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State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican, issued an audit of Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office and downgraded his administration to the second-lowest rating because it illegally withheld documentation about election cybersecurity. Ashcroft, who is also a Republican, criticized the report as a political attack.
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A Missouri appeals court ruled that Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's titles for six abortion-rights ballot issues were "replete with politically partisan language." Even though the proposed constitutional amendments cover all aspects of reproductive health care, Ashcroft's titles had a single-minded focus on abortion.
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State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says a review of the Children’s Division, which has struggled for years to recruit and retain staff, may not happen right away because of staff constraints in his own office. Meanwhile, Missouri has a backlog of more than 10,000 open child abuse and neglect cases.
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The litigation asks a Cole County judge to reject the proposed constitutional amendments or rewrite the summary and fiscal note.
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The attorney general's office refused to sign off on a proposed amendment that would add abortion rights to the Missouri constitution. Although the state auditor's fiscal note estimated minimal cost to the state, Andrew Bailey demanded that the auditor inaccurately increase the estimate by billions of dollars.
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Proponents of an initiative petition seeking to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution have been unable to begin collecting signatures because of a showdown between the attorney general and state auditor. In a lawsuit, Missouri ACLU claims that Attorney General Andrew Bailey has made an illegal effort to falsely increase the cost of the amendment.
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Emails show Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s office completed its work on the cost estimate for an abortion rights ballot issue, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey refused to give what has traditionally been considered perfunctory approval — and demanded the auditor falsely inflate the numbers.
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The former state Treasurer replaces Nicole Galloway, who was the last remaining Democrat in Missouri to hold an elected statewide position.
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Vivek Malek is succeeding Scott Fitzpatrick, who was elected state auditor in November. The election for the next treasurer will occur in 2024, and Malek says he plans to run for the position.
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The auditor’s office, tasked with the impartial review of public spending, is currently the only statewide office held by a Democrat. Current Auditor Nicole Galloway decided not to seek another term.
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If schools refused to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop any and all COVID-19 restrictions, thousands in savings to taxpayers were at risk. In the nearly three months since the state required the certification form, 21 districts signed and seven refused.
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Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick said he issued the condition after Attorney General Eric Schmitt directed health authorities and school districts to stop their COVID mitigation efforts.