Article III — Legislative Department
73 sections · 0 paragraphs in this article.
Mo. Const. art. III, § 1 Legislative power—general assembly
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The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and house of representatives to be styled “The General Assembly of the State of Missouri.”
Mo. Const. art. III, § 2 Election of representatives—apportionment commission, appointment, duties, compensation
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The house of representatives shall consist of one hundred sixty-three members elected at each general election and apportioned in the following manner: Within sixty days after the population of this state is reported to the President for each decennial census of the United States…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 4 Qualifications of representatives
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Each representative shall be twenty-four years of age, and next before the day of his election shall have been a qualified voter for two years and a resident of the county or district which he is chosen to represent for one year, if such county or district shall have been so long…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 5 Senators—number—senatorial districts
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The senate shall consist of thirty-four members elected by the qualified voters of the respective districts for four years. For the election of senators, the state shall be divided into convenient districts of contiguous territory, as compact and nearly equal in population as may…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 6 Qualifications of senators
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Each senator shall be thirty years of age, and next before the day of his election shall have been a qualified voter of the state for three years and a resident of the district which he is chosen to represent for one year, if such district shall have been so long established, and…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 7 Senatorial apportionment commission—number, appointment, duties, compensation
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Within sixty days after the population of this state is reported to the President for each decennial census of the United States, and within sixty days after notification by the governor that a reapportionment has been invalidated by a court of competent jurisdiction, the state c…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 8 Term limitations for members of General Assembly
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No one shall be elected to serve more than eight years total in any one house of the General Assembly nor more than sixteen years total in both houses of the General Assembly. In applying this section, service in the General Assembly resulting from an election prior to December 3…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 9 Apportionment of representatives
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Until the convening of the Seventy-fourth General Assembly the House of Representatives shall consist of one hundred sixty-three members elected from the one hundred sixty-three representative districts, as they existed January 1, 1965.
Mo. Const. art. III, § 10 Basis of apportionment—alteration of districts
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The last decennial census of the United States shall be used in apportioning representatives and determining the population of senatorial and representative districts. Such districts may be altered from time to time as public convenience may require.
Mo. Const. art. III, § 11 Time of election of senators and representatives
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The first election of senators and representatives under this constitution, shall be held at the general election in the year one thousand nine hundred and forty-six when the whole number of representatives and the senators from the districts having even numbers, who shall compos…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 12 Members of general assembly disqualified from holding other offices
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No person holding any lucrative office or employment under the United States, this state or any municipality thereof shall hold the office of senator or representative. When any senator or representative accepts any office or employment under the United States, this state or any …
Mo. Const. art. III, § 13 Vacation of office by removal of residence
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If any senator or representative remove his residence from the district or county for which he was elected, his office shall thereby be vacated.
Mo. Const. art. III, § 14 Writs of election to fill vacancies
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Writs of election to fill vacancies in either house of the general assembly shall be issued by the governor.
Mo. Const. art. III, § 15 Oath of office of members of assembly—administration—effect of refusal to take oath and conviction of violation
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Every senator or representative elect, before entering upon the duties of his office, shall take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation: “I do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and faithfull…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 16 Compensation, mileage allowance and expenses of general assembly members
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Senators and representatives shall receive from the state treasury as salary such sums as are provided by law. No law fixing the compensation of members of the general assembly shall become effective until the first day of the regular session of the general assembly next followin…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 17 Limitation on number of legislative employees
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Until otherwise provided by law, the house of representatives shall not employ more than one hundred twenty-five and the senate shall not employ more than seventy-five employees elective, appointive or any other at any time during any session.
