By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missourians will decide in November whether some highway funds can be used by other state agencies.
The state certified a petition drive Tuesday. A group called the Committee to Improve Missouri's Roads and Bridges collected almost 200,000 signatures, much more than is needed to put a question on the ballot. The state verified 155,893 of those names; only 121,302 were needed to force the question to the Nov. 2 ballot.
At issue is whether fees like those paid for driver's licenses and taxes paid on gas, as well as sales tax paid on cars should only be used to repair or build roads in Missouri.
Some lawmakers and business groups say voters are frustrated that all the money they pay doesn't go directly toward that construction.
Here is how the question will appear on the November 2, 2004 ballot:
"Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require that all revenues from the existing motor vehicle fuel tax (less collection costs) be used only for state and local highways, roads and bridges, and also require that vehicle taxes and fees paid by highway users be used only for constructing and maintaining the state highway system (less collection costs, refunds and highway patrol law enforcement costs), except that up to half of such vehicle taxes and fees, phased in over four years, will go into a state road bond fund to repay state highway bonds?
"The constitutional amendment has a zero net fiscal impact. The amendment increases funding for the Department of Transportation to be used for transportation purposes only and limits the use of highway user fee revenues by other state agencies. The indirect fiscal impact on state and local governments, if any, is unknown."