Missouri 2024 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SJR79 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
3	3	and is intended to be omitted in the law.
4	4	SECOND REGULAR SESSION
5	5	SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 79
6	6	102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7	7	INTRODUCED BY SENATOR BROWN (26).
8	8	4266S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
9	9	JOINT RESOLUTION
10	10	Submitting to the qualified voters of Missouri, an amendment repealing sections 50 and 51 of
11	11	article III of the Constitution of Missouri, and adopting three new sections in lieu
12	12	thereof relating to procedures for ballot measures submitted to the voters.
13	13
14	14	Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring therein:
15	15	That at the next general election to be held in the 1
16	16	state of Missouri, on Tuesday next following the first Monday 2
17	17	in November, 2024, or at a special election to be called by 3
18	18	the governor for that purpose, there is hereby submitted to 4
19	19	the qualified voters of this state, for adoption or 5
20	20	rejection, the following amendment to article III of the 6
21	21	Constitution of the state of Missouri:7
22	22	Section A. Sections 50 and 51, article III, Constitution 1
23	23	of Missouri, are repealed and three new sections adopted in 2
24	24	lieu thereof, to be known as sections 50, 51, and 54, to read 3
25	25	as follows:4
26	26	Section 50. Initiative petitions proposing amendments 1
27	27	to the constitution shall be signed by eight percent of the 2
28	28	legal voters in each of two -thirds of the congressional 3
29	29	districts in the state, and petitions proposing laws shall 4
30	30	be signed by five percent of such voters. Every such 5
31	31	petition shall be filed with the secretary of state not less 6
32	32	than six months before the election and shall contain an 7
33	33	enacting clause and the full text of the measure. Legal 8
34	34	voters in each congressional district shall have the 9 SJR 79 2
35	35	opportunity to review and comment upon all initiative 10
36	36	petitions proposing an amendment to this constitution 11
37	37	following the filing of the petition with the secretary of 12
38	38	state and not less than fifteen days before the measure 13
39	39	appears on the ballot. Such review and comment process 14
40	40	shall be administered by the secretary of state in a public 15
41	41	forum. Petitions for constitutional amendments shall not 16
42	42	contain more than one amended and revised article of this 17
43	43	constitution, or one new article which shall not contain 18
44	44	more than one subject and matters properly connected 19
45	45	therewith, and the enacting clause thereof shall be "Be it 20
46	46	resolved by the people of the state of Missouri that th e 21
47	47	Constitution be amended:". Petitions for laws shall contain 22
48	48	not more than one subject which shall be expressed clearly 23
49	49	in the title, and the enacting clause thereof shall be "Be 24
50	50	it enacted by the people of the state of Missouri:". For 25
51	51	purposes of this article and article XII of this 26
52	52	constitution, only citizens of the United States of America, 27
53	53	who are eighteen years of age or older, who are residents of 28
54	54	the State of Missouri, and who are properly registered to 29
55	55	vote in the State of Missouri shall be considered legal 30
56	56	voters or electors. 31
57	57	Section 51. 1. The initiative shall not be used : 1
58	58	(1) For the appropriation of money other than of new 2
59	59	revenues created and provided for thereby [, or]; 3
60	60	(2) To permit a public offici al to receive gifts from 4
61	61	lobbyists; 5
62	62	(3) To raise sales taxes on food; 6
63	63	(4) To raise, expand, or impose any taxes or fees on 7
64	64	real estate, real estate transactions, or real or personal 8
65	65	property; 9 SJR 79 3
66	66	(5) To reduce the appropriation of money de dicated to 10
67	67	any law enforcement agency, the Missouri Department of the 11
68	68	National Guard, or first responders; 12
69	69	(6) To reduce state revenues for public education 13
70	70	under section 3(b) of article IX of this constitution; or 14
71	71	(7) For any other purpose prohibited by this 15
72	72	constitution. [Except as provided in this constitution, ] 16
73	73	2. It shall be unlawful for: 17
74	74	(1) A government of a foreign country or a foreign 18
75	75	political party to sponsor an initiative petition for any 19
76	76	purpose whatsoever, includ ing but not limited to, the 20
