Missouri 2025 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB644 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	FIRST REGULAR SESSION
5	5	SENATE BILL NO. 644
6	6	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7	7	INTRODUCED BY SENATOR CRAWFORD.
8	8	2477S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
9	9	AN ACT
10	10	To repeal section 29.230, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to audits of
11	11	political subdivisions.
12	12
13	13	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
14	14	Section A. Section 29.230, RSMo, is repealed and one new 1
15	15	section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 29.230, 2
16	16	to read as follows:3
17	17	29.230. 1. In every county which does not elect a 1
18	18	county auditor, the state auditor shall audit, without cost 2
19	19	to the county, at least once during the term for which any 3
20	20	county officer is chosen, the accounts of the various county 4
21	21	officers supported in whole or in part by public moneys. 5
22	22	2. The state auditor shall audit any political 6
23	23	subdivision of the state, including counties having a county 7
24	24	auditor, if requested to do so by a petition submitted by a 8
25	25	person who resides or owns real property within the 9
26	26	boundaries or area of service of the political subdivision 10
27	27	and such petition is submitted to the state auditor within 11
28	28	one year from requesting the petition from the state auditor 12
29	29	and is signed by the requisite percent of the qualified 13
30	30	voters of the political subdivision. The requisite percent 14
31	31	of qualified voters to cause such an audit to be conducted 15
32	32	shall be determined as follows: 16
33	33	(1) If the number of qualified voters of the political 17
34	34	subdivision determined on the basis of the votes cast in the 18 SB 644 2
35	35	last gubernatorial election held prior to the [filing] 19
36	36	requesting of the petition from the state auditor is less 20
37	37	than one thousand, twenty -five percent of the qualified 21
38	38	voters of the political subdivision determined on the basis 22
39	39	of the registered voters e ligible to vote at the last 23
40	40	gubernatorial election held prior to the [filing] requesting 24
41	41	of the petition; 25
42	42	(2) If the number of qualified voters of the political 26
43	43	subdivision determined on the basis of the votes cast in the 27
44	44	last gubernatorial elect ion held prior to the [filing] 28
45	45	requesting of the petition from the state auditor is one 29
46	46	thousand or more but less than five thousand, fifteen 30
47	47	percent of the qualified voters of the political subdivision 31
48	48	determined on the basis of the votes cast in the last 32
49	49	gubernatorial election held prior to the [filing] requesting 33
50	50	of the petition, provided that the number of qualified 34
51	51	voters signing such petition is not less than two hundred; 35
52	52	(3) If the number of qualified voters of the political 36
53	53	subdivision determined on the basis of the votes cast in the 37
54	54	last gubernatorial election held prior to the [filing] 38
55	55	requesting of the petition from the state auditor is five 39
56	56	thousand or more but less than fifty thousand, ten percent 40
57	57	of the qualified voters of the political subdivision 41
58	58	determined on the basis of the votes cast in the last 42
59	59	gubernatorial election held prior to the [filing] requesting 43
60	60	of the petition, provided that the number of qualified 44
61	61	voters signing such petition is not less than seven hundred 45
62	62	fifty; 46
63	63	(4) If the number of qualified voters of the political 47
64	64	subdivision determined on the basis of the votes cast in the 48
65	65	last gubernatorial election held prior to the [filing] 49
66	66	requesting of the petition from the state auditor is fifty 50 SB 644 3
67	67	thousand or more, five percent of the qualified voters of 51
68	68	the political subdivision determined on the basis of the 52
69	69	votes cast in the last gubernatorial election held prior to 53
70	70	the [filing] requesting of the petition, provided that the 54
71	71	number of qualified voter s signing such petition is not less 55
72	72	than five thousand. 56
73	73	3. The political subdivision shall pay the actual cost 57
74	74	of audit. The petition that requests an audit of a 58
75	75	political subdivision shall state on its face the estimated 59
76	76	cost of the audit and t hat it will be paid by the political 60
77	77	subdivision being audited. The estimated cost of the audit 61
78	78	shall be provided by the state auditor within sixty days of 62
79	79	such request. The costs of the audit may be billed and paid 63
80	80	on an interim basis with individua l billing periods to be 64
81	81	set at the state auditor's discretion. Moneys held by the 65
82	82	state on behalf of a political subdivision may be used to 66
83	83	offset unpaid billings for audit costs of the political 67
84	84	subdivision. All moneys received by the state in payme nt of 68
85	85	the costs of petition audits shall be deposited in the state 69
86	86	treasury and credited to the "Petition Audit Revolving Trust 70
87	87	Fund" which is hereby created with the state treasurer as 71
88	88	custodian. The general assembly may appropriate additional 72
89	89	moneys to the fund as it deems necessary. The state auditor 73
90	90	shall administer the fund and approve all disbursements, 74
91	91	upon appropriation, from the fund to apply to the costs of 75
92	92	performing petition audits. The provisions of section 76
93	93	33.080 to the contrary no twithstanding, money in the fund 77
94	94	shall not be transferred and placed to the credit of general 78
95	95	revenue until the amount in the fund at the end of any 79
96	96	biennium exceeds one million dollars. The amount in the 80
97	97	fund which shall lapse is the amount which exc eeds one 81
98	98	million dollars. No political subdivision shall be audited 82 SB 644 4
99	99	by petition more than once in any three calendar or fiscal 83
100	100	years. 84
101	101	4. Any person who allegedly signed or has signed the 85
102	102	original petition may submit a sworn statement to the stat e 86
103	103	auditor that the person did not sign such petition or that 87
104	104	the person wishes to rescind such signature. Such statement 88
105	105	shall be required to be made within ten days from submission 89
106	106	of the petition to the state auditor. If such statement is 90
107	107	timely filed, such signature shall be withdrawn and shall 91
108	108	not count in the determination of the number of qualified 92
109	109	voters necessary to compel an audit under subsection 2 of 93
110	110	this section. 94
111	111	