Bill > HB684

This bill modifies Missouri's laws regarding ballot summary language for proposed constitutional amendments and ballot initiatives. The key changes include: requiring (rather than allowing) the secretary of state to seek advice from legislators when preparing summary statements, increasing the maximum length of summary statements from 50 to 100 words (excluding articles), and establishing new rules about how summary statements are handled if challenged in court. Specifically, if a court finds a summary statement legally flawed, the general assembly will rewrite the statement if in session, or the secretary of state will rewrite it if the legislature is not in session. The bill also explicitly states that for constitutional amendments or statutory measures with an official summary statement, courts cannot rewrite or edit the ballot language, and the original summary statement will appear on the ballot. For initiative petitions, the bill maintains existing provisions about signature collection timelines and requires the secretary of state to prepare a concise summary statement within 23 days of petition approval, which must be approved by the attorney general within 10 days. These changes aim to provide more clarity and consistency in how ballot measure language is developed and approved in Missouri.