HB 1812 -- MAINTENANCE OF VOTER ROLLS (Nolte)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Elections

This bill requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide the Secretary of State with a monthly report of death certificates. The Secretary of State will have ten days to notify the relevant election authorities of the deaths of individuals in their jurisdictions. After being notified, the local election authorities will have ten days to remove the names of deceased individuals from the voter rolls.

HB 1940 -- NEWSPAPERS (McGaugh)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Local Government

Currently, in order to qualify to run public notices and advertisements, a newspaper must have been published regularly for a period of three years; or must be the successor newspaper to a defunct newspaper and begin publication no later than 30 days after the termination of the prior newspaper.

This bill reduces the time period of regular publication from three years to one year, and increases the time period from 30 days to 90 days within which a successor newspaper must begin publication.

The bill also allows a newspaper that has been purchased or newly established by another newspaper that satisfies these conditions to qualify.

This bill is similar to HB 353 (2025) and HB 2301 (2024).

HCS HJR 169 -- STATE REVENUE (Murphy)

COMMITTEE OF ORIGIN: Standing Committee on Ways and Means

Upon voter approval, this constitutional amendment establishes the "Taxpayer Protection Act".

The provisions of this amendment must be in addition to the limits, requirements, and other provisions of the Hancock Amendment. Other limits on district revenue, spending, and debt must only be modified by future voter approval.

This amendment provides further provisions related to individual or class action enforcement suits.

The amendment provides that, when annual district revenue is less than annual payments on certain general obligations, certain requirements for districts must be suspended to address the deficiency.

This amendment provides that ballot issues brought under certain requirements must be decided in a regularly scheduled state general election, general municipal or local district election, or on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd-numbered years. Any district, as defined in the amendment, may consolidate certain ballot issues and voters may approve a delay of up to four years in voting on ballot issues.

At least 30 days before a ballot issue election brought under the requirements of the amendment, the district must mail a title notice or set of notices addressed to all registered voters at each address of one or more active registered electors. Title notices must have a certain order of preference and must include certain information.

Among other requirements, the title notices must include district estimates of the maximum dollar amount of each tax increase and of the district's fiscal year spending without the increase for the first full fiscal year of each proposed tax increase. Except by later voter approval, if a tax increase or fiscal year spending exceeds any such district estimates, the tax increase must be reduced by up to 100% in proportion to the combined dollar excess, and the combined excess revenue must be refunded in the next fiscal year. This excludes emergency tax revenue.

For proposed district bonded debt, title notices must also include information related to the principal amount, the principal balance and repayment costs. The district's bonded debt must not be issued on terms that could exceed its share of the maximum repayment costs.

Ballot titles for tax or bonded debt increases must include specified language.

With two exceptions, as specified in the amendment, a district must have voter approval in advance for any:

1) New tax;

2) Tax rate increase;

3) Mill levy above the rate of the prior year;

4) Valuation for assessment ratio increase for a property class;

5) Extension of an expiring tax; or

6) Tax policy change directly causing a net tax revenue gain to any district; and

7) Creation of multi-fiscal-year direct or indirect district debt or financial obligation without adequate cash reserves

Each district must reserve a certain amount of its fiscal year spending, not including bond debt service, for fiscal year 2028, fiscal year 2029, and every fiscal year thereafter to be only used during declared emergencies.

This amendment prohibits emergency property taxes. Emergency taxes must be spent on specified conditions.

The maximum annual percentage change in state fiscal year spending, the maximum annual percentage change in each local district?s fiscal year spending, and the maximum annual percentage change in each local district?s property tax revenue must be calculated as specified in the amendment. The calculations for maximum annual percentage change in state fiscal year spending, local district?s fiscal year spending, and local district?s property tax revenue are to be adjusted by voter- approved revenue changes. The calculations for the maximum annual percentage change in a local district?s fiscal year spending and local district?s property tax revenue are to also be adjusted by certain reductions specified in the amendment. These calculations exclude emergency tax revenue. If revenue exceeds these maximums for a given fiscal year, the excess must be refunded in the next fiscal year unless voters approve a revenue change as an offset.

The amendment sets the initial district bases to the current fiscal year spending and property tax collected for tax year 2025. The district bases and limitations to spending and property tax revenue are adjusted by enterprise status and changes to bonded debt. Certain changes are exceptions to and separate from any district base.

This amendment provides that additional surcharges and fees must not be implemented for the sole purpose of avoiding limits under the provisions of this amendment. If there are additional revenues from these sources, they must be included in the calculation of the spending limit.

The amendment provides that, if a local district adopts or has adopted a tax abatement, such local district must add the amount of such abatement into its revenue calculation.

This amendment prohibits new or increased transfer tax rates on real property, new state real property taxes, and new local district income taxes. The amendment provides that neither an income tax rate increase nor a new state definition of taxable income can be applied before the next tax year.

This amendment requires valuation notices to be mailed annually and allows such valuations to be appealed annually. Additionally, property tax bills and valuation notices must include the actual value, as specified in the amendment.

The amendment provides that, with exceptions as specified in the amendment, a local district is allowed to reduce or end its subsidy to any program delegated to it by the General Assembly for administration.

