Wright upholds change

Dear Friends,
Members of the Missouri House this past week approved a proposed change to the constitution of the state that allows voters to decide if the state should raise the threshold to modify the constitution in the future. The House approved HJR 43 by a vote of 108-50.
The key component of HJR 43 changes the threshold required to amend Missouri’s constitution. Currently, a simple majority vote by registered Missouri voters is required to change our constitution. If approved by both houses of state legislatures as well as the governor, it will be a ballot issue sent to our citizens to vote whether they think HJR 43 should be implemented to raise the threshold to 60 percent, in order to make changes to our constitution.
These changes will protect the sanctity of our most important, foundational state document, of which all our laws are based. Our constitution should only be amended when absolutely necessary and only when it benefits our citizens. Our current Missouri Constitution has been changed more than 60 times since it was written in 1945. In comparison, the United States Constitution has been amended only 17 times since 1791.
HJR 43 will help minimize the influence of out-of-state lobbyist groups that have no ties to Missouri, but spend millions of dollars to change our state constitution. These groups try to reimagine Missouri with their vision rather than the vision of Missouri citizens. HJR 43 enhances the ability for us, as citizens, to decide for ourselves.
The legislation also requires that voters in each of Missouri’s US congressional districts have the opportunity to review and comment upon all future initiative petitions, proposing amendments to the constitution. This would require an initiative sponsor to go into all eight districts and give people a chance to have their voice heard and submit testimony, this way citizens from all regions of the state will have their voices heard, not merely people in the largest metropolitan areas. The goal of HJR 43 is to give all Missouri citizens a greater voice.
Another portion of HJR 43 clarifies that only citizens of the United States of America who are residents of the State of Missouri and who are properly registered to vote in the State of Missouri will be considered legal voters.

The secretary of state will administer public forums which would take place at least 15 days before a measure appears on a ballot.
The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration.
A New Website to Prevent Service Members, Veterans, and Their Family’s Suicides
Veterans, service members, and their families now have a website they can access that is designed to help reduce the rate of suicide in Missouri. This week, Governor Mike Parson unveiled the new site located at www.mogovchallenge.com.
Launched by the Missouri Governor’s Challenge Team to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, the site provides general information on the team’s projects and strategic priorities, the impact suicide is having on the military community, and resources for both members of the military community and for anyone wishing to support them. The website also offers access to free online military culture and suicide prevention training through PsychArmor for health care providers, Veterans, employers, military families, and others.
Missouri established a Governor’s Challenge team in 2021 under Parson’s leadership. The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families is a non-partisan state interagency team created to collaborate, plan, and implement suicide prevention best practices and policies for service members, Veterans, and their families across the state.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration originally launched the Governor’s and Mayor’s Challenges to bring together leaders in community and state governments to prevent suicide among service members, Veterans, and their families.