Legislature Archives - Missourinet

Missouri Congressman says USDA move to Kansas City region isn’t a done deal

June 13, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

The Kansas City region has been chosen as the future sites of two USDA research agencies – along with about 700 federal jobs. The move from the Washington, D.C., region to Kansas City is for the department’s Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agricultural Policy offices.

Missouri Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver tells Missourinet the Virginia and Maryland Congressional delegations will fight the move, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland.

“If Virginia and Maryland are successful in stopping the funding, then for all practical purposes, they stop the project. Then Congress is not going to pay for the move – and Congress does have the power of the power – then I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere,” says Cleaver. “There are all kinds of little political maneuvering and economic maneuvering that could in fact halt this move.”

Cleaver says the Missouri and Kansas delegations are getting prepared for a fight.

“We’ve got to figure out how they’re going to do it,” he says. “If I lived in Maryland, if I represented Maryland I’d be fighting as well. I don’t blame them. We’re going to fight also.”

A statement from Hoyer says he vows to fight the move.

“I worked to include language in the Fiscal Year 2020 Agriculture Appropriations bill that would prohibit USDA from using any funds for this relocation. It is alarming that the Administration is rushing ahead with this relocation in order to circumvent Congress. I will continue to explore all options to reverse this decision,” said Hoyer.

Cleaver says the jobs are expected to pay an average of $80,000 to $100,000 annually. He says the USDA wants the move to happen this fall and the Missouri side is better equipped with appropriate office space for a quick move.

The Kansas City Star reports Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the relocation will save the USDA $300 million over 15 years and that state and local governments had offered $26 million in incentives to move to the region.

Governor Parson says Missouri and Kansas have both spent more than $100 million on border war

June 13, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation aimed at ending the economic “border war” between Missouri and Kansas has been signed into law this week by Governor Mike Parson (R) in Kansas City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson signs SB 182 into law on June 11, 2019 at Kansas City’s Union Station (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

The Bolivar Republican notes the legislation, which is Senate bill 182, will only take effect if the Sunflower State passes a reciprocal agreement.

“I’m very positive, very optimistic right now that we’re going to come to some sort of an agreement between Missouri and Kansas on this,” Parson says.

Governor Parson signed the bill this week at Kansas City’s historic Union Station, telling reporters he has a good working relationship with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) and that additional meetings will take place. He says he’s met with Kelly and has also spoken to her on the phone.

Parson tells reporters that incentivizing companies to move a few miles does not result in new jobs for Missouri or Kansas.

“We’re spending a lot of taxpayer money to do initiatives for businesses on the border of Kansas and Missouri and sometimes we’re not getting very much gain for that,” says Parson.

The legislation, which is sponsored by State Sen. Mike Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit, impacts companies moving between Johnson, Miami and Wyandotte counties in eastern Kansas and Missouri’s Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties.

The Kansas City-based Hall Family Foundation says more than 10,000 jobs moved between Missouri and Kansas during the past decade, with an incentive cost of $330 million. The jobs all moved in the Kansas City region.

“I think Missouri has spent well over $100 million on this, Kansas has spent well over $100 million,” Parson says. “There’s no reason we can’t be using that money for a lot better purposes than just jumping from one side of the state (line) to the other.”

Governor Parson tells reporters he’s optimistic he’ll reach an agreement with Kansas Governor Laura Kelly on this.

As for Governor Kelly, she’s issued a statement echoing Governor Parson’s comments about the irresponsible spending by both states, “with little actual job growth for either state.”

Kelly also emphasizes that the two states must work together to attract business and jobs.

“We’re encouraged by the renewed spirit of cooperation and collaboration between the two states. The recent joint proposal to attract United States Department of Agriculture operations to the Kansas City metro area is a prime example of progress on that front,” Kelly’s statement reads, in part.

This issue has been debated for years in the Missouri Legislature, with former House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, and former State Rep. Kevin McManus, D-Kansas City, leading an unsuccessful effort in 2014.

