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IHCM Update

Missouri Elections Alert SJR 28: Concurrent Majority Ratification

UPDATE:
Tues. Feb. 28, 2023

SJR 28 passed out of committee Monday afternoon! Thank you to everyone who reached out to Senators to make your voice heard!

Next step: We need to get SJR 28 to the Senate floor ASAP. New action alert coming soon.

Mon. Feb 27, 2023

URGENT!! IHC Action Alert

SJR 28 Carter — CMR

The Senate Local Government and Elections committee is scheduled to meet TODAY, February 27 at 2:00 pm. They will be considering whether to pass on two measures to the rest of the Senate, HJR 28 (Carter) and HJR 43 (Henderson).

Please contact the Senators in the committee (see action alert at the bottom of the email). Do this immediately. The executive session begins at 2:00.

We are all painfully aware that it’s too easy for special interests to change our Constitution.

One of the most troubling things is the fact that, as it is now, the large urban areas can generate enough votes to carry progressive ballot issues. That’s because it takes only a simple majority vote to adopt any amendment. 50% plus 1.

Our conservative strongholds in rural areas don’t get much voice where constitutional amendments are concerned. Just look at this map of the vote on Amendment 3 (added 38 pages and corrupting monopolistic protections for some sellers, etc.), last fall:

There’s a remedy for this problem. Concurrent Majority Ratification (CMR) is based on the same principle as the Electoral College and is a way to ensure that the ENTIRE state has a say. Here’s how it works…

CMR uses one vote, but it counts the vote two ways, and making a change to the Constitution would require a majority vote both ways:

  1. It tallies the statewide popular vote, like we do now. A statewide simple majority vote would be required to ratify a proposed change to the Constitution.
     
  2. That same vote of the people would also be tallied in each state House district. A majority of those 163 House districts would have to, each on its own, have had a majority yes vote for ratification. (Note that 111 of those House districts are held by Republicans.)

So, to change the Constitution, CMR would require BOTH conditions be met.

The idea is to ensure that ALL Missouri citizens have a real voice in amending the Constitution.


Download this brochure for more details: www.mofirst.org/issues/ratification/CMR-Booklet.pdf

LEGISLATION ON THE TABLE THIS MONDAY

The good news is that Republicans in both the Missouri House and Senate are eager to do something – they just need some common sense guidance from the rest of us.

SJR 28 is the very best solution. It requires the concurrent majority described above. It uses House districts for the second prong and it applies whether amendments are proposed by the legislature, petition, OR a constitutional convention. We need to tell the committee to pass it as is.

HCS HJR43, as it came from the House, uses a totally different approach that doesn’t give as much voice to rural Missouri. It simply raises the vote requirement from a simple majority to 60%.

There are three MAJOR problems with that approach:

  1. The voters in every state that has tried that have turned it down in recent years. The odds of ratifying it are very slim, so we would be left with the simple majority process we have now when faced with the likely abortion vote in 2024.
     
  2. A 60% requirement won’t give much voice to rural Missouri, especially as urban areas grow.
     
  3. A 60% requirement will allow the progressive urban areas to kill conservative ballot measures with just a 40% no vote.

POTENTIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR HJR 43 IS STILL PROBLEMATIC

Senator Andrew Koenig has drafted a potential substitute for HJR 43 than makes some improvements, but still has three fatal flaws.

  1. His substitute wisely uses concurrent majority ratification, but it uses Congressional Districts instead of state House districts. That means the rural areas still will have MUCH less voice.
     
  2. What’s worse, Senator Koenig’s approach applies only to amendments proposed by petitions, NOT those proposed by the legislature or a whole new constitution proposed by a constitutional convention. That’s right, under his proposal, it would still require only a simple majority vote to change the entire constitution!
     
  3. That’s not even the worst problem, though, because voters will flat reject an idea that holds the legislature aloof from the people. The optics during the campaign against HJR 43 will be terrible for the Republican brand.

SJR 28 is the very best solution. It requires the concurrent majority described above. It uses House districts for the second prong and it applies whether amendments are proposed by the legislature, petition, OR a constitutional convention. We need to tell the committee to pass it as is.

What Can You Do?

Before NOON, call and email each of the Republican members of the Local Government and Elections committee, AND pro tem Caleb Rowden and floor leader Cindy O’Laughlin. Tell them that citizens back home want them to advance SJR 28 as is and also advance HJR 43 after changing its language to mirror SJR 28.

Tell them you want them to put rural Missouri on equal footing by using state House districts, NOT congressional districts, and that you want the concurrent majority ratification process to apply to ALL THREE ways the state Constitution can be amended, whether by a legislative proposal, petition or a constitutional convention.

