SS/HCS/HB 1477 - This act modifies numerous provisions relating to political parties. Under current law, all candidates for public office are required to file a tax affidavit with the Department of Revenue as well as a copy with the declaration of candidacy submitted to the Secretary of State. Under this act, candidates for a county or city committee are exempt from this requirement.
The St. Louis City political party committee shall be designated as a city committee and not a county committee.
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.
The act also changes the membership of congressional, senatorial, or judicial district committees.
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.
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.
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.
This act contains an emergency clause.
This act is identical to provisions in CCS/HCS/SS/SB 786 (2016), substantially similar to SCS/SB 730 (2016), and similar to SCS/HCS/HB 692 (2015).
SCOTT SVAGERA