HCSHJR79--CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
SPONSOR: Henderson
COMMITTEEACTION:Voted"DoPasswithHCS"bytheStanding
CommitteeonElectionsandElectedOfficialsbyavoteof9to4.
ThefollowingisasummaryoftheHouseCommitteeSubstitutefor
HJR79.
Uponvoterapproval,thisproposedConstitutional amendmentwould
requireanamendmenttothestateConstitutiontoachieveatwo-
thirdssupermajorityvoteforpassage. Amendmentswilltakeeffect
30daysaftertheelectionifapproved.
TheresolutionspecifiesthattheConstitutional phrase"legal
voter"isdefinedasanindividualwhoisacitizenoftheUnited
States,aresidentofMissouri,andwhoisproperlyregisteredto
vote.
Theresolutionalsorequirespetitionsignaturestoplaceameasure
ontheballotasaConstitutional amendmenttobecollectedineach
Congressionaldistrictusingapercentagerequirementof10%.Laws
maybeplacedontheballotusingapercentagerequirementof5%.
Theresolutioncontainsballotlanguagesubmittedtothevoters
underChapter116,RSMo.
TheresolutionhasadelayedeffectivedateofJanuary1,2023.
ThisbillissimilartoHJR20(2021).
Thefollowingisasummaryofthepublictestimonyfromthe
committeehearing. Thetestimonywasbasedontheintroduced
versionofthebill.
PROPONENTS: Supporterssaythatthebillwillprovideahigher
standardforconstitutional amendmentsthanforordinarylaws.
Thistypeofsupermajorityrequirementiscommonforconstitutional
provisionsandfoundintheconstitutionoftheUnitedStatesand
manyotherstates.Missouri'scurrentconstitutionhasbeen
amendedapproximately60timessince1945andisover200pages
long.Only18stateshaveconstitutional initiativepetition
processesandmostofthoserequiresupermajorityvotes.
TestifyingforthebillwereRepresentative Hendersonand
OpportunitySolutionsProject.
OPPONENTS: Thosewhoopposethebillsaythatcollecting signaturesisveryexpensiveandtheresolutionmayinhibit
grassrootsmovementsfromparticipationinthedemocraticprocess.
Missouri'sbasicconstitutionswerealladoptedatconventionsby
simplemajorityvote.TheConstitutionof1945wasapprovedbythe
voterswithasimplemajorityvoteandthismethodhasalwaysbeen
usedinMissouri. Increasingthevoterequirementformallymeans
thatvotesdonotcountequallyinthata"no"votewouldbe
equivalenttotwo"yes"votesassuminga2/3requirement.
Theinitiativeprocesshasbeeninplacelongerthanwomen's
suffrageandisanimportantpartofallowingdemocraticvotesin
favorofwomen'srights.
TestifyingagainstthebillwereErinGray;SusanGibson;Angie
Dunlap,LeagueofWomenVotersofMetroSt.Louis;DavidJames
Mitchell;ElizabethFranklin;LindaKram;MargaretRowe;Randee
Steffen;WilliamC.Rowe;AliceBarber;ArnieC.Dienoff;Barbara
Ross;BenSenturia;UnitedForMissouri;CherylSBarnes;Missouri
HealthCareForAll;ClairLaughlin;CollinsFChetwin;Cynthia
Erb;DeniseD.Lieberman,MissouriVoterProtectionCoalition;
DeniseHaskamp;DonaldClarke,TelecomForesightConsulting,LLC;
DonnaHoch;GregoryWoodhams;MissouriAFL-CIO;JamesJanes;James
Pesek;JamesRTurner;JeffBriggs;JeffHolzem;Jennifer
Bernstein,NationalCouncilofJewishWomen-St.Louis;JoanGentry;
JoelAchtenberg;KaraBomo;KateHoerchler;LindaM.Green;Lori
Staub;LynElliot;AdvocatesofPlannedParenthoodofTheSt.Louis
RegionandSouthwestMo;ProChoiceMissouri;MargieRichcreek;
MelissaVatterott,MissouriCoalitionfortheEnvironment;Renie
Lauter;SarahStarnes;ScottMckellar;SharonSchneeberger;Shelley
Swoyer;SherryL.Buchanan;ShirleyMurphy;StephenW.Skrainka;
LeagueofWomenVotersofMissouri;ScottRandolph;AnneCalvert
Bettis;MissouriBudgetProject;MissouriNationalEducation
Association;JobsWithJusticeVoterAction;AllynHarrisDault;
andStephanieClarke.
OTHERS:Otherstestifyingonthebillsayvoterturnoutshouldbe
considered. Insomeelectionsvoterturnoutisverylowandavery
smallpercentageoflegalvoterscouldamendtheconstitution. The
costofplacinganissueontheballotisapproximately$3million.
Theresolutiondoesnotmodifytheconstitutional convention
processwhichcouldbeimplementedbymajorityvote.Thegovernor
isauthorizedtoplacetheresolutionontheballotataspecial
election.
TestifyingonthebillwasTrishVincent,MissouriSecretaryOf
State. Writtentestimonyhasbeensubmittedforthisbill.Thefull
writtentestimonycanbefoundunderTestimonyonthebillpageon
theHousewebsite.