The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry supports increasing the threshold for amending the state constitution through a ballot initiative petition process from a simple majority to 60%.
“We think it's important to have a little bit higher threshold than a simple majority to change the constitution,” said Ross Lien, director of legislative affairs with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “The minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, medical marijuana, bingo, and gambling are all things that have been put in the constitution through the initiative petition process. So a little bit higher threshold to get things like that into the constitution is important long-term for Missouri.”
Introduced by Rep. Mike Henderson (R-Bonne Terre), House Joint Resolution 20 passed the House 111-46 last month and is now pending with the Senate, according to media reports.
“Democrats in both the House and the Senate would say ‘You're obstructing democracy,’” Lien told the St. Louis Record. “I would disagree with that. It’s a partisan issue. Republican versus Democrat at this point.”
If approved by the Senate, HJR 20 would only require a simple majority of voters to pass a constitutional amendment in November 2022.
“We think it’s a little underwhelming so we've supported increasing that threshold to 60% but there are proposals that go all the way up to two-thirds and several other proposals that change the structure of how it's done in terms of gathering signatures,” Lien said in an interview.
Lien said HJR 20 is heading for the Missouri Senate Local Government and Elections Committee, which is chaired by Senator Sandy Crawford (R-Buffalo)
“It's a very big bill among a lot of big bills that need to get done yet this year and I'm not sure it will cross the finish line but I don't see that debate going away if it doesn't pass,” he added.
Related proposals include House Bill 850, House Bill 333, and House Bill 334.
Center Square News reported that House Bill 850 would no longer permit judges to rewrite ballot language while House Bill 333 adds a $500 price tag to filing an initiative petition but if the proposal secures enough signature, the money would be returned.
HB 850, introduced by Representative John Wiemann (R-O’Fallon), will proceed to a House vote and HB 333 is sponsored by Representative John Simmons ( R-Washington). Simmons also introduced House Bill 334, which requires voters to show a valid photo ID to cast their ballots. A public hearing on HB 334 is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14.