Call now and leave a message on their voicemail. Send emails now to give them time to see the messages.

The Elections Committee:

Senator Elain Gannon (chairman)– 573-751-4008 – elaine.gannon@senate.mo.gov

Senator Sandy Crawford – 573-751-8793 – sandy.crawford@senate.mo.gov

Senator Jill Carter – 573-751-2173 – jill.carter@senate.mo.gov

Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman – 573-751-1492 – maryelizabeth.coleman@senate.mo.gov

Senator Andrew Koenig – 573-751-5568 – andrew.koenig@senate.mo.gov

Leadership:

Pro tem Caleb Rowden – 573-751-3931 – caleb.rowden@senate.mo.gov

Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin – 573-751-7985 — cindy.olaughlin@senate.mo.gov

Categories
IHCM Update

SB 117 & the Danger of Sovereign Immunity

Feb 14, 2023

Missouri Senate bill 117 (or SB 117), sponsored by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (District 34) is waiting to be debated on the floor of the Missouri Senate.

This bill severely blocks the public’s access to the judicial system by protecting those who are guilty of negligence, especially those who partner with government.

Watch this video overview of SB 117:
https://rumble.com/v29e4dw-missouri-senate-bill-117.html

This bill would do three things that severely limit your natural rights

  1. Reduce the statute of limitations for personal injury actions and actions against an insurer for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. Currently actions for personal injury must be brought within five years from the time the injury occurred. This bill reduces the statute of limitations for personal injury (injury to the person’s body or their rights) from five years to two. This reduction favors the defendant in a suit by making it harder for a plaintiff to attend to their injury, find a lawyer and get organized to sue quickly.
  2. Give private contractors the same immunity as public entities. This act provides that a private contractors, when acting within the scope of a government contract, shall have the same sovereign or governmental torte immunity as a public entity. This extends the state’s sovereign immunity to private entities. The state cannot be sued for negligence unless it consents. Damages are limited to actual damages, no punitive damages and there is a cap that’s adjusted annually.
  3. Expands the reach of public/private partnerships. Private companies, unlike governments, are in business to make a profit. They will cut corners and save costs if they have sovereign immunity. Without liability, negligence and harm to the public will increase. The financial burden will fall on the individual harmed and their family. It will also adversely affect competition and those private companies who aren’t
    in public/private partnerships will be incentivized to partner with government.

    Another related issue is transparency. Government is subject to FOIA and Sunshine laws. Private businesses are not. In the federal government where most government functions are run by private contractors, the workings of government and the finances are now hidden because private contractors don’t answer to the public.

    This bill is currently on the informal Senate calendar, but could be moved to the formal calendar at any time. Please help us stop SB 117.

    What YOU Can Do…

    Call your Missouri Senator (you can find yours here: https://senate.mo.gov/legisLookup/default). Tell them to vote NO on SB 117 if it comes to the Senate floor.

    Call Senator Tony Luetkemeyer and tell him you strongly oppose his bill, SB 117.

    Senator Tony Luetkemeyer: 573-751-2183



Categories
IHCM Update

Witnesses Needed!

SB 204 – Senator Mike Moon (R) – REPEALS CERTIFICATE OF NEED LAW

Missouri Senator Mike Moon, 29th District

Senate Bill 204, sponsored by Senator Mike Moon (R), will be heard in committee Wednesday, February 8th at 10:00 am.

This critical bill would repeal the Missouri Certificate of Need statute, open up competition, give health care employees and providers more freedom, and provide the public with more choices.

CON stifles competition contributing to the lack of choice and horrible healthcare ordered by CDC, NIAID. The decisions made by these corrupt entities have led to many unnecessary deaths caused by ventilators, Remdesivir, and the refusal of hospitals to deviate from the standard of care dictated by government agencies.

Do you have a story about how Missouri’s Certificate of Need law has negatively affected you?

  • Are you a physician wanting to expand your practice but unable to due to CON laws?
  • Are you a community leader wanting more healthcare choices for your community?
  • Do you work in a hospital or clinic that has been unable to purchase urgently-needed equipment due to the long wait for approval from the Certificate of Need committee?

Contact us at IHCM@pm.me.

Senator Mike Moon spent over 25 years in the healthcare industry working for a major hospital in SW Missouri. He understands the need to pass SB 204 to encourage competition and make healthcare equipment available to patients and their providers.

If you are able to to testify IN FAVOR OF this bill please contact us TODAY at IHCM@pm.me. Witness testimony is vital to getting this bill passed out of committee and to the Senate floor for debate.

To read Senator Moon’s bill: https://senate.mo.gov/23info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=44403