Missouri voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would allow for courts of justice to levy costs and fees in order to provide for salaries and benefits for law enforcement personnel. The amendment will be on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot.

The amendment was referred to the ballot by the Missouri State Legislature. For a constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot in Missouri, a simple majority vote in both chambers is required. The amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 71 (SJR 71), passed the Missouri State Senate by 25-7 on March 7, 2024, and passed the House of Representatives on March 17, 2024.

The text that would be added to the Missouri Constitution reads, “In order to ensure that all Missourians have access to the courts of justice as guaranteed by this Constitution, the administration of justice shall include the levying of costs and fees to support salaries and benefits for sheriffs, former sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, former prosecuting attorneys, circuit attorneys, and former circuit attorneys.”

State Sen. Rusty Black (R), who filed the amendment, said, “Senate Joint Resolution 71, a resolution that I filed, would ask voters to enshrine into the state’s constitution that sheriffs play a crucial role in the administration of justice, which would ensure a robust retirement fund for sheriffs as they approach the end of their careers.”

The Reason Foundation opposed the amendment, filing testimony in the House, which stated, “Senate Joint Resolution 71 would reinstate a set of perverse incentives that tie pension contributions to the volume of arrests, prosecutions, and other aspects of the criminal justice system.”

The Missouri State Legislature referred two other constitutional amendments to the 2024 ballot this legislative session. One amendment is related to property tax exemptions for childcare establishments, and another related to citizenship voting and prohibiting ranked-choice voting. Another amendment on the ballot, which relates to increasing the minimum funding to the Kansas City Police Department, was previously approved by voters in 2022 as Amendment 4, but following a ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court, was struck down and placed again on the 2024 ballot.

Four other citizen initiatives may also appear on the 2024 ballot. The deadline for these campaigns to submit signatures was on May 5, 2024. The citizen initiatives relate to establishing a minimum wage of $15 an hour and paid sick leave, establishing the right to reproductive freedom in the Missouri Constitution, legalizing sports wagering in Missouri, and an amendment providing for the issuance of an additional gambling boat license to operate on the portion of the Osage River.