Legislation designed to protect the sanctity of the Missouri Constitution is moving into my Rules Committee next week. This constitutional amendment would allow voters to change the initiative petition process.
It’s important that we protect the right of Missouri citizens to make their voices heard while also preventing our initiative petition process from being abused by out-of-state money that has no ties to our state and no interest in working on behalf of Missouri families.
If approved by the legislature and voters, the proposed constitutional amendment would change the threshold required to approve changes to the state constitution. Currently, changes to the constitution require only a simple majority for approval. HJR 43 would raise the threshold to 60 percent voter approval for passage.
Representative Henderson, from St. Francois County, who sponsors the legislation, said, “I see the constitution as a living document but not an ever-expanding document. We have one of the largest state constitutions in the country and that’s because we keep adding and adding to it.”
He added, “Since our current constitution was written in 1945 it has changed more than 60 times. In comparison, the United States Constitution has been amended 17 times since 1791. It takes 38 states to ratify an amendment to the constitution.”
Missouri is currently one of only 18 states to allow initiative petitions for a constitutional change and has one of the easier processes in the country for amending the constitution.
House Committees Focus on Suicide Prevention Efforts (HB 132)
Two House committees met this week to discuss ways to reduce suicide in Missouri, particularly among its veterans.
The House Veterans Committee took testimony on HB 132, which would task the Missouri Veterans Commission with expanding its efforts to prevent veteran suicide. The House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee received a report issued by the Interim Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Suicide and discussed suicide prevention methods with a focus on the importance of the 988 hotline.
Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial’s (MNVM) mission is to preserve military history, honor all who served, educate Americans about the cost of our freedom, and provide a place for healing and reflection. Our campus in Perryville houses a full – size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., an Honor Flag Memorial, and the Guardians of Freedom Capitol monument.
There are efforts this session in Jefferson City, by the MNVM Board and myself, to further the healing of veterans and help to eliminate veteran suicides. It is an honor for me to represent a District so caring for our Veterans.
I will share more information in future Capitol Reports as this legislative session continues.