Missouri Legislature has History of Overturning Voter-Approved Laws

(Farmington) Revisions to the 2018 voter-approved Clean Missouri Amendment are a step closer to being changed by the legislature after the State Senate approved new changes in a bill this week.

The revisions involve lowering lobbyist gifts to zero and placing redistricting back in the hands of a panel which would be appointed by the governor.

The amendment was approved with a 22 to 9 vote, along party lines except for one independent-minded Republican.

State Senator Lincoln Hough of Springfield was the only Republican to vote to keep the amendment as is.

He says 63-percent of the state originally voted yes on the amendment, so he doesn’t want to change what Missourians overwhelmingly approved a couple years ago.

If approved by the full legislature and governor, it will go to Missourians in November for a vote to see if they want to change what they originally voted in favor of.

This would hardly be the first time the Missouri legislature has overturned a voter approved law.

In 2011, the legislature weakened a law Missourians had just passed, putting stricter regulations on dog-breeding operations in the state.

In 2009, the legislature undid a school funding measure that passed as part of a casino tax initiative.

In 2003, the legislature undid an anti-concealed carry initiative over the governor’s veto.

And in the 1990’s, the legislature overturned voter-approved campaign finance restrictions which has now led to what some call the “Wild West” in campaign fundraising.