House pushing legislation through committee hearings

Inclement weather once again proved to be an issue, forcing House committees to cancel on the first day of the week, but members of the House managed to make up some of the work in the following days. As the Missouri Senate faces gridlock, more than two dozen House committees met this week, holding public hearings for more than 50 bills and voting on more than two dozen more. Here is a breakdown on some of the bills heard in committee this week:

IP reform at the forefront of discussion in House Elections Committee

New legislation proposing changes to citizen-led initiative petitions in Missouri was presented to the House Committee on Elections and Elected Officials. The House committee heard three bills this past week, each seeking to modify the initiative petition and referendum process. The current system allows petitions to take effect with a simple majority vote, but the proposed changes would require voter approval in most legislative districts in addition to the statewide popular vote.

Two plans are under consideration, one requiring majorities in five of Missouri's eight congressional districts, and the other in 82 of 163 Missouri House districts. Critics argue these changes may disadvantage progressive ballot measures. The proposals also include bans on foreign interference and on petitions raising taxes on food or property. If approved by voters, the changes would take effect 30 days after approval.

HB 1749 proposes amending the Constitution with specific formatting standards and introduces requirements for U.S. citizenship or Missouri residency for petition circulators. The bill sets deadlines for challenges to ballot titles and establishes a residency requirement for paid signature gatherers, limiting participation to Missouri residents or those residing in the state for at least 30 days. Additionally, it includes a provision prohibiting payment to signature gatherers on a per-signature basis.

"This would ensure Missourians are in control of our Missouri constitution," the sponsor said. "Not out of state interests. Not out of state money."

HJR 72 and HJR 102 propose constitutional amendments restricting initiative petitions, prohibiting certain tax increases, foreign involvement, and setting specific voting requirements, by requiring any amendments to the state constitution to receive a majority of votes statewide and in a majority of the state's congressional districts. The bill sponsor for these two measures told committee members that passing these would give more voice to rural voters who did not approve of prior ballot measures.

Supporters argue for amending the state's initiative petition process due to the extensive changes in Missouri's constitution since 1945, highlighting that Missouri has one of the largest state constitutions, amended more than 60 times, while the U.S. Constitution has been amended 17 times since 1791. Missouri is one of 18 states allowing initiative petitions for constitutional changes, with one of the easier processes for amending the constitution.

Fixing tax ballot measures and eliminating the corporate income tax

This week, the House Special Committee on Tax Reform considered two pieces of legislation aiming to clarify tax ballot measures and eliminate Missouri's corporate income tax.

HB 1517 focuses on ballot language for taxation measures in political subdivisions or special districts. The bill mandates numerical or alphabetical labels by the election authority and prohibits descriptive labels. It requires clear expression of changes to real property taxes in dollars per $100,000 of property market valuation. The sponsor emphasized creating "truth in advertising" for ballot language and closing a loophole in the Hancock Amendment related to sunset provisions on levies.

HB 2274 proposes a phased elimination of Missouri's state corporate income tax starting from Jan. 1, 2025, and concluding on Jan. 1, 2028. The corporate taxable income would decrease by 1% annually. Once fully eliminated, no new corporate income tax credits can be claimed, but existing refundable credits can be redeemed. The sponsor views this as an economic development boost, encouraging companies to move to Missouri. The bill aims to phase out corporate income tax and address concerns related to tax credits.

Lowering the age for school enrollment and increasing school safety

The House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education reviewed proposals this week aiming to lower the compulsory school enrollment age and enhance school safety. Bills such as HB 2125, HB 2177, and HB 2323 advocate reducing the enrollment age from 7 to 6 or 5, citing potential improvements in education and addressing attendance and academic progress issues. Concerns arise from data showing that only 76% of Missouri students meet the recommended 90% attendance rate.

Meanwhile, HB 1761 focuses on school safety, mandating enhanced safety features in public school buildings, including bullet-resistant laminates and compliance standards. The bill establishes a matching grant program to support safety projects and sets a deadline for compliance by the 2025-26 school year, with potential consequences for noncompliance after July 1, 2028.

Sports betting debated in House Committee again

The Special Committee on Public Policy heard legislation on one of the hot-button topics of the past few sessions this week.

HB 2331 would introduce new provisions for sports wagering in Missouri, proposing a 10% tax on sports bets in Missouri. The legislation would allow sports teams, mobile operators and casinos to establish betting parlors similar to those in neighboring states.

Supporters, including teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs, argue that legalizing sports betting would increase state revenue, fund problem gaming initiatives, and regulate the market. They maintain that Missouri is losing out on revenue, as an estimated 350,000 Missourians have tried to place bets on mobile devices.

The bill sponsor testified that legalization could contribute $35 million to the state's education fund. With previous attempts stalled in the Senate, there is a new effort, supported by professional sports teams and gaming operators, to gather more than 170,000 signatures by early May for a ballot initiative in November.

Jamie Burger is a state representative for District 148 in the Missouri General Assembly where he also serves as the assistant majority floor leader.