Ashcroft rejects third attempt to overturn Missouri abortion bill

June 12, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has turned down a third referendum petition trying to reverse course on legislation that would strengthen abortion regulations. At the state Capitol, he responded to Missourinet about a court hearing Tuesday involving the first two requests he has denied. Ashcroft, a Republican, says all three are unconstitutional because part of the bill has already become law.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft

“I obviously don’t know what the judge will hold. I know what the law says. The law is very clear that I have to certify something before it goes to the people as to whether or not it can be put on the ballot,” says Ashcroft. “I felt that as soon as I knew that there was a Constitutional problem, I should make that known, so there was a chance that the individuals that had filed it with us, might be able to cure that. That’s what I do. I try to treat everyone fairly and equitably and follow the law.”

Lawmakers passed the House Bill 126 with a parental notification requirement designating the provision as an emergency – making that part take effect immediately after the governor’s signature. Lowell Pearson, the attorney for Joplin businessman and Republican megadonor David Humphreys, says the third referendum application attempted to clear up the part of the law that has already taken effect.

Under the bill, both parents are required to be notified if a minor child wants an abortion. Doctors would face prison time if they do abortions on women with a fetal heartbeat. It also makes medical emergencies an exception for getting an abortion, but not for rape or incest. The measure would ban doctors from doing abortions if the baby would have Down syndrome or for sex or race-selective abortions.

Humphreys has said he’s opposed to abortion, but he supports a woman’s right to choose, particularly in rape or incest cases. Pearson says Humphreys is suing to try to let voters decide on the issue.

“This referendum procedure that we have invoked is a very fundamental Constitutional right. The courts have said time after time that these rights of the citizens to the initiative and referendum should be zealously guarded,” he says. “This is a reservation of the right of the people to establish what they want the law to be. There is nothing more important in our Constitution than the ability to use the referendum process.”

Meanwhile, another hearing on the first two requests is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Cole County Circuit Court before Judge Daniel Green.

St. Louis judge says state must decide on Planned Parenthood license by June 21

June 11, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A St. Louis judge has ruled that the St. Louis Planned Parenthood can continue offering abortions for now but has ordered the state to decide about its license by June 21. On Monday, Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer granted Planned Parenthood a preliminary injunction and the order remains in effect until the court issues another ruling.

St. Louis judge says state must decide on Planned Parenthood license by June 21

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit last month arguing the state is “weaponizing” the licensing process at its St. Louis site – the only abortion clinic in Missouri. President Leana Wen says the state “refuses to renew its license” at the St. Louis clinic by “insisting seven of its doctors be interrogated – putting their licenses on the line and potential criminal prosecution.” In an earlier decision, Stelzer blocked the state’s attempt to subpoena Planned Parenthood’s doctors to testify.

The state says it is investigating the clinic for allegedly completing failed abortions. Planned Parenthood has not responded to Missourinet’s inquiry about the state’s claim.

During a press conference today in St. Louis, Planned Parenthood Dr. David Eisenberg says the organization wants to be treated equally – not differently.

“We will not stop speaking out about the injustice that Governor Parson and Director Randall Williams from the Department of Health have intentionally created for the people of Missouri in a sick obsession to ban abortion and to not let women be equal citizens in this country,” he says.

Planned Parenthood Dr. Colleen McNicholas says the state continues to reinterpret its own rules, including about pelvic exams. She says the technique does not provide any medically-relevant information.

“That rule was put into place prior to sort of our modern way of diagnosing pregnancies,” McNicholas says. “Now we have things like ultrasounds to tell us how far along a pregnancy is. For a long time, the department agreed that the pelvic exam was not necessary.”

In a press release issued Monday from the State Department of Health and Senior Services, it says a pelvic exam has been required in Missouri since at least 1988 to detect factors that could influence the choice of the procedure, among other things. The rule was changed in 2018 but the state says it remains substantively the same.

Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chair praises passage of criminal justice bills (AUDIO)

June 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The GOP Missouri House Speaker is praising the Legislature for approving three different major criminal justice reforms. Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, agrees, noting criminal justice reform has also been a top priority for House Democrats and the Black Caucus.

State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, speaks to the Capitol Press Corps on February 11, 2019 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Ben Peters at House Communications)

“We had legislation expanding diversion courts, legislation that revises our mandatory minimums, especially for non-violent offenses,” Roberts says. “As well as an expansion of our expungements.”

House bill 192 is the legislation revising mandatory minimums. It has support across the political spectrum, from the ACLU to Americans for Prosperity.

It requires Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board to evaluate those serving mandatory minimums and decide if they should be released. Supporters say about 48 percent of Missouri’s prison population is serving time for drug offenses and other nonviolent crime.

Empower Missouri, the ACLU and Americans for Prosperity say that if the bill becomes law, about 200 prisoners will be released in the first ten months.

Chairman Roberts is also pleased with the Missouri General Assembly’s passage of legislation that expands expungements for certain non-violent crimes. He says expungement helps citizens succeed at re-entry, after they complete their sentence.

“And so allowing people who really are trying to get that second chance the opportunity to do so,” says Roberts.

Expungement is a court-ordered process, where the legal record of a criminal conviction is essentially sealed.

State Sen. Kiki Curls, D-Kansas City, sponsors the the expungement bill, which is Senate bill 1. It allows expungement for several non-violent crimes, including stealing, first degree property damage and fraudulent use of a credit device.

The diversion court bill is another bipartisan piece of legislation. House bill 547 from State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, requires each judicial circuit to establish a veterans’ treatment court.

Griffith’s bill states that it is Missouri’s public policy to encourage and provide an alternate method for the disposal of cases for military veterans and current military members who have substance abuse disorders or mental health disorders.

The bill allows prosecutors to divert criminal cases to a prosecution diversion program.

Roberts emphasizes the importance of bipartisanship on the criminal justice reform issue. He tells Missourinet that House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, met regularly with the Black Caucus in 2019.

“He’s been genuine and I appreciate him stepping up and meeting with us on a monthly basis,” Roberts says.

Speaker Haahr told Capitol reporters on the session’s final day in May that the 2019 session is the most successful policy one he’s seen in his seven years in the Legislature.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on May 17, 2019 at the Statehouse in Jefferson City:

Parson signs $29.7 billion state budget, giving pay boost to state workers

June 10, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Among about 300 Missouri Department of Corrections workers today, Gov. Mike Parson has signed into law a $29.7 billion state budget. At the Jefferson City Correctional Center, Parson says the plan gives corrections employees a pay raise of at least 3% for new workers and as much as 13% for 20-year veterans.

Budget signing on June 10, 2019 at the Jefferson City Correctional Center

“This is a great day for Missouri Department of Corrections,” Parson says at the bill signing. “This is the largest raise in the history of DOC. The pay raise is one thing, but it’s really about the job you do. The reality of it is most people don’t want to do what you do.”

The salary increase for Corrections workers is made through the $21 million annual savings of the near future consolidation of two northwest Missouri prisons in Cameron. According to Alana Boyles, the director of the Division of Adult Institutions with the Missouri Department of Corrections, most offenders at the Crossroads Correctional Center are expected to be moved into the Western Missouri Correctional Center within about 90 days.

“We invested every dime of it back into the Department of Corrections for all of you,” says Parson. “I know the job you do is tough. I know the job you do is dangerous. I know your work is with a challenging population. It is my hope and the hope of Director Precythe that this pay plan will help each of you and help show appreciation to you for the service you provide to this state and the important role you play in the safety of the citizens of the great state. As governor of the state, it’s important to me that you are good state workers. It’s important to me to make sure that is the case. It’s important to me that you want to come to work – that you want to do your job.”

Missouri has about 20 state prisons, including in Jefferson City, Potosi, Farmington and St. Joseph.

The fiscal outline also gives all other state workers a 3% pay boost.

“Hopefully in the future, we can take care of our state employees better. And we can reward them for good work,” he says.

