Constitution of Missouri

Constitution State of Missouri

Constitution of the United States

John R. Ashcroft Secretary of State

Revised January 2017

State Capitol (573) 751-2379

John R. Ashcroft

Secretary of State State of Missouri

James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center (573) 751-4936

Dear Fellow Missourian,

The Office of the Secretary of State is privileged to provide you with a copy of the Missouri Constitution and the Constitution of the United States. These documents lay the foundation of our freedoms, help guide us in times of uncertainty and establish our rights as citizens of Missouri and of the United States of America.

As your chief elections officer, I am working to strengthen your trust and confidence in our elections process. Together we Missourians have a duty to each other to uphold the integrity of elections in Missouri. We will work hard to ensure that everyone has the right opportunity to vote, and every vote counts.

The Constitution of Missouri clearly states that "all political power is vested in and derived from the people; that all government of right originates from the people." The following documents are the foundation of our freedom; that we, as citizens of this great state, are the originators of its power. We create that strength and have a duty to maintain it.

I am honored to be your Secretary of State, and encourage you to read and study the Missouri Constitution and the United States Constitution in order to pass on these important pillars to future generations.

Sincerely,

John R. Ashcroft Secretary of State

Contents

Constitution of Missouri

ARTICLE I ARTICLE II ARTICLE III ARTICLE IV ARTICLE V ARTICLE VI ARTICLE VII ARTICLE VIII ARTICLE IX ARTICLE X

Page Act of Admission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ordinance of Acceptance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Admission of Missouri into the Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A Solemn Public Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 A Proclamation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Bill of Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Distribution of Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Legislative Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Legislative Proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Limitation of Legislative Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 State Lottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Initiative and Referendum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Executive Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Revenue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Highways and Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Economic Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Social Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Mental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Natural Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Public Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Labor and Industrial Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Office of Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Appointment of Administrative Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Higher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Nondiscrimination in Appointments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Judicial Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Local Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Special Charters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Local Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 City and County of St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 City of St. Louis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Public Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Suffrage and Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Taxation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

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