Bill > SB22

This bill creates new provisions relating to the treatment of summary statements for ballot measures in Missouri, primarily focusing on how these statements are prepared, challenged, and displayed. The bill increases the maximum length of summary statements from fifty to one hundred words, allowing more detailed explanations of ballot measures. It establishes a specific legal process for challenging summary statements, where citizens can file a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court within ten days of the statement's certification. If a challenge is successful, the secretary of state will have multiple opportunities (up to three) to revise the summary statement under court guidance, with progressively shorter timelines for each revision. The bill also specifies that signatures collected for initiative petitions remain valid even if the ballot title is challenged in court, as long as the fundamental content of the title remains substantially the same. Additionally, the bill grants the attorney general the ability to appeal preliminary injunctions that prevent the implementation of Missouri laws or regulations. The provisions are designed to enhance transparency, fairness, and judicial efficiency in the process of preparing and presenting ballot measures to voters.

Government Affairs

https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=394