While citizens railed against majority’s power grab, all Republicans present voted to move bills to the floor that would take voter power
All Republicans present for the committee on elections and elected officals voted to move four bills ending majority rule in Missouri to a floor vote.
On Tuesday afternoon, the committee held a public hearing on all four pieces of legislation, plus another bill which the committee did not vote on today. The chair of the committee, Rep. McGaugh, even remarked that “quite a bit more” people had come to Jefferson City in opposition of the bills than in support.
“When we send a message to the legislature, we mean it,” a witness from St. Charles, who self-identified as a Republican, said in Tuesday’s public hearing. “I am embarrassed and scared of some of the representatives’ intentions, even in my own party… Get this straight, you work for us… Stop taking away our rights.”
“It is going against what the people want. You saw the great outpouring of opposition against these bills, even by the people who are supportive of the majority party,” said Rep. Adams after the bills’ passage by the committee. “I believe you are turning more and more citizens against government by passing laws that the citizens do not want.”
The bills moving to the floor include a bill which would require a 60% vote to pass constitutional amendments, as well as two bills which would require a majority of registered voters to pass constitutional amendments.
“The League of Women Voters of Missouri (LWVMO) is opposed to any efforts by the General Assembly to make [the ballot initiative process] even more difficult,” said Marilyn McLeod, President of the League of Women Voters of Missouri, on Tuesday. “The citizen initiative petition process is the most direct form of voter participation in our democracy…The people resort to the initiative petition, especially regarding changes to the Constitution, only because they feel their voice isn’t being heard.”
Rep. Adams further critiqued the majority for pushing through the bills without giving the committee enough time to propose amendments or fully litigate the legislation.
“I’m extremely disappointed that… we got almost no time to look over and propose amendments to these bills and that’s a slight against this committee,” said Rep. Adams. “These issues are zombies and vampires, and no matter how much you keep killing them, they come back.”
All four bills received 11 votes in favor of moving the legislation forward and five votes against, with every Republican present voting in favor.