Amendment 8 nears approval as Amendment 7 fails

By KJ Drazen, Lucas Shugarman and Hudson Kuechler, Missouri News Network
Amendment 7 marks another failed legislative attempt to rework Missouri’s tax policy, following a 60% disapproval rating from voters on Tuesday.
However, Amendment 8 was seeing success amongst voters across the state, as it held a narrow 2 percentage point advantage late Tuesday.
Amendment 7 would have introduced the Show-Me Prosperity Fund to eliminate all state-imposed taxes.
To fund it, the Missouri General Assembly would have appropriated money from existing revenue streams with no guidelines on where that money would come from, what government services would be affected, or how large the investment would be.
Bill sponsor Sen. Adam Schnelting, R-St. Charles, said that if the state invested a one-time investment of $250 million “by the 125-year mark, with inflation-adjusted dollars, the fund would be more than enough to fully cover the state budget.”
With Missouri already facing a projected $1.7 billion deficit by the end of the fiscal year, critics say Missouri should focus on managing its existing revenue and prioritize spending on services such as education and infrastructure.
“Nothing changes. We’re just going to keep taxing ourselves,” said Schnelting of the amendment’s failure.
Schnelting said he is headed back to the drawing board to find new approaches to taxation.
With it’s passing, Amendment 8 will create a state constitutional requirement of the election of sheriffs to a four-year term and deeming them chief of law enforcement in all counties except for St. Louis County, St. Charles County and the city of St. Louis. State law already requires that.
By installing the office of sheriff into the Missouri Constitution, proponents said it would help protect the public’s rights to elect their sheriff as their chief law enforcement officer.
“At its core, this bill is about one simple but powerful idea: accountability to the people,” said bill sponsor Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby.
With the office of sheriff now recognized in the Missouri Constitution, it will be difficult for legislative or citizen action to alter provisions governing sheriffs.
In addition, the amendment altered the way in which a sheriff can be removed from office. The attorney general will now have sole authority to do so by filing a quo-warranto petition. Previously, local prosecuting attorneys could petition courts to remove a sheriff.