Missouri REALTORS®,
A Missouri REALTORS® state legislative priority has advanced in the Capitol. House Bill 2062, sponsored by Rep. Chris Brown of Clay County, would bar local governments from enforcing a moratorium on evictions unless it is specifically authorized by state law. Several REALTORS® who were visiting the Capitol for our weekly REALTOR® Days were present in the House as representatives debated the measure. On Monday, HB2062 won final House passage 111-26 and the bill moves to the Senate.
From The Kansas City Star’s coverage: “The legislation, filed by Rep. Chris Brown, a Kansas City Republican who also co-owns a family real-estate business, enjoys the support of landlord and realty groups, such as the Missouri Association of Realtors. … Rep. Chad Perkins, a Bowling Green Republican who voted in favor of the bill, said on the floor Monday that municipalities enacted eviction moratoriums “the first time they got a chance,” an apparent reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Like a thief in the night, those municipalities swept in and took those authorities away from the property owner,” Perkins said. “This is a property rights bill at its base.”
See how your representative voted.
Protecting Citizen Initiative Petition Power
The Missouri Senate spent more than a dozen hours in floor discussions this week about Senate Joint Resolution 74 – a measure REALTORS® oppose – that would weaken citizen initiative petition rights. The latest version attaches lots of so-called “ballot candy” to entice voters to support the measure, while forfeiting their freedom to take proposed laws and constitutional amendments directly to the ballot, thus bypassing politicians.
For example, the latest version requires that only citizens may vote – a meaningless provision, as that requirement that has been in the Missouri Constitution since voters approved it 100 years ago this month.
As Chief Lobbyist Sam Licklider has testified, Missouri REALTORS® oppose weakening citizen access to the initiative petition process, which has twice been used by your state association in recent years to gain voter approval for constitutional bans on real estate transfer taxes and sales taxes on services, including the services of REALTORS®.
The latest Senate version proposes requiring a second vote by congressional district after all Missourians have had the opportunity to cast ballots on such initiatives. As the Springfield News-Leader reported:
Scott Charton, spokesman for Missourians for Fair Governance, the political action committee representing the interests of the Missouri Realtors, spoke out against the legislation in a release emailed during the debate. "The idea of requiring a second vote, after all Missouri citizens have already had an opportunity to vote, violates the long-established principle of one-person, one-vote," Charton said. "That's just undemocratic and it devalues citizens' votes based on their ZIP code."
The Senate and House reconvene on Monday, February 19, at 4 p.m.
On Tuesday, February 20, members of the Lake of the Ozarks Board of REALTORS® will be visiting the Capitol for one-on-one REALTOR® Day meetings with legislators. On Wednesday, members of the West Central Association of REALTORS® will make statehouse rounds. Many thanks to REALTORS® who have traveled to Jefferson City so far this session to share our positions with lawmakers.
For questions, contact Erin Hervey, Vice President of Government Affairs and Local Board Relations, at erin@morealtor.com.