A former board member of Missouri’s student-loan authority wants voters to be able to decide whether the state should sell part of the nonprofit agency’s assets to pay for campus construction and college scholarships, according to the Associated Press.
Missouri’s governor, Matt Blunt, a Republican, had pressed the $350-million plan, which the General Assembly approved this month and Mr. Blunt has signed into law.
Allan Purdy, a former member of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority’s board, filed a petition today seeking to put the decision of whether to give final approval to the sale before voters in November 2008. Missouri’s Constitution allows legislation that has been approved by state lawmakers to be put on the ballot for voter approval — or disapproval. To get on the ballot, a petition must be signed by at least 5 percent of voters in six of the state’s nine congressional districts, according to the AP. —Sara Hebel
