Ap — Top priorities in the legislative session that begins Wednesday will be making it harder to amend Missouri’s Constitution, sports betting, and education issues ranging from attending out-of-district schools to how children are educated about racism.
GOP lawmakers have been trying for years to crack down on initiative petitions, which have been used to enact policies that the Republican-led Legislature either avoided dealing with or opposed.
For example, voters this year legalized the recreational use of marijuana in response to inaction by lawmakers, and a 2020 citizen-led ballot initiative forced the state to expand Medicaid coverage, despite years of resistance from Republicans.
