HANCOCK EFFORT HOSTS MONDAY HEARING HERE

U.S. Rep. Mel Hancock and Sandy McClure, state director of United We Stand America, will hold one in a series of public hearings discussing a stronger version of Missouri's tax and spending limitation amendment in Cape Girardeau Monday night.

Hancock, who authored the original amendment that bears his name and was passed by voters in 1980, has teamed up with United We Stand to try and build support for what is being termed: Hancock II.

In all, 19 public hearings will be held around the state. The meetings began Aug. 16 and will end Tuesday.

The hearing in Cape Girardeau will be at 7 p.m. at the Cape Public Library meeting room. Earlier Monday, at 10:30 a.m., a hearing is planned at the Chamber of Commerce building in Poplar Bluff.

Hancock, who is serving his third term in Congress from Southwest Missouri, said the meetings have three goals:

"To inform the public about the current plans of the Hancock II Committee to defend our constitution and the rights of taxpayers; to receive the input of taxpayers regarding what the Hancock II initiative should include; and to begin building an organization of interested volunteers and activists to help with the petition drive and initiative campaign."

McClure, who like Hancock lives in Springfield, explained the philosophy behind Hancock II is basic. "The people who pay for government should have the right to vote on tax increases and state elected leaders must stop avoiding such accountability," said McClure.

Besides planning a second ballot initiative, Hancock's group is also researching the possibility of taking legal action against the state legislature on the grounds it has circumvented the state constitution with some tax releases it has imposed in recent years.