HJR 178

                                SECOND REGULAR SESSION
                      HOUSE JOINT
                   RESOLUTION NO. 178
                          103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
                         INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE MAYHEW.
6793H.01I  JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
                                 JOINT RESOLUTION
Submitting to the qualified voters of Missouri an amendment to Article III of the Constitution
      of Missouri, by adopting one new section relating to funding of local governments.
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring therein:
        That at the next general election to be held in the state of Missouri, on Tuesday next
2 following the first Monday in November, 2026, or at a special election to be called by the
3 governor for that purpose, there is hereby submitted to the qualified voters of this state, for
4 adoption or rejection, the following amendment to Article III of the Constitution of the state
5 of Missouri:
        Section A. Article III, Constitution of Missouri, is amended by adopting one new
2 section, to be known as Section 54, to read as follows:
        Section 54. 1. Any bill introduced in the general assembly that creates or
2 modifies a local mandate shall include a local government fiscal impact statement prior
3 to committee consideration.
42. The fiscal impact statement required by subsection 1 of this section shall:
5(1) Identify all categories of local governments affected;
6(2) Estimate anticipated costs for each affected type of local government,
7 including administrative, staffing, operational, and compliance costs;
8(3) Distinguish between one-time and ongoing costs; and
9(4) Identify the source and sufficiency of any proposed state funding or support.
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
HJR 178  2
103. No bill subject to this section shall be voted out of committee unless the fiscal
11 impact statement has been filed and made publicly available.
124. No local government shall be required to implement or administer a local
13 mandate unless state funding has been made available to such local government for the
14 implementation or administration of the mandate.
155. If state funding is not appropriated, insufficient, or not yet available to a
16 particular local government, implementation or administration of the mandate by the
17 local government shall be suspended until such funding becomes available. Suspension
18 of implementation under this section shall:
19(1) Apply only to the affected local government;
20(2) Not invalidate the underlying state law; and
21(3) Not constitute noncompliance or violation by the local government.
226. Any state law requiring local administration or enforcement shall include:
23(1) Clear statutory definitions;
24(2) Uniform forms, procedures, or reporting requirements, where applicable;
25(3) Reasonable compliance timelines; and
26(4) Identification of the state agency responsible for providing guidance and
27 technical assistance.
287. A local government shall not be required to implement or administer a
29 mandate until standards are issued and applicable state funding is available under the
30 provisions of subsection 6 of this section.
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