The act modifies the membership of the county political party committees in Jackson County. Under current law, the committee's membership is comprised of 2 members from each ward, 6 members from the second and third most populous townships outside of the city and 4 members from the other townships outside the city. The election authority is required to divide the portion of Kansas City located within Jackson county into wards.

Under this act, members of the county committee shall be elected from the state representative districts. Three men and three women shall be elected from a district wholly contained in the county, two men and two women shall be elected from a district predominantly contained in the county, and one man and one woman shall be elected from a district that is partially but not predominantly contained in the county.

These provisions are identical to SB 454 (2015) and similar to provisions in SB 578(2014), SS/HCS/HB 199 (2013), HCS/HB 349 (2013), SB 395 (2013), and SS/HCS/HB 110 (2013) that was vetoed by the Governor.

The St. Louis City political party committee shall be designated as a city committee and not a county committee.

The act permits political parties to determine the filing fee for a candidate filing a declaration of candidacy for a county or city committee, with certain restrictions.

The membership of legislative district committees is changed so that each committee is made up of the precinct, ward, or township committeemen and committeewomen from each precinct, ward, or township included in whole or in part of a legislative district. Furthermore, persons elected as chair or vice-chair of a legislative district committee must be legally permitted to vote in such district and a person may not serve as chair or vice-chair of more than one legislative district committee.

The act changes the membership of congressional, senatorial, or judicial district committees. Moreover, a person may not serve as chair or vice-chair of more than one congressional, senatorial, or judicial district committee. No member of a congressional, senatorial, or judicial district committee shall represent more than one precinct, ward or township on any congressional, senatorial, or judicial district committee. In the event that no person is eligible to serve as chair or vice chair of a committee because he or she is not legally permitted to vote in such district on election day, the respective state committee shall grant a waiver to the committee from such requirements.

The act restricts when St. Louis City and St. Louis County Committee members may serve as chair or vice-chair of a congressional, senatorial, or judicial district committee.

The act permits a political party to provide for proxy voting in any district committee. In the event that such provisions are not made, proxy voting is only allowed for legislative, congressional, senatorial, and judicial district committees. Persons who serve as a proxy voter must be legally permitted to vote in the district of the committee for which they intend to serve as a proxy voter.

Any legislative, senatorial, or judicial district committee that is wholly contained within a county or a city not within a county is permitted to meet at the same date as the respective city or county committee.

The act changes the meeting times for district committees as follows:

1. County and city committees shall meet at some time between the second Tuesday and the third Saturday after each primary election, to be determined by the chair of such committee;

2. Legislative district committees shall meet at some time between the third Tuesday and the fourth Saturday after each primary election, to be determined by the chair of such committee;

3. Senatorial district committees shall meet at some time between the fourth Tuesday and the fifth Saturday after each primary election, to be determined by the chair of such committee;

4. Congressional district committees shall meet at some time between the fifth Tuesday and the sixth Saturday after each primary election, to be determined by the chair of such committee; and

5. Judicial district committees shall meet at some time between the sixth Tuesday and the seventh Saturday after each primary election, to be determined by the chair of such committee.

This act is substantially similar to SCS/SB 338 (2015).

SCOTT SVAGERA