Keathley Disputes McCaskill Claims on Initiative Petition Challenges

Jefferson City - Missouri Commissioner of Administration Mike Keathley today said problems with a fiscal summary on an initiative petition that would ask voters to amend the state constitution to place a cap on spending are the fault of State Auditor Claire McCaskill, not his office as McCaskill has publicly contended.

            "I am profoundly disappointed that the state auditor, for whatever strange or partisan reason, has attempted to deflect blame onto our staff of professionals for a mistake made by her office," Keathley said. "This is not the kind of responsible leadership Missourians expect and deserve from their elected officials."

            "State law clearly says that the state auditor is responsible for preparing fiscal summaries for initiative petitions. We were pleased to consult with her office on this petition and gave her estimates at her request, which her staff admittedly mislabeled creating the confusion the courts are now trying to settle."

            After the Office of Administration's Budget and Planning division gave McCaskill's office their calculations, which were clearly noted and identified in response to her inquiry, they were not given the opportunity to review her fiscal note or fiscal summary before she submitted it to the secretary of state's office.

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