HCS HB 1788 -- INITIATIVE PETITIONS AND REFERENDUMS

SPONSOR:  Jones, 89 (Parson)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Special Committee on
General Laws by a vote of 11 to 0.

This substitute changes the laws regarding initiative petitions
and referendums.  In its main provisions, the substitute:

(1)  Requires a petition circulator to be a United States citizen
and a Missouri resident;

(2)  Specifies that a petition circulator cannot have been
convicted of, found guilty of, or pled guilty to any offense
involving forgery;

(3)  Prohibits the compensation of petition circulators on a
per-signature basis and the circulation of more than one petition
by a circulator simultaneously.  Anyone violating these
provisions will be guilty of a class A misdemeanor punishable by
a term of imprisonment in the county jail of up to one year, a
fine of up to $10,000, or both;

(4)  Requires petition circulators to supply certain information
to the Office of the Secretary of State verifying their
eligibility and to swear by affidavit that they comply with the
requirements of the substitute;

(5)  Specifies that signatures collected before the circulator
registers with the Secretary of State or signatures collected by
circulators who have violated the payment-per-signature or the
multiple-circulation prohibition will not be counted; and

(6)  Specifies that anyone who knowingly signs any name other
than his or her own to any petition will be guilty of a class one
election offense.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2011, FY 2012, and
FY 2013.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that integrity in the election
process needs to be guaranteed.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Parson; Missouri
Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Missouri Farm Bureau; Missouri
Restaurant Association; Missouri National Education Association;
Missouri Federation of Animal Owners; and Missouri Pet Breeders
Association.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the bill say that it will not
prevent out-of-state or special interest groups with money from
influencing the political process.

Testifying against the bill was Ron Calzone, Missouri First.

Missouri House of Representatives
95th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 14, 2010 at 3:12 pm