Parson says he will focus on state worker pay increases again next year.

“We really want to analyze each department. Just like the Department of Corrections, come forward with a plan how they can conserve money, how they could do a better job. Then we to invest that back into those employees for their hard work,” he says. “Let’s invest it back into these employees so we’re not 49th in the nation paying our state employees, along with teachers in this state. We’ve got to figure out some ways to do better.”

Parson did not veto any line items in the budget – an uncommon occurrence for governors to take regardless of party.

“I think working with the Legislature from day one trying to figure up a conservative budget that we could meet was important to me. They did their part. So I felt like it was my time to do my part. We analyzed everything in there and we really feel like it’s a solid budget for the state of Missouri,” says Parson.

Other highlights of the budget include:

*$50 million in general revenue for $301 million in bonding to repair 250 bridges, contingent upon the award of a federal infrastructure grant.

*$50 million for a cost-share program with local municipalities to fund road repairs.

*$3.55 billion to fully fund the formula used to fund Missouri’s K-12 public schools – an increase of about $61 million from the current state budget year.

*$108 million to fund K-12 public school bus transportation costs – a $5 million increase from the current fiscal year.

*Core funding increased for all of Missouri’s public universities by $1 million with some, including Missouri State University, receiving as much as a $10 million boost. State Technical College received a $500,000 core increase and $500,000 for deferred maintenance.

*Prevents undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state college tuition

*$5 million for alternatives to jail program for pre-trial electronic ankle bracelets

*$5 million for rural broadband grants

*$8 million in flood recovery aid

*1.5% rate increases to Medicaid providers

Missouri farm groups and Rural Crisis Center view agriculture bill differently

June 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor traveled to Sedalia this weekend for a ceremonial signing of legislation that supporters say will benefit agriculture.

State Rep. Chuck Basye (left) was among numerous lawmakers who joined Missouri Governor Mike Parson at the Cattlemen’s steak dinner in Sedalia on June 8, 2019 (photo courtesy of Representative Basye’s Twitter page)

About 700 people attended Saturday evening’s Missouri Cattlemen’s steak dinner at the state fairgrounds in Sedalia.

Governor Mike Parson (R) held a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 391, which prevents counties from imposing regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that are stricter than state regulations. House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, and State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, were among the many lawmakers at Saturday’s event.

Governor Parson praises lawmakers for approving the bill, saying it signals that Missouri supports the next generation of agriculture.

“We’ve now opened the doors that will allow Missouri to lead the way in meeting a growing world food demand and ensure we keep more agriculture production in our state, strengthening Missouri’s number one industry,” Parson says.

The governor notes Missouri agriculture is an $88 billion industry, and remains the state’s top economic driver.

Critics of the legislation say this will prevent counties from protecting water and air.

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center’s Tim Gibbons spoke to our sister network Brownfield in May, saying lawmakers should be standing up for Missouri’s 100,000 family farms, not the approximately 500 concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs.

“We know that DNR (the state Department of Natural Resources) cannot and will not protect us from these absentee controlled operations,” Gibbons told Brownfield in May. “So local control is one way that farmers and people in rural counties have been able to put safeguards on these type of operations to protect the property rights, the property values, the water and air, the livability of our communities from industrial livestock operations.”

State Rep. Doug Clemens, D-St. Ann, who voted against the bill, told lawmakers in May that the CAFO operations are managed by owners who aren’t from the area.

“This isn’t about our family farms,” Representative Clemens said during House floor debate in May. “This is about corporate controlled industry, half of which is foreign-owned.”

The bill sponsors see it differently. State Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, and State Rep. Mike Haffner, R-Pleasant Hill, say it’s important to have a statewide policy, instead of various different restrictions at the county level.

The Missouri Corn Growers Association also praises the bill, saying it will bring positive market growth in Missouri for years to come. The Missouri Farm Bureau also backs the measure, and Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst attended Saturday’s bill-signing.

