HB 2668 & HB 2780: Omnibus Election & Property Tax Bill
Sponsors: Rep. Ben Keathley (HB 2668) & Rep. Tim Taylor (HB 2780)
OPPOSE
Omnibus/Fair-Notice Violation
HB 2668 and HB 2780 are large omnibus bills that rewrite and standardize rules across dozens of statutes dealing with local tax elections, ballot language, and property-tax administration. Its core thrust is to push many tax elections toward general-election timing and add "truth-in-advertising" rules for ballot measures. However, the bill also bundles unrelated substantive property-tax policy changes—including revisions to "residential property" definitions and a targeted low assessment rate for certain solar equipment—into the package.
What Does This Bill Do?
- Consolidates Election Dates: Restricts when many political subdivisions can place tax questions on the ballot, moving them away from low-turnout "special" elections and toward general-election timing to reduce gamesmanship.
- "Truth-in-Advertising" for Ballots: Prohibits describing a proposed tax as "not increasing taxes" unless strictly true and requires certain real-property tax measures to express impact as "dollars owed per $100,000 of market value".
- Property Tax & Solar Changes: Alters the definition of "residential property" (affecting some short-term rentals) and creates a specific 5% assessment carveout for solar PV equipment constructed prior to August 2022.
Constitutional or Critical Context
While the bill contains positive election transparency reforms, its "repeal and reenact" title masks its true scope. By bundling election scheduling with property tax classifications and special solar assessments, it fails the "fair notice" test, preventing ordinary citizens from knowing that property tax policy is being altered inside what appears to be an election bill.
Red Flags & Recommended Amendments
Single-Subject Violation
The omnibus structure allows unrelated policies (like solar subsidies) to "hitchhike" on popular election transparency reforms without proper scrutiny.
Hidden Solar Subsidies
Section 137.115 creates a special 5% assessment rate for specific solar equipment, effectively a hidden subsidy that shifts tax burdens to other payers.
Act for Missouri Recommendation:
Act for Missouri opposes these bills in their current omnibus form. While we support the ballot language and election timing reforms, they must be advanced as clean, stand-alone legislation. The inclusion of special-interest tax carveouts and the broad "repeal/reenact" structure violates the spirit of the single-subject rule. We recommend splitting the bill into separate measures.