Abortion petition faces another roadblock in Missouri

POWER OF THE PEOPLE AND YOUR RIGHT TO PUT AN ISSUE TO A VOTE IN MISSOURI. IF YOU GET ENOUGH SIGNATURES. WELL, THE BACK AND FORTH OVER THE INITIATIVE PETITION PROCESS IS BACK IN COURT. FIRST, THERE WAS A LONG HOLD UP BY MISSOURI STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL. NOW ABORTION RIGHTS ADVOCATES ARE TAKING ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE. AT ISSUE, THE BALLOT LANGUAGE. REPUBLICAN SECRETARY JAY ASHCROFT, WHO’S RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR, WANTS FOR A PROPOSED AMENDMENT PROTECTING A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE. CRITICS SAY THE LANGUAGE PROPOSED BY THE SECRETARY IS MISLEADING. IT DESCRIBES IN PART ALLOWING DANGEROUS, UNREGULATED AND UNRESTRICTED ABORTIONS. AND ADVOCATES SAY THAT’S JUST NOT THE CASE. MISSOURIANS DON’T NEED THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HE THINKS ABORTION IS. YOU SAY THE WORD ABORTION IN ZARINS KNOW WHAT IT IS THE STATUTE REQUIRES ME TO WRITE LANGUAGE THAT WOULD CLEARLY AND CONCISELY SUMMARIZE WHAT IT IS. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER OR NOT THAT IS A TRUE STATEMENT OR NOT. I HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LAW OR A COAL COUNTY JUDGE HEARD ARGUMENTS LAST WEEK, AND THIS PETITION, REMEMBER, HAS TO GET ENOUGH SIGNATURES BEFORE IT CAN BE PUT ON A BALLOT. EVEN THOUGH WE ARE MORE THAN A YEAR AWAY FROM ELECTION DAY, TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THAT TO HAPPEN IN 2024. LET’S BRING IN OUR ROUNDTABLE, HASH IT ALL OUT, DISCUSS SOME OTHER MAJOR ISSUES WE’RE WATCHING. PLEASE WELCOME BACK BRIAN ELLISON, HOST, CONTRIBUTOR WITH KCUR AND KMBC NINE POLITICAL REPORTER MICHAEL MAHONEY. ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN, WE KNOW MISSOURI IS ONE OF SEVERAL STATES TRYING TO GET ABORTION PROTECTIONS ON THE BALLOT IN PETITIONS, ESPECIALLY BRIAN, ADVOCATES KEEP HITTING THESE ROADBLOCKS, THOUGH. WELL, AND I THINK MISSOURI IS IS RUNNING INTO A REAL PERHAPS DRAWBACK OF ITS SYSTEM OF PETITION REVIEW, WHERE IT ENTRUSTS THE WRITING OF THAT BALLOT LANGUAGE TO A PARTIZAN OFFICE. THE SECRETARY OF STATE. THIS HAS COME UP NOT ONLY WITH JAY ASHCROFT NOW ON SEVERAL ISSUES, BUT EVEN WITH PRIOR SECRETARIES OF STATE, WHERE, YOU KNOW AND I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU PUT A POLL IN THE FIELD, HOW PEOPLE ANSWER IT DEPENDS ON HOW THE QUESTION IS ASKED. AND IN THIS CASE, WHERE THE ISSUE IS ABORTION RIGHTS AND JAY ASHCROFT, WHO IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR, AS YOU SAID, IS CLEARLY SEEKING TO TO ADVOCATE FOR A PARTICULAR POSITION ON ABORTION RIGHTS. HE CAN FRAME THAT QUESTION HOW HE WANTS TO. AND IT’S LED TO LAWSUIT AFTER LAWSUIT. AND THE OTHER THING IS, YOU’RE RIGHT THAT TIME IS TICKING ON THIS. THIS WHOLE DEBATE OVER WHAT THIS LANGUAGE SHOULD LOOK LIKE HAS PROBABLY COST THE PETITION COLLECTOR FOLKS OVER 100 DAYS, MORE THAN THREE MONTHS OF TIME THAT THEY EXPECTED TO BE OUT TRYING TO GATHER THESE SIGNATURES THROUGHOUT THE STATE. IT WAS SPECIFICALLY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. THERE’S ANOTHER BIG PETITION ISSUE THAT WE’RE WATCHING AND AND THREE OF THE LOCAL SPORTS TEAMS IN KANSAS CITY HAVE ALSO WEIGHED ON THE SPORTS BETTING BAN A COUPLE OF TIMES NOW. MAHONEY WHERE IT HASN’T MADE IT THROUGH THE STATE SENATE AND NOW THESE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS, EVEN THE CARDINALS IN SAINT LOUIS AND A COUPLE OF TEAMS OUT THERE ARE SAYING, LOOK, WE WANT TO GET THIS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. YEAH, THERE’S BROAD SUPPORT IN PARTS OF MISSOURI FOR SOME SORT OF SPORTS BETTING LIKE 35 OTHER STATES. THE HANG UP IN MISSOURI HAS BEEN IN THE STATE SENATE BECAUSE OF A DISPUTE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD. THE WHOLE ISSUE SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO THESE SLOT MACHINES, SLOT