HCS HJR 19 Black, John Committee
HCS HJR 19 -- MEASURES REFERRED TO THE PEOPLE
SPONSOR: Black
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Elections and Elected Officials by a vote of 10 to 5. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Legislative Oversight by a vote of 6 to 3.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HJR 19.
Currently, amendments to the Constitution and changes to statute that have been placed on the ballot require approval from a simple majority of the votes cast thereon in order to pass.
Upon voter approval, this resolution would require amendments to the Constitution and changes to statute that have been placed on the ballot to require approval from a simple majority of the votes cast thereon, as well as a majority of the votes in a majority of State Senate districts, in order to pass.
This resolution is similar to HJR 132 (2022).
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that a concurrence of the popular vote and of geographical representation ought to be a necessary requirement to change the Constitution. This is a foundational principle of the American system of government and is the process for changing the Federal Constitution. It is too easy for densely populated areas to outvote other geographic areas of the state and change the Constitution without their support.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Black; Opportunity Solutions Project; Ron Calzone; Warren County Republican Committee; Missouri Farm Bureau; and Andrew Johnson.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that majority rule is the only fundamentally fair method of legitimizing changes to the Constitution. A simple majority gives each vote equal weight, while a system that requires a concurrent majority of the popular vote and geographical representation would unfairly give certain votes more weight than others. No other state requires a concurrent majority to change the Constitution.
Testifying in person against the bill were Pro Choice Missouri; Missouri Realtors; Raymond L. James; Paraquad, Inc.; Denise Lieberman, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition; Missouri NEA; ACLU of Missouri; Vanessa Wellbery, Advocates of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region & Southwest Missouri; Denise Lieberman, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition; Marcel Hagens, Action St Louis Power Project; Marilyn McLeod, League of Women Voters of Missouri; and Jobs With Justice Voter Action.
This bill is similar to HJR 132 (2022).
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.