NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 23, 2013

From the Office of Representative Jason Smith

150th District CONTACT: Rep. Jason Smith 573-751-1688

Missouri House Approves Speaker Pro Tem Jason Smiths Special Elections Bill
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Speaker Pro Tem Jason Smiths bill to give the people a voice in filling statewide office vacancies passed out of the Missouri House today by a bipartisan vote of 115-45. Smiths legislation was given initial approval yesterday on a voice vote after being amended several times. After five years of working to provide openness and accountability to the process for filling our statewide vacancies, Im excited to take an important step closer to making these special elections a reality, said Smith. All too often governors across the country have used their appointment powers to entrench individuals as permanent state officers public servants who have never stood before the people of the state they represent and asked for their vote. Added to the bill during the perfection process were several amendments to streamline elections and reduce costs to the state of Missouri. Rep. Tony Dugger, R - Hartville, had amendments to move back Missouris presidential primary, and also to lower the threshold at which election returns would trigger an automatic recount. Both changes lower costs and bring Missouris recount procedures in line with modern practices and technology. I think everyone can agree that the non-binding presidential primary Missouri held last February was seven million dollars that could have been better spent, said Smith, R-Salem. He added, The hard-earned tax dollars of Missourians were used to put on what news outlets termed a beauty contest because Governor Jay Nixon vetoed a bill in 2011 that would have moved the primary back a month. When our February primary was deemed to be too early to count, our state parties were forced to use a caucus process. The senate bill (SB 282 in 2011) that contained the fix for Missouris presidential primaries also contained Rep. Smiths language to require special elections for statewide vacancies. At the time of his veto, Governor Nixon claimed that he disapproved of the special elections measure because of the

associated seven million dollar cost of running special elections. HB 110 is written this year to have no fiscal note, so the governors cost concerns should be alleviated. The bill now moves to the Missouri Senate for consideration. -###-