Read the full stored bill text
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE JOINT
RESOLUTION NO. 124
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE COOK.
4519H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
JOINT RESOLUTION
Submitting to the qualified voters of Missouri an amendment to Article VII of the
Constitution of Missouri, by adopting one new section relating to sheriff s.
Be it r esolved by the House of Repr esentatives, the Senate concurring ther ein:
That at the next general election to be held in the state of Missouri, on T uesday next
2 following the first Monday in November , 2026, or at a special election to be called by the
3 governor for that purpose, there is hereby submitted to the qualified voters of this state, for
4 adoption or rejection, the following amendment to Article VII of the Constitution of the state
5 of Missouri:
Section A. Article VII, Constitution of Missouri, is amended by adopting one new
2 section, to be known as Section 15, to read as follows:
Section 15. 1. Except as provi ded in subsection 2 of Article VII, Section 15, each
2 county shall elect a sheriff for a term of four years by a majority of the qualified voters
3 of the county voting ther eon at the time of voting designated for such office pro vided by
4 law as of the effective date of this section and every four years ther eafter .
5 2. The pr ovisions of Article VII, Section 15 shall not apply to:
6 (1) Any city not within a county;
7 (2) Any county with a charter form of government adjacent to a city not within a
8 county; or
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
9 (3) Any county with a charter form of government which has a population
10 gr eater than four hundred thousand inhabitants and that is adjacent to a county with a
11 population gr eater than nine hundr ed thousand inhabitants.
12 3. Except as pr ovided in subsection 2 of Article VII, Section 15, the elected
13 sheriff shall be the chief law enforcem ent officer in his or her county . Notwithstanding
14 Article VI, Section 18(a) or any other article of the Missouri Constitution to the
15 contrary , every sheriff, except as provi ded in subsection 2 of Article VII, Section 15, in
16 addition to duties as set in law , shall quell and suppress assaults, batteries, riots, rou ts,
17 affrays, and insurr ections and shall:
18 (1) Appr ehend and commit to jail all felons and traitors;
19 (2) Attend each division of the cir cuit court pr esided over by a cir cuit or
20 associate circui t court judge held in his or her county , when so dir ected by the court;
21 and
22 (3) Execute pro cess, including writs of repl evin, attachments, and final pro cess
23 issued by circu it and associate cir cuit court judges, unless the sheriff of the county does
24 not perform such duties as of August 28, 2026.
25 4. Except as prov ided in subsection 2 of Article VII, Section 15, every sheriff is a
26 conservator of the peace within his or her county and shall cause all offenders against
27 law to appear at the next term of the cir cuit or associate court of the county , and to be
28 committed to jail in case of failur e to give the recogn izance.
29 5. Except as prov ided in subsection 2 of Article VII, Section 15, the sheriff shall
30 hir e and appoint such deputies, assistants, and other employees as the sheriff deems
31 necessary for the pr oper discharge of the duties of his or her office, who shall hold office
32 at the will and pleasur e of the sheriff and may set their compensation within the limits of
33 the allocations made for that purpose.
34 6. Except as provi ded in subsection 2 of Article VII, Section 15, an elected county
35 sheriff shall not be rem oved fr om office except by writ of quo warranto initiated by the
36 attorney general.
Section B. Pursuant to chapter 1 16, and other applicable constitutional provisions and
2 laws of this state allowing the general assembly to adopt ballot language for the submission of
3 this joint resolution to the voters of this state, the of ficial summary statement of this
4 resolution shall be as follows:
5 "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to support law enforcement by
6 preserving the right of citizens to elect a county sherif f, prohibiting the removal of a
HJR 124 2
7 county sherif f except by a writ of quo warranto, and recognizing the of fice of sheriff
8 as part of the administration of justice?".
✔
HJR 124 3