JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri judge says he will rule soon on whether to block a November ballot measure seeking to change the way House and Senate districts are drawn and limit lobbyist gifts.
Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green heard arguments Friday from attorneys for a Republican voter and the head of Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They claim the so-called Clean Missouri initiative violates the state constitution by addressing multiple subjects.
Lawyers for the attorney general’s office and initiative sponsors say it deals with only one topic – the state Legislature.
Legislative districts are redrawn by bipartisan commissions after every census. The initiative would have a state demographer submit plans achieve “partisan fairness” and “competitiveness.”
It also would prohibit lobbyist gifts over $5 and would reduce campaign contribution limits.
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