Under current Missouri law, the notice of intent to file an application for an operating permit for a new or expanded facility is sent to property owners within 1.5 times the buffer distances for CAFOs. The new law requires that the notice be given to property owners located within three times of the buffer distances, and the notices must now be sent by certified mail.

SB 391 also establishes the Joint Committee on Agriculture, which will study the economic impact of Missouri’s agricultural industry and will study ways to create incentives to encourage farmers to adopt best practices to scientifically address the state’s carbon footprint.

The new law is scheduled to take effect on August 28.

Missouri requests joint damage assessments for flooding, tornadoes

June 7, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Governor Mike Parson has requested joint preliminary damage assessments with federal, state and local officials for recent flooding, severe storms and tornadoes. Assessments are expected to begin on June 12 across 56 Missouri counties – nearly half of the state’s counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, State Emergency Management Agency, and local emergency management officials will survey damage that began with severe storms on April 29.

Brunswick flooding (Photos by Spc. Christopher Saunders and Capt. Phil Fountain)

“Since March, nearly every corner of the state has been impacted by historic flooding, destructive tornadoes, and severe storms,” Parson said in a press release. “We’ve closed more than 380 roads, halted barge loading on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, shut down several railroad lines, and hundreds of families have been displaced from their homes – all because Mother Nature has refused to let up this spring. These critical issues place significant strain on our communities, farms, and businesses. We must take quick action to coordinate local, state, and federal resources to ensure Missourians have the tools to recover and rebuild as quickly as possible.”

The governor said assessments for individual assistance, which provides assistance to homeowners and renters who’ve experienced qualifying losses, will be prioritized over public assistance, which assists governments and eligible nonprofit organizations.

Joint damage assessments were requested late Wednesday for the following counties:

Individual assistance: Andrew, Atchison, Barry, Barton, Buchanan, Carroll, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Hickory, Holt, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Pike, Polk, Saline, St. Charles, Stone, Taney, and Webster counties.

Public assistance: Adair, Barry, Barton, Caldwell, Camden, Cedar, Chariton, Clark, Cole, Dade, Dallas, Dunklin, Gentry, Grundy, Hickory, Jasper, Knox, Laclede, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Miller, Monroe, New Madrid, Nodaway, Ozark, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, St. Charles, St. Clair, Schuyler, Scotland, Shannon, Shelby, Stoddard, Sullivan, Taney, and Wright counties.

The teams will jointly document damage to determine the resources needed to help recover from a disaster. The assessments do not include every affected home or business, but those who have experienced flood- and storm-related damage should report it to their local emergency manager. Additional counties are expected to be added to the request for joint assessments as they collect more information about damage locally.

National Flood Insurance Program figures show that from March 1, 2019, through Monday, more than 600 claims have been filed in Missouri for flooding losses. More than $9 million has been paid to 213 property owners. According to Parson’s office, the figure is expected to rise significantly as additional claims are resolved and additional claims are filed.

Individuals with unmet needs and those who would like to assist should contact United Way 211. Call 2-1-1 for assistance or contact 211 online at http://211helps.org.

On May 20, President Trump approved Parson’s request for a major disaster declaration to help local governments and nonprofit agencies in Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Carroll, Chariton, Holt, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Perry, Platte, Ray, and Ste. Genevieve counties recover from flooding and severe storms that occurred from March 11 to April 16.

The declaration made federal assistance available for the repair of damaged roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure, along with emergency response costs associated with the storms and flooding. The governor’s April 24 request stated $25 million in qualifying expenses had already been identified.

Missouri GOP congressman describes opioid epidemic as a “scourge”; supports PDMP

June 6, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(Reporter Bailey Strohl at Missourinet Springfield affiliate KSGF Radio contributed to this story)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- A congressman who represents southwest Missouri on Capitol Hill says a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is needed in the Show-Me State. U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, discussed the nation’s opioid crisis during a roundtable discussion this morning at Springfield’s Cox Medical Center South.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, speaks at a Springfield roundtable discussion about the opioid crisis on June 6, 2019 (photo courtesy of KSGF’s Bailey Strohl)

“No one doesn’t know someone that’s affected by it. I mean, it’s a scourge,” Long tells roundtable participants. “And so, that’s why we try and have get-togethers like this and find out what works and what doesn’t work.”

