MOFB President Garrett Hawkins has issued a statement regarding HJR 3:
Missouri Farm Bureau (MOFB) applauds Governor Mike Kehoe and the legislature for passing HJR 3, finally bringing initiative petition reform to a vote of the people. Since 1985, MOFB has supported reforms to increase the threshold to amend our state constitution. Our members believe the constitution should serve as government’s foundational framework, not a collection of prescriptive special interest programs.
The initiative petition process was originally created to give everyday citizens a voice in government and MOFB members understand the value of grassroots organizing. Today, well-funded national interest groups have far more influence over the process than Missourians. Missouri is one of only 18 states that has an initiative petition process to amend the state constitution, and one of the most lenient thresholds in place. We continue to see out-of-state groups pushing complex proposals with far-reaching and unintended consequences.
HJR 3 will protect the integrity of our constitution and ensure that it reflects the will of all Missourians, not just those in urban or rural areas. If adopted by voters in 2026, the resolution will require a majority of voters in each congressional district to approve constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by initiative petition. It’s time to put common-sense safeguards in place to guarantee fair representation from every part of our state.
