Capital Report: Aug. 2, 2018

In less than a week, Missourians will be able to exercise one of their most important rights by heading to the polls to vote in the August 7 primary. Voters from all over the state will participate in the elections process to help determine who will represent them in the halls of government. By casting their votes, they will able to make their voices heard on candidates and issues that will help determine the path the state takes heading into the future.

While the state generally sees strong voter turnout for the November general election, voters typically participate at a much lower rate during the August primary. In fact, Missouri typically sees voter turnout in the 20 to 25 percent range for primary elections. As a matter of comparison, the August 2016 primary saw 24.8 percent of voters participate in the process while the November general saw voter turnout greater than 66 percent of the state’s registered voters.

The primary turnout means, in effect, that three out of every four voters choose to disenfranchise themselves by not participating in the process. When considering that some primaries in 2016 were decided by as few as 50 votes, it reinforces the fact that every vote counts!

Individuals interested in checking their polling location, and what issues or candidates will be on the ballot, can visit http://www.GoVoteMissouri.com and click on the “Where Do I Vote?” link, or contact their local election official. Any questions about elections can be directed to 800-669-8683. For information on Missouri’s photo voter ID law that went into effect last year, Missourians can visit http://www.ShowIt2Vote.com.

There will be one statewide referendum on the ballot on August 7, Right to Work. I have ran into quite a bit of confusion about this issue, so I will make a quick summary to start this report.

Right to Work

During the 2016 legislative session, the General Assembly passed and the governor a bill making Missouri the 27th Right to Work state. However, signatures were gathered to send the measure to what is known as a referendum veto. Just as the governor can strike down a bill, so can the voters. Therefore, it is important for you to make it to the polls and document your position on this issue.

Here is a quick rundown of the bill: it does not outlaw unions in any way. However, it does remove the requirement to join a union to hold a job if that employer is unionized.

 A YES VOTE means that WORKERS MAY HOLD A JOB WITHOUT BEING FORCED TO BE A UNION MEMBER AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.

 A NO VOTE means that CLOSED SHOPS MAY CONTINUE TO REQUIRE THAT ALL EMPLOYEES BE UNION MEMBERS.

This is the essence of the legislation.

Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday

As summer starts to wind down, families will now turn their attention to sending their kids back to school. School starting up again soon means parents will need to buy new school supplies and clothes to get their children ready for the classroom. To help with this process, Missouri has a three-day back-to-school tax holiday that exempts everything from school supplies to computers from sales tax.

Approved by the legislature in 2003, the three-day period allows parents to buy school-related items such as clothing, school supplies and computers without having to pay the state sales tax of 4.225 percent. In some cases, local municipalities have also chosen to honor the holiday, which means parents in these areas will be able to forego local sales tax as well.

For a complete list of the cities and counties that have chosen not to participate, please use the following link:

http://dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/school/

This is a great way for Missourians to stretch their dollars by making the cost of going back to school a little more affordable. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of the holiday that begins Friday, Aug. 3 at 12:01 a.m. and runs through Sunday, Aug. 5. It’s important to note that the school supply tax exemption has a limit of $50 per purchase, while the clothing exemption has a $100 limit and the personal computer tax exemption has a limit of $1,500. For more information, please visit: http://dor.mo.gov/business/sales/taxholiday/school/consumers.php.

Also, as promised I will continue to summarize Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed (TAFP) bills from this legislative session. This week I will wrap up House bills and move to Senate bills next week.