Missouri constitution

Passed by Republican lawmakers last year, Amendment 4 would require a majority of voters in every Missouri congressional district to approve a proposed constitutional amendment for it to pass. That would allow a small minority of voters to defeat petition campaigns.

For the second year in a row, state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, is sponsoring a proposed constitutional amendment that would treat embryos as people, potentially exposing abortion patients and providers to murder charges and eliminating rape and incest exceptions.

A bill filed in the General Assembly would make Missouri the 24th state to call on Congress to overturn Citizens United. The advocacy group pushing for the bill says similar measures have gotten bipartisan support in other states.

A bad national environment for Republicans could affect this year's election cycle, which will feature critical ballot measures like a proposal to repeal abortion rights, restricting citizen-led initiative petitions, and deciding the fate of the gerrymandered congressional map.

Although Secretary of State Denny Hoskins says the Republican-favoring map from 2025 is now in effect, a court case could require congressional candidates to run instead within the lines drawn back in 2022. For Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, that could either mean an easy reelection bid or the hardest campaign of his life.

Some marijuana growers in Missouri “gift” their product in exchange for donations. It's a practice that exists in a legal gray area created by a single clause in Missouri’s Constitution: Adults 21 and older may gift up to 3 ounces of cannabis to another adult “without consideration.”

A Republican judge in Cole County on Thursday ruled that the ballot summary must be rewritten for a proposed constitutional amendment that he said would confuse voters, making it much harder for Missourians to amend the constitution through citizen initiative petitions.

About 60% of Missourians would experience a net tax increase under Gov. Mike Kehoe’s plan because of new sales taxes, while households in the top 1% would see an average tax cut of nearly $40,000.

If passed by voters, a proposed constitutional amendment would allow Missouri's legislature to expand state and local sales and use taxes, while eliminating the state income tax. The AARP and Democratic lawmakers said that would shift more of the cost on seniors and low-income residents.

Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics can currently perform procedural abortions but state laws limit the scope of care, and medication abortion is blocked. A trial in Jackson County could clarify which state-imposed standards abortion providers must meet.

Under the proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by House Speaker Jon Patterson, sales tax could be imposed “on transactions involving any goods and services." But Patterson said that will be amended to prevent more taxes on fill-ups.

The proposed ballot measure, if approved by a majority of Missouri voters, would make it more difficult for the state to reverse federal restrictions on Medicaid eligibility. The upcoming changes could cause 130,000 Missourians to become uninsured in the next decade.