Mo. Const. art. III, § 18 Appointment of officers of houses—jurisdiction to determine membership—power to make rules, punish for contempt and disorderly conduct and expel members
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Each house shall appoint its own officers; shall be sole judge of the qualifications, election and returns of its own members; may determine the rules of its own proceedings, except as herein provided; may arrest and punish by fine not exceeding three hundred dollars, or imprison…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 19 Legislative privileges
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Senators and representatives shall, in all cases except treason, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the session of the general assembly, and for the fifteen days next before the commencement and after the termination of each session; and they shall n…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 20(a) Automatic adjournment—tabling of bills, when
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The general assembly shall adjourn at midnight on May thirtieth until the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January of the following year, unless it has adjourned prior thereto. All bills in either house remaining on the calendar after 6:00 p.m. on the first Friday follow…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 20(b) Special session, procedure to convene—limitations—automatic adjournment
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Upon the filing with the secretary of state of a petition stating the purpose for which the session is to be called and signed by three-fourths of the members of the senate and three-fourths of the members of the house of representatives, the president pro tem of the senate and t…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 20 Regular sessions of assembly—quorum—compulsory attendance—public sessions—limitation on power to adjourn
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The general assembly shall meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January following each general election. The general assembly may provide by law for the introduction of bills during the period between the first day of December and the first Wednesday after the fi…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 21 Style of laws—bills—limitation on amendments—power of each house to originate and amend bills—reading of bills
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The style of the laws of this state shall be: “Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows.” No law shall be passed except by bill, and no bill shall be so amended in its passage through either house as to change its original purpose. Bills may orig…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 22 Referral of bills to committees—recall of referred bills—records of committees—provision for interim meetings
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Every bill shall be referred to a committee of the house in which it is pending. After it has been referred to a committee, one-third of the elected members of the respective houses shall have power to relieve a committee of further consideration of a bill and place it on the cal…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 23 Limitation of scope of bills—contents of titles—exceptions
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No bill shall contain more than one subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title, except bills enacted under the third exception in section 37 of this article and general appropriation bills, which may embrace the various subjects and accounts for which moneys are approp…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 24 Printing of bills and amendments
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No bill shall be considered for final passage in either house until it, with all amendments thereto, has been printed and copies distributed among the members. If a bill passed by either house be returned thereto, amended by the other, the house to which the same is returned shal…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 25 Limitation on introduction of bills
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No bill other than an appropriation bill shall be introduced in either house after the sixtieth legislative day unless consented to by a majority of the elected members of each house or the governor shall request a consideration of the proposed legislation by a special message. N…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 26 Legislative journals—demand for yeas and nays—manner and record of vote
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Each house shall publish a journal of its proceedings. The yeas and nays on any question shall be taken and entered on the journal on the motion of any five members. Whenever the yeas and nays are demanded, or required by this constitution, the whole list of members shall be call…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 27 Concurrence in amendments—adoption of conference committee reports—final passage of bills
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No amendments to bills by one house shall be concurred in by the other, nor shall reports of committees of conference be adopted in either house, nor shall a bill be finally passed, unless a vote by yeas and nays be taken and a majority of the members elected to each house be rec…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 28 Form of reviving, reenacting and amending bills
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No act shall be revived or reenacted unless it shall be set forth at length as if it were an original act. No act shall be amended by providing that words be stricken out or inserted, but the words to be stricken out, or the words to be inserted, or the words to be stricken out a…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 29 Effective date of laws—exceptions—procedure in emergencies and upon recess
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No law passed by the general assembly, except an appropriation act, shall take effect until ninety days after the adjournment of the session in either odd-numbered or even-numbered years at which it was enacted. However, in case of an emergency which must be expressed in the prea…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 30 Signing of bills by presiding officers—procedure on objections—presentation of bills to governor
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No bill shall become a law until it is signed by the presiding officer of each house in open session, who first shall suspend all other business, declare that the bill shall now be read and that if no objection be made he will sign the same. If in either house any member shall ob…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 31 Governor's duty as to bills—time limitations—failure to return, bill becomes law
