Missouri House advances plan to make it harder for some amendments to pass

The Missouri House on Tuesday backed a proposal that could make it significantly more difficult to pass some constitutional amendments.

Rep. Ed Lewis’ ballot measure, which would need voter approval, would require any constitutional amendment that is put before voters through the initiative petition process to pass statewide and in all eight congressional districts. Currently, amendments only need a statewide vote to be enacted.

The House voted 98-58 to send the measure to the Senate. The General Assembly’s upper chamber is slated to take up the matter later in the week.

Lewis and other supporters said that partisan and outside interests have hijacked the initiative petition process and that it should be more difficult to amend the constitution. While a prior version of Lewis’ measure w