Several of the measures that were passed by the Missouri General Assembly this year will be seen on either the August or the November ballot. They will be on the ballot because they are either constitutional changes, which require a vote of Missouri citizens, or a tax increase that the legislature felt should be voted on by the citizens. Among these proposals is one that would benefit Missouri veterans.

The Missouri Legislature approved House Joint Resolution 48 back on May 15. This resolution would give Missouri voters the chance to decide on a constitutional amendment that would require the State Lottery Commission to develop and sell a veterans lottery ticket. Proceeds would to go to the Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund. Voters will see this question on their Aug. 5 ballot.

Where a portion of Missouri Lottery ticket sales go toward education, all of the net proceeds from the veterans lottery ticket would go into the capital improvement trust fund. This way, no money would be taken away from our schools. In the same way, many people will buy an occasional lottery ticket to support students. Some people will also play the lottery more often to help our veterans.

I have always supported our veterans, and have done everything I can to help them as long as I have been in the Missouri General Assembly. Over the last few years, lawmakers have worked to make our fighting men and women — past, present and future — a bigger priority in the work we do. It was legislation passed in 2012 that helped clarify funding for the Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund. Having this resource enables the Missouri Veterans Commission to keep veterans cemeteries and homes in better condition. We have a large number of veterans in Missouri, especially with so many troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and we want them to be taken care of.

There are other ballot measures that will be a part of both the August primary and the November general elections. We will work to detail all of these different measures before those election dates arrive.

In the meantime, the weather has certainly been a factor for many of us in northeast Missouri. Thanks to the rain and warm temperatures in late May, most of us were able to get all of our crops planted. My hope is we continue to see a good mixture of sunshine and rain. We have had too many up and down years, with too much of one or the other. It would be nice to have a more normal year and a healthy harvest.

Fair season is right around the corner, and I am looking forward to seeing many of you in the weeks to come in 2014.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Thank you.