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Every bill which shall have passed the house of representatives and the senate shall be presented to and considered by the governor, and, within fifteen days after presentment, he shall return such bill to the house in which it originated endorsed with his approval or accompanied…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 32 Vetoed bills reconsidered, when
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Every bill presented to the governor and returned with his objections shall stand as reconsidered in the house to which it is returned. If the governor returns any bill with his objections on or after the fifth day before the last day upon which a session of the general assembly …
Mo. Const. art. III, § 34 Revision of general statutes—limitation on compensation
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In the year 1949 and at least every ten years thereafter all general statute laws shall be revised, digested and promulgated as provided by law. No senator or representative shall receive any compensation in addition to his salary as a member of the general assembly for any servi…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 35 Committee on legislative research
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There shall be a permanent joint committee on legislative research, selected by and from the members of each house as provided by law. The general assembly, by a majority vote of the elected members, may discharge any or all of the members of the committee at any time and select …
Mo. Const. art. III, § 36 Payment of state revenues and receipts to treasury—limitation of withdrawals to appropriations—order of appropriations
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All revenue collected and money received by the state shall go into the treasury and the general assembly shall have no power to divert the same or to permit the withdrawal of money from the treasury, except in pursuance of appropriations made by law. All appropriations of money …
Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(b) Water pollution control fund established—bonds authorized—funds to stand appropriated
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The general assembly may authorize the contracting of an indebtedness on behalf of the state of Missouri and the issuance of bonds or other evidences of indebtedness not exceeding in the aggregate the sum of one hundred fifty million dollars for the purpose of providing funds for…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(g) Rural water and sewer grants and loans—bonds authorized, procedure—appropriation of funds, limitations
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Mo. Const. art. III, § 37 Limitation on state debts and bond issues
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The general assembly shall have no power to contract or authorize the contracting of any liability of the state, or to issue bonds therefor, except (1) to refund outstanding bonds, the refunding bonds to mature not more than twenty-five years from date, (2) on the recommendation …
Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(a) State building bond issue authorized—interest rate—payment from income tax and other funds
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In addition to the exceptions made in Section 37, the General Assembly shall have power to contract, or to authorize the contracting of, a debt or liability on behalf of the state, and to issue bonds or other evidence of indebtedness therefor, not exceeding in the aggregate Seven…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(c) Additional water pollution control bonds authorized—procedure
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The general assembly may authorize the contracting of an indebtedness on behalf of the state of Missouri and the issuance of bonds or other evidences of indebtedness not exceeding in the aggregate the sum of two hundred million dollars for the purpose of providing funds for use i…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(d) Third state building bond issue authorized—procedures—use of funds
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The general assembly may authorize the contracting of an indebtedness on behalf of the state of Missouri and the issuance of bonds or other evidences of indebtedness in the aggregate sum of six hundred million dollars for the purpose of providing funds for improvements of state b…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(e) Water pollution control, improvement of drinking water systems and storm water control—amount of indebtedness, bonds authorized, procedure
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Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(f) Fourth state building bond and interest fund created—bond issue authorized, procedure—use of funds
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Mo. Const. art. III, § 37(h) Storm water control plans, studies and projects—bonds authorized, procedure—storm water control bond and interest fund created, administration (includes St. Louis City and counties of the first classification)
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Mo. Const. art. III, § 38(b) Tax levy for blind pension fund
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The general assembly shall provide an annual tax of not less than one-half of one cent nor more than three cents on the one hundred dollars valuation of all taxable property to be levied and collected as other taxes, for the purpose of providing a fund to be appropriated and used…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 38(c) Neighborhood improvement districts, cities and counties may be authorized to establish, powers and duties—limitation on indebtedness
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Mo. Const. art. III, § 38(d) Stem cell research—title of law—permissible research—violations, penalty—report required, when—prohibited acts—definitions
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“8. The provisions of this section are self-executing. All of the provisions of this section are severable. If any provision of this section is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or unconstitutionally enacted, the remaining provisions of this sectio…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 38(a) Limitation on use of state funds and credit—exceptions—public calamity—blind pensions—old age assistance—aid to children—direct relief—adjusted compensation for veterans—rehabilitation—participation in federal aid
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The general assembly shall have no power to grant public money or property, or lend or authorize the lending of public credit, to any private person, association or corporation, excepting aid in public calamity, and general laws providing for pensions for the blind, for old age a…
Mo. Const. art. III, § 39(b) State lottery, authority to establish—lottery proceeds fund established, purpose
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