COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH
OVERSIGHT DIVISION
FISCAL NOTE
L.R. No.:1094S.01I Bill No.:SJR 17 Subject:Constitutional Amendments; Initiative and Referendum Petitions; General
Assembly
Type:Original Date:January 10, 2023Bill Summary:This joint resolution modifies provisions relating to the legislative process.
FISCAL SUMMARY
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON GENERAL REVENUE FUNDFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026
General Revenue*
$0 or (More than
$7,000,000)
$0$0Total Estimated Net
Effect on General
Revenue
$0 or (More than
$7,000,000)$0$0
*The potential fiscal impact of “(More than $7,000,000)” would be realized only if a special
election were called by the Governor to submit this joint resolution to voters.
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON OTHER STATE FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Total Estimated Net
Effect on Other State
Funds $0$0$0
Numbers within parentheses: () indicate costs or losses. L.R. No. 1094S.01I
Bill No. SJR 17
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ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FEDERAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Total Estimated Net
Effect on All Federal
Funds $0$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON FULL TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE)FUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Total Estimated Net
Effect on FTE 000
☒ Estimated Net Effect (expenditures or reduced revenues) expected to exceed $250,000 in any
of the three fiscal years after implementation of the act or at full implementation of the act.
☐ Estimated Net Effect (savings or increased revenues) expected to exceed $250,000 in any of
the three fiscal years after implementation of the act or at full implementation of the act.
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON LOCAL FUNDSFUND AFFECTEDFY 2024FY 2025FY 2026Local Government$0*$0$0
*Transfer out and transfer in net to zero if the Governor calls a special election. L.R. No. 1094S.01I
Bill No. SJR 17
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FISCAL ANALYSIS
ASSUMPTION
Officials from Office of the Secretary of State (SOS) assume, each year, a number of joint
resolutions that would refer to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment and bills that
would refer to a vote of the people the statutory issue in the legislation may be considered by the
General Assembly.
Unless a special election is called for the purpose, Joint Resolutions proposing a constitutional
amendment are submitted to a vote of the people at the next general election. Article XII section
2(b) of the Missouri Constitution authorizes the governor to order a special election for
constitutional amendments referred to the people. If a special election is called to submit a Joint
Resolution to a vote of the people, section 115.063.2 RSMo requires the state to pay the costs.
The cost of the special election has been estimated to be $7 million based on the cost of the 2020
Presidential Preference Primary.
The Secretary of State’s office is required to pay for publishing in local newspapers the full text
of each statewide ballot measure as directed by Article XII, Section 2(b) of the Missouri
Constitution and Section 116.230-116.290, RSMo. Funding for this item is adjusted each year
depending upon the election cycle. A new decision item is requested in odd numbered fiscal
years and the amount requested is dependent upon the estimated number of ballot measures that
will be approved by the General Assembly and the initiative petitions certified for the ballot. In
FY 2014, the General Assembly changed the appropriation so that it was no longer an estimated
appropriation.
For the FY22 petitions cycle, the SOS estimates publication costs at $70,000 per page. This
amount is subject to change based on number of petitions received, length of those petitions and
rates charged by newspaper publishers.
The Secretary of State’s office will continue to assume, for the purposes of this fiscal note, that it
should have the full appropriation authority it needs to meet the publishing requirements.
Because these requirements are mandatory, the SOS reserves the right to request funding to meet
the cost of the publishing requirements if the Governor and the General Assembly again change
the amount or continue to not designate it as an estimated appropriation.
Oversight has reflected, in this fiscal note, the state potentially reimbursing local political
subdivisions the cost of having this joint resolution voted on during a special election in fiscal
year 2024. This reflects the decision made by the Joint Committee on Legislative Research that
the cost of the elections should be shown in the fiscal note. The next scheduled statewide
primary election is in August 2024 and the next scheduled general election is in November 2024
(both in FY 2025). It is assumed the subject within this proposal could be on one of these ballots;
however, it could also be on a special election called for by the Governor (a different date). L.R. No. 1094S.01I
Bill No. SJR 17
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Therefore, Oversight will reflect a potential election cost reimbursement to local political
subdivisions in FY 2024.
Officials from the St. Louis City Board of Elections assume increased voter approval
thresholds could decrease the number of petitions circulated resulting in fewer work hours
needed to process potential petitions and fiscal savings.
Oversight notes there is no way to determine if increased voter approval thresholds would result
in fewer petitions. Oversight assumes this proposal will have an insignificant fiscal savings, if
any, to local election authorities; therefore, Oversight will not reflect an impact on the fiscal
note.
Officials from the Missouri House of Representatives, Missouri Senate, Jackson County
Board of Elections, Platte County Board of Elections, Kansas City Board of Elections, and
St. Louis County Board of Elections
their respective organizations. Oversight does not have any information to the contrary.
Therefore, Oversight will reflect a zero impact in the fiscal note for these agencies.
Oversight only reflects the responses received from state agencies and political subdivisions;
however, other local election authorities and county clerks were requested to respond to this
proposed legislation but did not. A listing of political subdivisions included in the Missouri
Legislative Information System (MOLIS) database is available upon request.
FISCAL IMPACT – State GovernmentFY 2024
(10 Mo.)
FY 2025FY 2026GENERAL REVENUETransfer Out - SOS - reimbursement of
local election authority election costs if
a special election is called by the
Governor
$0 or (More
than
$7,000,000)$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
GENERAL REVENUE
$0 or (More
than
$7,000,000)
$0$0 L.R. No. 1094S.01I
Bill No. SJR 17
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FISCAL IMPACT – Local GovernmentFY 2024
(10 Mo.)
FY 2025FY 2026LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS
Transfer In - Local Election
Authorities - reimbursement of election
costs by the State for a special election
$0 or More
than
$7,000,000
$0$0
Costs - Local Election Authorities -
cost of a special election if called for by
the Governor
$0 or (More
than
$7,000,000)$0$0
ESTIMATED NET EFFECT ON
LOCAL POLITICAL
SUBDIVISIONS$0$0$0
FISCAL IMPACT – Small Business
No direct fiscal impact to small businesses would be expected as a result of this proposal.
FISCAL DESCRIPTION
This joint resolution, if approved by the voters, creates the "Protecting the Missouri Constitution
Act."
The resolution provides that only citizens of the United States who are residents of the State of
Missouri and properly registered to vote shall be permitted to sign initiative petitions or cast
votes on any ballot measure submitted to the people.
Current law provides that initiative petitions proposing constitutional amendments shall take
effect when approved by a simple majority of the votes cast thereon. This resolution requires
constitutional amendments to be approved by at least two-thirds of the votes cast thereon.
The resolution prohibits entering the State of Missouri into a national compact for the purpose of
electing the President of the United State based on the national popular vote.
This legislation is not federally mandated, would not duplicate any other program and would not
require additional capital improvements or rental space. L.R. No. 1094S.01I
Bill No. SJR 17
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SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Office of the Secretary of State
Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri Senate
Jackson County Board of Elections
Platte County Board of Elections
Kansas City Board of Elections
St. Louis City Board of Elections
St. Louis County Board of Elections
Julie MorffRoss StropeDirectorAssistant DirectorJanuary 10, 2023January 10, 2023