MACHINES LIKE MACHINES THAT ARE IN SOME CONVENIENCE STORES AROUND HERE THAT GETS HUNG UP AND HAS THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IN THE LEGISLATURE. SO WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS THE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS ARE SAYING, WE THINK THAT WE’VE GOT THE POPULAR SUPPORT BEHIND THIS. WE’RE GOING TO LAUNCH A PETITION DRIVE, GET IT ON THE BALLOT IN 2024. BUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT ARE THAT THE LEGISLATION, IF IT IS PASSED BY THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE, IS GOING TO BE WRITTEN BY THE LOBBYISTS FOR THE SPORTS BETTING INDUSTRY. SO THE LEGISLATURE HAS GIVEN AWAY THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE WHATEVER REGULATORY STRUCTURES, WHATEVER PERHAPS HIGHER PROFITS TO GO TO THE STATE OUT OF THOSE REVENUES. SO WE’LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. BUT IT CERTAINLY IS A IS PERHAPS NOT THE PREFERRED WAY TO DO IT FROM A LAWMAKERS STANDPOINT. WELL, AND THAT’S THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN KANSAS AS WELL. RIGHT. IT’S A GOOD POINT. IT’S THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, THOUGH, RIGHT? IF YOU PUT IT TO THE PETITION, THIS IS THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE VETO SESSION. OF COURSE. MISSOURI GOVERNOR MIKE PARSON DIDN’T VETO MUCH DURING THE SESSION, BUT THE HOUSE STILL HAD ITS VETO SESSION. SO THERE ARE SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS, INCLUDING SOME HISTORY BEING MADE IN THE HOUSE. INDEED, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, THERE’S GOING TO BE A JACKSON COUNTY AND HAS THE NEXT SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN 2025. DEAN PLETCHER HAS THAT JOB. PLETCHER HAS THAT JOB RIGHT NOW, AND HE’LL HAVE IT FOR THE CURRENT SESSION. JOHN PATTERSON, A DOCTOR FROM LEE’S SUMMIT WHO CHAIRED A SPECIAL COVID COMMITTEE. HE’S BEEN A LEGISLATOR FOR A LONG TIME, HAS A GOOD REPUTATION ON, WILL BE THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IN 2025. THE THE GOVERNORS, ALL OF THE GOVERNOR’S VETOES WERE UPHELD DURING THIS SESSION. THE HOUSE TRIED TO OVERRIDE ABOUT A DOZEN OF THEM, 11 OR 12. AND THEY DID SUCCESSFULLY DO THAT. HOWEVER, THE THE THE STATE SENATE TOOK UP NONE OF THEM. THEIR BUDGET CHAIR SAID WE’RE NOT INTERESTED IN TRYING TO DO ANY OF THIS BECAUSE NONE OF THEM ARE GOING TO PASS. AND SO WE’RE NOT EVEN GOING TO CONSIDER THEM. SO IT WAS ONE DAY SESSION. OKAY, SO IT’S QUICK. BUT AGAIN, SOME HISTORY MADE FOR JACKSON COUNTY. DO YOU THINK THAT THAT HELPS ISSUES HERE IN THE METRO? WELL, POTENTIALLY IT DOES. I MEAN, THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IS A VERY POWERFUL POSITION FOR SETTING THE AGENDA FOR LEGISLATORS. LYON AND KANSAS CITY HAS OFTEN FELT LIKE IT WAS NOT AT THE TOP OF THE PRIORITY LIST. SO IT’S A BIG DEAL. AND LET’S NOTE ONE OTHER THING, JOHN PATTERSON WILL BE THE FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN TO HOLD THAT POSITION IN MISSOURI AS WELL. SO ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT LANDMARK FOR THE STATE. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER KEY TAKEAWAYS? KEEP YOUR EYE ON THIS THE NEXT FEW DAYS HERE IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, BECAUSE THE ROYALS ARE GOING TO COME OUT AND ANNOUNCE PRETTY QUICKLY HERE WHETHER THEY ARE GOING TO GO DOWNTOWN WITH THEIR STADIUM, AS MANY EXPECT, OR THAT THEY’RE GOING TO GO TO CLAY COUNTY, NORTH OF NORTH OF THE RIVER. THAT IS SOMETHING TO KEE

POWER OF THE PEOPLE: Abortion petition faces another roadblock in Missouri

We’re taking another look at the petition process, once again held up in Missouri courts. As abortion advocates fight for better language on what could be a constitutional question in 2024, professional teams consider how the process could be used to legalize sports gambling. Our roundtable takes a look.

Updated: 11:30 AM CDT Sep 17, 2023