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Under the Republican plan, proposed constitutional amendments through the initiative petition process would have to win both a simple majority of statewide votes and a majority of Missouri’s eight congressional districts in order to pass. This would give more power to voters in less populated districts.
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While Republicans shelved two bills that would further loosen Missouri's gun laws, Democratic leader Crystal Quade of Springfield said she will introduce a proposed constitutional amendment allowing cities to write local gun laws that are stricter than state laws.
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Constitutional law experts and anti-abortion advocates agree the ballot petition campaign could upend decades of laws aimed at limiting abortion access in Missouri. But even if voters approve the amendment, it wouldn't restore access overnight, and would face years of legal challenges.
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Citizen groups are rushing to get roughly 171,000 signatures by early May for a ballot item to effectively repeal Missouri’s abortion ban and replace it with language allowing the procedure up to fetal viability. Meanwhile, Missouri Republicans are working to make that initiative process harder.
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The proposed ballot item, pushed by a longtime GOP political operative, would have allowed for abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. But another ballot campaign to legalize abortion in Missouri is already underway.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.
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Senate members of the far-right Missouri Freedom Caucus had vowed to block the governor's appointments until the legislature approved a resolution making it harder for voters to amend the state constitution.
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Jackson County voters will decide in April whether to fund the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums through a 3/8th-cent sales tax for the next 40 years. However, two legislators worry their constituents won’t have enough information to cast their ballots.
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Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, a coalition of statewide abortion rights groups, has until May 5 to gather more than 171,000 signatures to get a constitutional amendment on November’s ballot. The ballot initiative would legalize abortions up to the point of "fetal viability."
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The effort to get an abortion rights amendment on the 2024 ballot has the support of the major abortion advocacy groups in the state. But it’s also drawn criticism from activists over its fetal viability standard.
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Members of the Missouri Freedom Caucus blocked action on the governor's appointments, calling for action on legislation that would make it harder for residents to amend Missouri’s constitution. Any ballot issue reform would have to be approved by voters.
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As the 2024 legislative session begins, the Republican-led Missouri General Assembly is prioritizing expanding child care access and restricting ballot initiative restrictions. But the stakes of an election year could exacerbate divisions between the parties.