The General Assembly may enact laws to implement the provisions of this amendment.

VOTER REGISTRATION - DOCUMENTARY PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP (Sections 115.013 to 115.160)

The act requires documentary proof of United States citizenship, as that term is defined in the act, in order to register to vote, provided that persons already registered to vote and those seeking to transfer voter registration within the state are not required to provide such proof.

Additionally, all information required to be provided on a voter registration form shall be personally provided by the person seeking to register.

MAINTENANCE OF VOTER REGISTRATION LISTS (Sections 115.195 and 115.221)

The clerk of each circuit court in the state is required to prepare and transmit to the SOS a complete list of all persons who identify themselves as not being citizens of the United States when called to jury duty. This report shall be sent on a monthly basis.

If an election authority determines that a person who is not eligible to vote registered to vote or voted in an election, the election authority shall execute and deliver to the Attorney General, SOS, and the relevant prosecuting or circuit attorney an affidavit stating the relevant facts.

REFERRAL OF VIOLATION OF ELECTION LAWS (Section 115.642)

Current law provides that if the SOS finds that reasonable grounds appear that the alleged election offense was committed, the SOS may issue a probable cause statement and refer the offense to the appropriate prosecuting attorney. This act permits referral to the appropriate prosecuting attorney or the Attorney General.

This act is substantially similar to SCS/SB 62 (2025).

SCOTT SVAGERA

SB 1002 - Under current law, elections for school board members are held on either the general municipal election day or such day as is specified in the county charter, with terms of office ranging from three years to six years, depending on the district. This act requires all such elections to be held at the November general election and makes all such terms four years.

This act has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2028.

This act is similar to SB 485 (2025), HB 539 (2025), HB 2536 (2024), SB 234 (2023), and provisions in SB 740 (2022), HCS/HB 2306 (2022), HB 361 (2019), and HCS/HB 1424 (2018).

OLIVIA SHANNON

In the case of any bond election, if an election contest is not filed within the time period prescribed by law (not later than thirty days after the official announcement of the election result), then all conditions of state election law shall be deemed to have been complied with in the issuance of the bond.

The act modifies the legal notice required for all elections by requiring local election authorities to publish notice twice in at least two qualified newspapers, except as otherwise permitted pursuant to this act, within 6 weeks prior to the election. In lieu of such requirement, election authorities have the option of mailing legal notice to each registered voter within 6 weeks of an election and publishing notice once in at least one newspaper in the county.

SCOTT SVAGERA

COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Elections by a vote of 13 to 1 with 2 present.

The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 1871.

This bill allows a notice of election to be sent by email.

Currently, the filing time for declarations of candidacy for offices in political subdivisions or special districts not otherwise specified in law or charter is from the 17th Tuesday prior to the election through the 14th Tuesday prior to the election.

This bill moves the filing time by one week, from the 16th Tuesday prior to the election to the 13th Tuesday prior to the election. The bill also provides that if the 13th Tuesday prior to the election is a State or Federal holiday, the closing filing date will be the next day that is not a State or Federal holiday.

Currently, the election authority must have automatic tabulating equipment tested within 14 days prior to an election. This bill specifies that this test must occur no later than one week prior to an election.

The bill lengthens the in-person no-excuse absentee voting period from two to four weeks.

Currently, covered voters eligible to register to vote may vote in certain elections by submitting a Federal postcard application to apply to vote at their polling place. This bill changes this requirement from the polling place to the office of the election authority on election day.

Currently, interstate former residents and new residents may vote absentee for presidential and vice presidential electors. The bill allows them to vote for those electors at the office of the election authority on election day.

This bill provides that all lists of absentee ballot applications for people with permanent disabilities will be kept confidential and must not be posted or displayed in an area open to the general public nor shown to any unauthorized person.

The bill requires any person who files as a candidate for a public office that performs county functions in the City of St. Louis to provide copies of paid receipts or no-tax-due statements for local personal and real property taxes received from the Assessor to the election authority.

The bill applies existing procedures for voters using provisional ballots to voters voting absentee in person at the office of the election authority or at another authorized location designated by the election authority.

This bill allows a provisional ballot to be cast in any public election.

The bill provides that votes for write-in candidates must only be counted for candidates who have filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate, even if no candidate has filed for that office.

The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.

PROPONENTS: Supporters say that this bill makes a number of common-sense changes to election law that will help voters and allow county clerks to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. Reinstating the presidential primary has broad public support. Expanding no-excuse absentee voting and the use of provisional ballots will improve the voting experience.

Testifying in person for the bill were Representative McGaugh; Kurt Bahr; Nancy Copenhaver; Arnie C. Dienoff; Responsive Government Action; Marilyn McLeod, League of Women Voters of Mo; Tyler Travers, ACLU MO - American Civil Liberties Union Missouri; Missouri Municipal League; Missouri NEA; Municipal League of Metro St. Louis; Denise Lieberman, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition and MoVPC Action; and Marilyn McLeod.

OPPONENTS: There was no opposition voiced to the committee.



Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.