As Missouri was not included in the Emancipation Proclamation due to its status as both a border state and part of the Union during the war, the second constitution ended the institution of slavery for the state. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Popular articles How many constitutions has Missouri had when was the current constitution adopted? Popular articles. Esther Fleming July 9, Table of Contents. Previous Article Where did the gypsy moth originally come from?
This constitution lasted only ten years and was replaced by yet another constitution in The Constitution limited taxation, extended the governor's term of office from two to four years, gave strong support to the principle of public education, provided for the popular election of Supreme Court justices, and provided "home rule" to the rapidly growing city of St.
These individuals sought to modernize the somewhat antiquated and oft-amended document. The new constitution was approved by the voters in and adopted in Like most state constitutions, the Missouri Constitution is much more detailed than the United States Constitution in such areas as taxation and powers of local government.
Although more cumbersome than the very brief U. Constitution, the Missouri document is somewhat similar, particularly in the structure of the three branches of government legislative, executive, and judicial and in the specific enumeration of a "Bill of Rights" for Missouri citizens. It is, however, much more explicit with respect to the powers and duties of executive branch officers.
The American citizen has, in effect, dual citizenship. He or she is expected to obey the laws of both the national "federal" government and the state government. When a person runs afoul of the law, the case is most often handled by a state or local court.
Local governments, such as cities and counties, make laws, but only under guidelines established by the state. Missouri state government and its subdivisions regulate such areas as motor vehicles, education, day care, nursing homes, public health, divorce, business licensing, real estate, insurance, and crime.
Under our federal system, there is often aid or cooperation from the national government in performing many of these tasks. Just as federal and state governments often cooperate, there is cooperation between state and local governments. Moreover, city authorities often work with their county counterparts. Missouri law allows contiguous counties to pool resources relating to such items as road equipment, regional hospitals and regional jails.
Since World War II some regions of the state have grown rapidly, some have grown little and others--especially northern rural areas--have declined. Louis area. Overall, its fair to say that Missouri has changed a lot since the last Constitution was drafted. As Missouri's society has changed and become more complex, there has been a corresponding need to amend the state's Constitution.
Missouri is not unique in this respect. Due to their specific nature, many state constitutions have a plethora of amendments. For example, the Texas Constitution of contains over amendments! Although Missouri's Constitution contains less amendments than the constitutions of some other states, by the mids it contained over 65 amendments. By the mids, the number had jumped to 82!
Remember, the U. Constitution contains only 27 amendments. Several methods may be employed to amend the Missouri Constitution:. The present Constitution will probably not be the state's last constitution.
Indeed, according to the Missouri Constitution, the state must call an automatic referendum every 20 years to determine whether a constitutional convention should be called to adopt a new constitution. The legislative branch of Missouri government is known officially as the General Assembly. The General Assembly is a bicameral, or two-house, legislature.
The U. Congress in Washington, D. The Missouri Senate has 34 members, who are elected to overlapping terms of 4 years 17 senators are elected in every even-numbered year.
Senators must be at least 30 years of age and be registered voters in the districts they represent. Senate districts are reapportioned after every census and must be roughly equal in population approximately , people as a result of the Census. Senate districts vary enormously in area. In the s the largest area district was the 12 th in the northwest part of the state--it consisted of 16 sparsely populated rural counties and almost 10, square miles!
The Missouri House of Representatives has members, who are elected to terms of two years. Like the Senate, House districts are reapportioned after every census and must be roughly equal in population approximately 34, following the Census. As a result of a constitutional amendment approved by Missouri voters in , there are now term limits on members of the General Assembly.
No one can serve more than eight years in one house, or more than sixteen years total in both. This stands in stark contrast to the unlimited terms that U. Senators and members of the U.
House of Representatives may serve. Like the U. Congress, Democrats and Republicans dominate the General Assembly. However, there was a big change in As a result of the election, there was a shift in party control of the Missouri Senate to the Republicans for the first time since The House remained Democratic by a margin of So, Missouri began to experience what some describe as "divided government.
Today, both houses of the legislative branch are dominated by the Republicans and the governor Jay Nixon is a Democrat. The General Assembly meets every year from early January until late May. Many legislators are businesspersons or attorneys and are able to maintain their regular occupations while serving in the Assembly.
In addition to their salaries, legislators are provided a number of benefits including offices, secretarial assistance, per diem allowances, mailing privileges, and pensions. Congress, the General Assembly could be described as the "law-making" branch of government. It also has powers of oversight and confirmation, among others. And like the U. Congress, committees are very important in organizing the work of the General Assembly.
Every year, hundreds of bills are introduced to the General Assembly. Each of these will be assigned to a specific standing committee, depending on its subject matter. Committees with the most members include Appropriations, Agriculture, Education, and Banks. Each house operates independently of the other and just because a bill is introduced in the House does not mean it is necessarily introduced in the Senate, or vice-versa.
The party that controls the House or Senate appoints the chairpersons of every committee for that body. This means that all Senate and House chairpersons "chairs" are Republicans. The most powerful person in the House is the Speaker.
The Speaker is also the presiding officer of the House. In the Senate, the most powerful person is the President Pro Tem pore. This person appoints committee chairs in the Senate. However, the technical leader of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. The Lieutenant Governor is not a member of any Senate committee and may not vote, except to break a tie. In many respects, the Missouri Senate and House operate in a similar manner.
However, the Senate tends to be more informal, less partisan and somewhat more conservative in appropriating funds. The Senate allows "unlimited" debate, including the filibuster device. Unless bills deal with appropriations, they must contain only one subject. The great majority of bills die in committee--that is, they never become law. Public hearings are normally scheduled for most bills. When a hearing has concluded, a committee will convene in "executive session. If both houses report out a bill favorably but the versions are different, a conference committee composed of both Senators and Representatives meets to "iron out," or compromise, the differences.
The most recent amendments to the Missouri Constitution, of which there were two, were approved by voters in The Missouri Constitution is considerably longer than the U. The U. Constitution was adopted after ratification by state legislatures.
Once Missouri became a state, its constitutions have been drafted during constitutional conventions and adopted by a vote of the people. The major source of revenue for the state of Missouri is the individual income tax. For local government the major source of revenue is the property tax, but this varies by type of local government. The state and local tax system of Missouri is regressive.
Article I — Bill of Rights. Section 5 Religious freedom—liberty of conscience and belief—limitations— right to pray—academic religious freedoms and prayer. Section 6 Practice and support of religion not compulsory—contracts therefor enforceable.
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