Missouri REALTORS®,
Let's begin with some REALTOR® Days Kudos: The Missouri Scout daily politics newsletter recently tipped its hat to the Capitol presence this session of REALTORS® from across the state - another indicator of the grassroots strength of our association:
“REALTORS® Working The Halls: It’s no secret that the Missouri REALTORS® are standing firm against SJR 74, which requires concurrent majorities to pass constitutional amendments by initiative petition. The REALTORS® – Missouri's largest professional trade association – have twice successfully used the IP process to protect citizens from higher taxes. The REALTORS® have been quietly but steadily bringing in local members twice weekly to meet with their lawmakers. More than 200 influential local REALTORS® from 19 regional associations have been walking the marble halls so far this session. Shepherded by REALTORS® chief lobbyist Sam Licklider, a 50+year Capitol veteran, these business leaders from lawmakers’ hometowns are respected and organized …”
Since the Missouri Scout item was published, more REALTORS® have visited the Capitol for REALTOR® Days … THANK YOU ALL for coming together in Jefferson City!
ATTACKS ON IP POWER CONTINUE: A Missouri House committee has restored bad language to Senate Joint Resolution 74, a primary vehicle for weakening citizens’ initiative petition power – legislation that is strongly opposed by Missouri REALTORS®. The full House has also sent to the Senate its own version of the legislation, House Joint Resolution 86, also with language intended to fool voters.
The version of SJR74 that passed the Senate prior to the General Assembly’s Spring Break had so-called “ballot candy” removed. That version of SJR74 was a stripped-down proposal that would ask voters to add a new requirement that future constitutional amendments on the ballot not only be approved by a simple majority of voters statewide but also by voters in a majority of the eight congressional districts. Such provisions are undemocratic and likely unconstitutional, as they give more power to voters according to where they live. That appears to violate the longstanding principle of one person-one vote, by making some votes count more than others.
But when SJR74 was considered by the House Committee on Elections and Elected Officials, the Senate sponsor, Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, told the panel she wouldn’t object to them restoring the “ballot candy.” That is a term for extra language thought to make the measure more appealing to voters, even though it is meaningless or is already in the law. The committee did just that, and the version which is again loaded with ballot candy awaits debate in the full House. Some senators complained that Coleman did not defend the Senate’s position by inviting restoration of the ballot candy – and that could lead to heated debate when it returns to the Senate.
Meanwhile, the House gave final approval and sent to the Senate HJR86 by Rep. John Black, R-Marshfield, mirroring the bad language including ballot candy in SJR74, but adding other provisions, as the Missouri Independent reported:
“Both the House and Senate versions make the process harder, but in very different ways. The House joint resolution would:
- Require signatures from 8% of registered voters in all eight congressional districts to qualify for the ballot.
- Establish a forum hosted by the Secretary of State for voters to review and comment on proposed amendments before they head to the ballot.
- Require a ballot measure receive a majority of votes in all eight of Missouri congressional districts to pass.
- Require the General Assembly to have the approval of at least four-sevenths of the members in each chamber to make any modifications to citizen-led constitutional amendments within two years of when they go into effect.
The Senate joint resolution would:
- Require that constitutional amendments pass by both a simple majority of votes statewide and a majority of votes in at least a majority of the votes in Missouri’s congressional districts.
- Require the General Assembly to have the approval of at least four-sevenths of the members in each chamber to make any modifications to citizen-led constitutional amendments within two years of when it goes into effect. …”
REALTORS® VIEWS IN THE NEWS: The REALTORS® campaign committee, Missourians for Fair Governance, has been keeping news media up to date on our opposition to various proposals to weaken citizens’ initiative petition rights. MFG spokesman Scott Charton was recently interviewed by Joe McLean, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Gray Television stations across Missouri. The interview aired on Gray TV stations KMOV in St. Louis, KCTV in Kansas City, KY3 in Springfield, KFVS in Cape Girardeau and WGEM in Hannibal-Quincy. Here’s the story from KMOV, airing in Missouri’s largest TV market.
FOREIGN AG LAND SALES: Legislation prohibiting certain foreign ownership of farmland is awaiting House committee consideration after its recent passage in the Senate. REALTORS® oppose this legislation, Senate Bill 912, because it is inconsistent with private property rights. At this writing, SB912, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brown, R-Washington, has not been assigned to a House committee. SB912 has multiple provisions under the general subject of military affairs. The provision opposed by REALTORS®, affecting sales of agricultural lands located within a certain distance of military installations to non-resident aliens, was added in the Senate by Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring.
Eigel's language states, "no alien or foreign business shall acquire by grant, purchase, devise, descent, or otherwise any agricultural land in this state within five hundred miles of any reservation, post, arsenal, proving ground, range, minefield, camp, base, airfield, fort, yard, station, district, or area of the Armed Forces of the United States …” The legislation states that its provisions do not invalidate any current land ownership.
SB912 passed the Senate on a 27-2 vote, with five senators absent. The only two votes against it were Sens. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo, and Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove. Varying proposals limiting or barring non-resident alien agricultural land ownership have been proposed in this and prior sessions; REALTORS® have consistently opposed provisions threatening private property ownership, consistent with our longstanding philosophical cornerstone.
CANDIDATE FILING: The filing period for the August party primaries has closed (except for a few offices in which candidates withdrew, in which case filing temporarily reopened on Tuesday and closes this afternoon).
Check out who’s running via the Missouri Secretary of State’s candidate filing center.