COLUMBIA — The Missouri Senate's passage of two pieces of legislation that hope to overturn voter-approved initiatives has
sparked protests at the Capitol — but it's also opened up questions about what's next. Senate Republicans on Wednesday used a legislative tactic, called calling the previous question, to force votes on
House Joint Resolution 73 and
House Bill 567 . The method, called PQ for short, is rarely used and considered a controversial move. Senate Republicans used it to end a filibuster, which Democrats were using to block the passage of HJR 73. "We often see at the end of the Missouri General Assembly sessions that there are a fair amount of fireworks, and that was certainly the case this year," University of Missouri political science professor Peverill Squire said. Legislators last used a PQ in a special session in 2020, then before that in a regular session in 2017. "Senators generally try to avoid getting to the point where they have to invoke it," Squire said.
What's next
HJR 73, following passage by both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly, goes to the people for a final vote of approval. Unlike bills, which require the governor's approval, resolutions like HJR go on the ballot for voters to approve. The resolution is set to go on the November 2026 ballot. The initiative will ask voters whether to amend the Missouri constitution to ban abortions — except for in cases of medical emergency, rape and incest. Even in those cases, abortions would only be allowed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. And while the constitutional amendment focuses on abortion, it includes an article banning gender transition procedures for minors. "This is what they call ballot candy," Squire said. "It's something they try to insert to entice some voters that might otherwise not want to vote for their preferred position." Republicans have
criticized Proposition A for containing provisions for minimum wage and paid sick leave , saying the November 2024 ballot measure violated the Missouri constitution's single-subject requirement. The
Missouri Supreme Court has upheld the validity of Proposition A's passage. The state constitution mandates that a ballot initiative contain only a single subject. Now, with Republicans pushing through a measure that aims to ban gender transition procedures for minors, along with most abortions, question remain about whether HJR 73 could violate the single-subject requirement. "It is inconsistent on their part," Squire said. "On the other measure that they're overturning that's a statutory measure, they claim that it violated single-subject. This can be claimed to violate single-subject rules as well." However, Squire indicated he thinks these concerns don't necessarily reflect the belief of voters. "I think the voters understood what they were voting for back in 2024, and they'll know because there's a lot of time now to educate them on what their options are on the upcoming vote," Squire said. "It's often the case that the people who try to overturn a ballot measure claim the voters don't know what they were voting for, but that's rarely the case."
Special election possibility
The language of HJR 73 states the amendment will go to the ballot in November 2026 — unless Gov. Mike Kehoe calls a special election to bring the issue before the voters sooner. However, Squire said, it's unlikely the governor would do this. The political scientist said such a move would cost the state and local governments a fair amount of money — and it could end up mobilizing voters who may not otherwise participate. "It may energize voters on the other side of the question, get them registered and get them anxious to vote, not just in the special election but then again in November," Squire said. "It's something they're going to have to calculate; it is an option that's available. It's not a particularly attractive option."
