Limits on campaign funding and lobbyists' gift-giving proposed

The Nov. 8, 2016 general election is 731 days away.

However, Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander's office has already received three proposed amendments to the state Constitution that supporters hope will be on that 2016 ballot for voters to consider.

The first three proposals seek to legalize marijuana use for adults; restore limits on the amount of money donated to political campaigns; and limit when lawmakers can become lobbyists and the gifts that lobbyists can give to lawmakers.

All three proposals are initiative petitions that would have to be circulated for signatures throughout the state before the proposed amendments could be placed on the statewide election ballot.

To get on the ballot, the petitions' supporters would have to gather valid signatures from registered voters equal to at least 8 percent of the votes cast for governor in the 2012 election, in at least six of the state's eight congressional districts.

That's a minimum of 157,788 valid signatures, without counting the 2nd and 3rd congressional districts, which have the two highest minimum signature requirements.

Kander has opened the 30-day public comment period on the proposals, while his staff verifies that the form of the petitions meets the state law requirements, then writes the ballot language for each proposal.

The language is the wording that voters must see both on the petition and, if the signature campaign is successful, on the election ballot.

Kander's staff gives each proposal a number when it first is submitted.

The complete petition proposals are available through links on Kander's website - and the public can leave comments on each proposal, at www.sos.mo.gov/comment.

The proposed amendment to legalize marijuana was detailed in a News Tribune story published on Friday.

Campaign contribution limits (2016-002)

The 10-page proposal was submitted by Todd Jones of the Missouri Roundtable For Life, Clayton, and would add one new section to Article VIII, the Constitution's chapter on suffrage and elections, which would be called the "Missouri Campaign Contribution Reform Initiative."

The proposal is similar to one the group proposed for this past election, but was challenged in court and never circulated.

The Missouri appeals court in Kansas City upheld the state auditor's fiscal note and fiscal note summary on March 11, leaving supporters less than two months to circulate their petitions before the May 4 deadline for submitting completed petitions to the secretary's office.

If Missouri voters approve the new proposal, the state's Constitution would "find and declare that excessive campaign contributions to political candidates create the potential for corruption and the appearance of corruption; that large campaign contributions made to influence election outcomes allow wealthy individuals, corporations and special interest groups to exercise a disproportionate level of influence over the political process (and) that the interests of the public are best served by limiting campaign contributions, providing for full and timely disclosure of campaign contributions, and strong enforcement of campaign finance requirements."

The proposed amendment would limit an individual's contributions to each candidate for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, attorney general, state senator, state representative "or any other state or judicial office" to $2,600.

No political party could receive more than $25,000 total from any individual or committee, "at the state, county, municipal, district, ward, and township level combined."

The limits can be adjusted for inflation.

Corporations and labor organizations would be prohibited from donating to any "campaign committee, candidate committee, exploratory committee, political party committee or a political party."

Candidate committees could not donate to each other.

No cash contribution could be larger than $100, per election.

No "fictitious name" could be used "to conceal the identity of the actual source of the contribution, or the actual recipient."

No candidate or committee in Missouri could accept contributions from any out-of-state committee, unless that committee has filed a statement of organization or has filed reports as required by Missouri law.

The proposal also details the Missouri Ethics Commission's procedures for investigating written complaints filed by "any natural person" within 60 days before a primary until after the general election.

Campaign and Lobbyist restrictions (2016-003)

Brad Ketcher, a St. Louis area attorney who once served as Gov. Mel Carnahan's chief of staff, filed a similar proposal a year ago.

His new four-page petition would add three new sections to Article III, which is about the Legislature.

His proposal would prohibit lawmakers from working or registering as a paid lobbyist, or soliciting employers or clients for lobbying, until at least two years after the end of the lawmaker's last session. If voters adopt the proposed amendment and a lawmaker violated that provision, "their office shall thereby be vacated" and the lawmaker could "perform no duty and receive no salary as a senator or representative."

No lawmaker or lawmaker's employee may serve as a consultant or employee to a candidate or issue campaign. Violating that provision would result in both a loss of office and salary and a possible prison sentence up to four years and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

No lawmaker or lawmaker's employee may receive a gift from a lobbyist worth more than $5.

The proposal also would make legislative records public records under the state's Sunshine law, including official acts of the General Assembly, legislative committees, individual lawmakers and their employees.

Ketcher's proposal also would set limits on campaign contributions, including $2,000 for state senators and senatorial offices (such as president pro tem) and $1,000 for representatives and House offices (like speaker). The limits would be recalculated every two years, based on inflation.

No fundraising could occur "in or on any premises, property or building owned, leased or controlled by the House, Senate or General Assembly."

The proposal sets various fines for violations of its provisions.

The Constitution already has a list of things the General Assembly can't do, and Ketcher's proposed amendment would add a paragraph to prevent lawmakers from prohibiting "the counting of a genuine signature of a registered voter on a petition because of the signature means, manner, medium, form or format used by the registered voter."