Missourians who want to change the state Constitution should have to gather more signatures to put their issue on the ballot, state Sen. David Sater said Monday.
"Currently, to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, an initiative petition must be signed by 8 percent of the voters in two-thirds of the Congressional districts in the state," Sater, R-Cassville, reminded members of the Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee.
"My proposal would increase the signature threshold of an initiative constitutional amendment to 15 percent of voters."
Sater thinks the current constitutional requirements make it too easy for "special interest groups, or a wealthy, determined individual - whether he be a Republican or a Democrat - write a new section for the Constitution and have the financial capability to put enough people out across the state collecting signatures to get it on the ballot."
He added: "Our state Constitution is a sacred document, and it should be difficult to change."
Sater also said he's concerned by the explosion in petitions in the last few years.
"In 2004, there were 12 initiative petitions submitted to the Missouri secretary of state's office," he explained. "In 2014, there were 143 initiative petitions submitted."
But, Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee's Summit, asked, how many of those actually got on the ballot?
In 2014, the secretary of state's website, www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2014ballot, shows only one proposed constitutional amendment placed on the November general election ballot by initiative petition, while lawmakers placed the other three amendments on that ballot.
In 2012, initiative petitions placed three proposed law changes on the November ballot, but lawmakers had approved the only constitutional amendment for the ballot.
Sater's proposed amendment doesn't change the current language for petitions seeking to change state law, where the Constitution requires signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in six congressional districts.
"Perhaps with a more stringent signature requirement" for constitutional amendments, he told the committee, "some special interest groups will go the statutory route, because the signature threshold is more easily reached."
Kraus noted many more petitions are submitted to the secretary of state's office than actually get placed on the ballot.
"I think the threshold may be high enough," he said.
Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, wondered if raising the minimum number of signatures wouldn't make Sater's concern worse.
"To me, some of these special interest groups with deep pockets are out there, and they are hiring people to get petitions signed," she said. "So, now you (would make) it so it takes more money and it's more expensive to go through this process."
The Missouri Restaurant Association testified for Sater's proposed amendment.
"We would like it to go broader, to the statutory initiative petitions, as well," lobbyist Brent Hemphill said. "We believe, if you're going to have a direct democracy, then you need to make it harder to get things on the ballot."
Hemphill said the restaurant group has felt targeted by petitions in the past, "specifically, minimum wage."
He added: "We think anything that creates more difficulty is a good thing."
No one testified against the proposal, and the committee didn't take any action Monday to send the idea to the full Senate for debate.