Congressman Long says the opioid crisis is killing people across the nation everyday.

“It’s killing 130 people a day in this country, I mean when I was growing up here in Springfield I never went home and my folks said so-and-so’s kid down the block died today,” says Long.

Cox officials are touting their new program that gives assistance and treatment to addicts who want to get clean. Cox officials also emphasize the need for a supervised short stay center to free up emergency rooms.

Congressman Long met with health care professionals today, including nurses. He toured Cox South’s neonatal intensive care unit to see how CoxHealth is treating babies who have a condition called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, a condition caused by mothers who are addicted to opioids while pregnant.

“It is truly devastating to see the impact opioid addiction is having in our community. Touring the neonatal intensive care unit and seeing babies affected by opioid addiction is heart-wrenching,” Long says.

Congressman Long notes that President Donald Trump has signed legislation into law called the SUPPORT the Patients and Communities Act, which establishes grants to combat the opioid epidemic.

He says CoxHealth has been awarded a $790,000 federal grant to expand rural telemedicine services such as substance abuse counseling and mental health treatment.

Cox South is located on what’s known as Springfield’s “Medical Mile.”

Long supports a statewide PDMP, which is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Long notes 49 other states have it, and that Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

“It’s an anomaly that we don’t have it,” says Long.

The Missouri House approved PDMP during the 2019 session, but the measure died in the Senate due to opposition from the Senate Conservative Caucus.

PDMP sponsor State Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, tells Missourinet she intends to file the legislation again in January.

Missouri Secretary of State rejects two referendum petitions against abortion bill

June 6, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has denied two referendum petitions today aimed at blocking sweeping anti-abortion legislation from becoming law. Ashcroft says the efforts are unconstitutional because part of the bill – about parental notification when a minor wants an abortion – has already become law.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft

“Under Supreme Court precedent, which I have to follow, it said very clearly that the referendum is not to be made to take out of action a law that has already been enacted,” Ashcroft says at a press conference in Jefferson City. “We have to follow the courts. We are a nation and a state of laws and not of men. If I make people unhappy because I do what the law says, that’s what is going to happen.”

One of the referendums was spearheaded by Republican megadonor David Humphreys, who urged the governor to veto the bill. In an email to the Kansas City Star, the Joplin businessman said he’s opposed to abortion but he supports a woman’s right to choose, particularly in rape or incest cases.

“We wanted to be very clear and very careful that we didn’t do anything that would lead to any sort of thought that it was a political decision,” says Ashcroft. “Regardless, if you say the sky is blue and the grass is green, someone will say it’s political.”

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, says nearly a century ago, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled the Legislature cannot block a bill from a referendum petition by tacking on a clause enacting the law immediately after the governor’s signature.

“Today’s refusal by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to do his job further demonstrates the disregard Republican elected officials have for the constitutional rights of Missourians. First, the governor signs a law to force people to remain pregnant against their will, even in cases of rape and incest. Now, the secretary of state is blocking Missouri voters from the opportunity to reject this harmful and unconstitutional law,” Quade says in a press release.

The ACLU calls Ashcroft’s move predictable and says it is assembling a lawsuit. Whether the case will be resolved by the time the rest of the law takes effect at the end of August is unclear.

The wide-ranging measure bans doctors from doing abortions on women if a fetal heartbeat is heard. Physicians who violate the law face five to fifteen years in prison. It would also forbid doctors from doing abortions if the baby would have Down syndrome or for sex or race-selective abortions. Under the bill, abortions would be allowed for medical emergencies but not rape or incest.

A third referendum in response to the anti-abortion bill is under review by Ashcroft’s office. Ashcroft, a Republican, hopes to complete that process in about one week.