved Medicaid expansion.

While the Medicaid expansion issue will be decided by voters in August, it has also emerged as a key issue in Missouri’s November gubernatorial race. It’s also a key issue for lawmakers in both parties.

Missourinet asked both Governor Mike Parson (R) and State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D), the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, about Medicaid expansion when they filed in February in Jefferson City.

“When (Auditor) Galloway was there and (Democratic Governor Jay) Nixon was there, we had over one million people on the state Medicaid roll out of six million. So when you think of that practically, one out of every six people on Medicaid,” Parson told Missourinet in February, at the Kirkpatrick Building.

Parson also said that day that no one verified Missouri’s Medicaid rolls, for more than a decade. He also emphasized that children who qualify for Medicaid should receive those services, and that his administration wants them to receive the services.

Auditor Galloway supports Medicaid expansion, noting the ten rural Missouri hospitals that have closed since 2014. The Columbia Democrat told Missourinet in February that it’s crucial.

“We have a governor that has kicked 100,000 children off of their health insurance, and he has no vision and no solution on how he’s going to fix that,” Galloway said that day.

Medicaid expansion has been discussed in the General Assembly for years, with most Republicans opposed to it and Democrats supporting.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, opposes Medicaid expansion, saying it would take dollars out of the classroom. Speaker Haahr notes it requires a ten percent match, for the 90 percent draw down.

House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, agrees, telling Missourinet Friday evening that he opposes Medicaid expansion because he worries it will blow a hole in the state budget. Other GOP members on the House Budget Committee have the same concern.

Democrats in the Legislature disagree. State Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, who hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin, this fall, backs Amendment Two. Schupp says it will ensure that an additional 300,000 Missourians have access to health care.

State Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, spoke about the issue on the Missouri House floor during the May budget debate. Ingle predicted that day that Missourians would approve Medicaid expansion at the ballot box.

Meantime, the coronavirus outbreak has impacted Missouri’s Medicaid numbers, as well as the budget.

The number of Missourians on Medicaid has increased by about 75,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online statistics from the state Department of Social Services (DSS) show there were about 848,000 Missouri Medicaid enrollees in February.

That number increased to about 923,000 in May.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce endorses Medicaid expansion effort

June 12, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Republican-leaning Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry says today that it backs a Medicaid expansion effort on the August primary election ballot. In a statement from President Dan Mehan, he says the business group supports Amendment 2 as a “pro-jobs measure” that will help fuel economic growth throughout our state.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce endorses Medicaid expansion effort

“According to economic projections, expanding Missouri’s Medicaid program will boost job creation by 16,000 jobs per year for five years. Likewise, passage will expand our state’s economic output by $2.5 billion,” says Mehan. “While this data makes a clear case for passing Amendment 2, the benefits of Medicaid expansion are even more significant during this time of economic hardship. The Missouri Chamber urges voters to approve Amendment 2 on August 4. Let’s not miss this chance to bolster our economy during this recovery while expanding access to health care for our fellow Missourians.”

Gov. Mike Parson and the influential business group generally agree on political issues. But, many Missouri Republican lawmakers, including Parson, oppose the expansion of Medicaid. Parson has said the state cannot afford to put more people on government-funded health insurance and other priorities like education, public safety and mental health would compete for the same funding.

The Healthcare for Missouri campaign wants to put another 230,000 low-income adults on Medicaid. If approved by voters, those earning up to $18,000 annually could qualify.

The Missouri Hospital Association says ten rural Missouri hospitals have closed since 2014. Missouri is one of 14 states without Medicaid expansion.