Missouri Senate Looking At Changes To Initiative Petitions On Ballots

The Missouri Senate is preparing to take up what might be considered one of the biggest issues of the session.

If some in the Missouri Senate get their way, changes could be coming to the way petitions go on to future ballots.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rodden of Columbia says any changes made to the initiative petition process this session would most likely not have an impact on current petition drives….“That even if IP reform were to go to the ballot in August and pass to change the threshold to change to a concurrent majority, the court would probably allow them to live under the old rules in November.”

Initiative, petition or IP reform has been around for most of the last decade.

Missouri Senate Minority Leader John Russell of Independence says voters added a check and balance to the legislature…“A few decades ago. My dad was in the majority back then. You guys know that. I mean, they went around the legislature and they passed the Hancock amendment, which they tout today, which was a fiscally conservative, responsible thing that the voters approve.”

No fewer than 12 of 13 initiative petition reform.

Senate joint resolutions are the focus of one committee hearing.