Missouri REALTORS®,
HB1957 by Rep. Mike Haffner (R-Pleasant Hill) prohibits the sale of agricultural land to non-resident aliens. The bill, while not perfect, is now more reasonable. It decreases the amount of Missouri agricultural property that non-resident aliens may own to 0.5 percent of the total agricultural land in the state. It also prohibits ownership of agricultural property by foreign adversaries, such as Russia, China, Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba. It has been recommended “do-pass” in committee and awaits House floor debate.
HB1961 by Rep. Alex Riley (R-Springfield) and HB2197 by Rep. Brad Hudson (R-Cape Fair) both require a state agency to repeal two rules for every new rule they pass. Hudson’s bill has been combined with Riley’s bill. We have asked them to exempt rule-making bodies under the Division of Professional Registration since most of the rules they adopt result from requests from regulated individuals (such as REALTORS®) who are generally seeking clarity. The combined bills have received do-pass recommendations in committee and await assignment to a House debate calendar.
Citizen’s Initiative Petition Power
As the 2024 regular session of the Missouri General Assembly nears its mid-point, we want to bring you up to speed on the status of a top legislative priority – protecting Missourians’ right to direct democracy through the citizens’ ballot initiative process.
Missouri REALTORS® relied on this 114-year-old power of the people to enact association priorities in 2010 (banning transfer taxes) and 2016 (prohibiting sales tax on services). The citizen ballot initiative petition process is a powerful tool in REALTORS®’ advocacy arsenal on behalf of members and to benefit all Missourians.
Your leadership believes it is critical to protect this power against current legislation that is intended to weaken our citizen’s rights and voice.
The focus so far has been on Senate Joint Resolution 74, sponsored by Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold). The version of SJR74 that was brought to the full Senate included a key provision that weakens the citizens’ direct democracy power by requiring not only the current standard of statewide passage by a simple majority (which respects the principle of one-person, one-vote) but adding a second requirement – passage in five out of Missouri’s eight congressional districts.
As the Missouri Independent reported, “Called a concurrent majority, analysis by The Independent found that as few as 23% of voters – a majority in the four districts with the lowest number of voters in 2020 and 2022 – could defeat a statewide ballot measure. Under the legislation, the concurrent majority requirement would not apply to proposals originating in the General Assembly.”
Your leadership believes such an approach obviously undermines majority rule and is undemocratic. Still, the Senate voted 22-9 on February 22 to advance SJR74 to the House of Representatives, where it awaits assignment to a committee for consideration.
Fortunately, prior to Senate passage, the chamber adopted an amendment by Sen. Mike Cierpiot (R-Lee’s Summit) to strip out other provisions that would duplicate existing law but were intended to serve as “ballot candy” to lure voter support. For example, prior to Cierpiot’s successful amendment, SJR74 ostensibly called for Missouri voters to also be citizens, but that requirement has already been in the state Constitution for 100 years. This and other misleading fluff was removed thanks to Cierpiot’s amendment but it remains to be seen whether the House will attempt to restore the ballot candy.
Your REALTORS® lobbying team in Jefferson City is closely monitoring SJR74 and has previously testified against the measure. Also, our campaign committee established in response to the legislation, Missourians for Fair Governance, is working behind the scenes to prepare for an opposition campaign should this bad legislation be sent to a statewide vote by the time the session adjourns at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
Many of you have seen presentations about the work of Missourians for Fair Governance at our two most recent business conferences, and there will be a full update at the upcoming Spring Business Conference in Kansas City. Missouri REALTORS® lobbying team will continue to report to you via the Capitol Updates on THE LANDING. And because a grassroots component will be important, as always, for any REALTORS® campaign effort, we will be providing more frequent updates to you about the issue via email as we head into the second half of the legislative session.
REALTOR® DAYS
On Tuesday, March 5, members of St. Charles REALTORS® will be in the Capitol for REALTOR® Days. Then on Wednesday, March 6, members from Ozark Trail Board of REALTORS® will be in the statehouse to meet with their lawmakers. These personal contacts with state leaders are part of the reason Missouri REALTORS® are so respected as advocates in the Capitol. Thank you for making the effort!
For questions, contact Erin Hervey, Vice President of Government Affairs and Local Board Relations, at erin@morealtor.com.