77	77	purchase of farmland in Missouri; 21
78	78	(2) A government of a foreign country or a foreign 22
79	79	political party to directly or indirectly make: 23
80	80	(a) A contribution or donation of money or other thing 24
81	81	of value, or make an expr ess or implied promise to make a 25
82	82	contribution or donation, in connection with an initiative 26
83	83	petition; 27
84	84	(b) A contribution or donation to a political 28
85	85	committee or a political party favoring or opposing an 29
86	86	initiative petition; or 30
87	87	(c) An expenditure, independent expenditure, or 31
88	88	disbursement for an electioneering communication, whether 32
89	89	print, broadcast, or digital media, or otherwise, related to 33
90	90	an initiative petition; or 34
91	91	(3) A person to solicit, accept, or receive a 35
92	92	contribution or donation from a government of a foreign 36
93	93	country or a foreign political party, in connection with an 37
94	94	initiative petition. 38
95	95	3. (1) Any measure [proposed] proposing laws shall 39
96	96	take effect when approved by a majority of the votes cast 40
97	97	thereon. 41 SJR 79 4
98	98	(2) Notwithstanding section 2(b) of article XII of 42
99	99	this constitution to the contrary, any measure proposing an 43
100	100	amendment to this constitution shall take effect when 44
101	101	approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon statewide 45
102	102	by legal voters and also a majo rity of votes cast thereon in 46
103	103	each of more than half of the congressional districts by 47
104	104	legal voters. 48
105	105	(3) When conflicting measures are approved at the same 49
106	106	election the one receiving the largest affirmative vote 50
107	107	shall prevail. 51
108	108	4. The general assembly shall have exclusive authority 52
109	109	to enact laws enforcing provisions in this constitution 53
110	110	relating to ballot measures. 54
111	111	Section 54. 1. Notwithstanding section 27 of this 1
112	112	article to the contrary, until three years following th e 2
113	113	effective date of any law approved by the people through the 3
114	114	initiative petition process, the general assembly shall not 4
115	115	pass any law amending or repealing such measure unless, by a 5
116	116	vote of yeas and nays, at least four -sevenths of the members 6
117	117	serving in each house, less any vacancies, be recorded as 7
118	118	voting favorably. 8
119	119	2. In the event that a court of competent jurisdiction 9
120	120	issues a final judgment that declares a law approved by the 10
121	121	people through the initiative petition process 11
122	122	unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, in whole or in part, 12
123	123	or that otherwise renders the law inoperable and of no force 13
124	124	and effect of law, in whole or in part, the provisions of 14
125	125	subsection 1 of this section shall not apply and the general 15
126	126	assembly may amend or repe al such measure in a manner that 16
127	127	is otherwise consistent with this constitution. 17
128	128	3. If any initiative petition proposing a 18
129	129	constitutional amendment that is approved by the people is 19 SJR 79 5
130	130	found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be 20
131	131	unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, in whole or in part, 21
132	132	the remaining provisions of the amendment shall also be 22
133	133	invalid. 23
134	134	4. Subsections 1 and 2 of this section shall not apply 24
135	135	to any constitutional amendment adopted through the 25
136	136	initiative petition process. 26
137	137	Section B. Under chapter 116, and other applicable 1
138	138	constitutional provisions and laws of this state allowing 2
139	139	the general assembly to adopt ballot language for the 3
140	140	submission of a joint resolution to the voters of this 4
141	141	state, the official ballot title of the amendment proposed 5
142	142	in Section A shall be as follows: 6
143	143	
144	144	7 "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
145	145	8
146	146	9
147	147	• Allow only U.S. citizens to sign and vote on
148	148	initiatives;
149	149
150	150	10 • Forbid foreign countries from funding initiatives;
151	151	11
152	152	12
153	153	• Restrict lawmakers from undoing laws approved by the
154	154	people;
155	155
156	156	13
157	157	14
158	158	• Ban initiatives allowing lobbyists' gifts to
159	159	lawmakers;
160	160
161	161	15
162	162	16
163	163	• Pass constitutional initiatives by a majority vote in
164	164	a majority of congressional districts?".
165	165