Simone Lawson
Missouri Amendment 1, also known as Clean Missouri, was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on the ballot in Missouri on August 6, 2024. The amendment proposed exempting childcare establishments from property taxation, as well as other properties used primarily for the care of children outside of their homes. The amendment was introduced to address the state's chronic childcare provider shortage, which has been a bipartisan priority in Jefferson City. The measure was ultimately defeated, with critics arguing that it was a disingenuous attempt to upend Missouri's political system with dark money.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | August 6, 2024 |
| Type | Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
| Purpose | To allow the Missouri General Assembly to pass a property tax exemption for childcare facilities |
| Supporters | 70 Republicans, 21 Democrats, Missouri Chamber of Commerce |
| Opposition | None found |
| Outcome | Defeated |
| Impact | Would have exempted childcare establishments from property taxation |
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What You'll Learn
Missouri childcare tax breaks
Missouri Amendment 1, the Property Tax Exemption for Childcare Establishments Measure, was on the ballot in Missouri as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on August 6, 2024. The amendment was introduced to the 2023-2024 legislative session in the state legislature. On March 23, 2023, the Senate voted 33-0 to pass the amendment, and on May 12, 2023, the House voted 91-27 in favor. Seventy Republicans and 21 Democrats voted for the amendment, while 25 Republicans and two Democrats voted against it.
Amendment 1 asked Missourians to amend the state constitution to allow the General Assembly to pass a property tax exemption for childcare providers. If passed, the General Assembly could exempt childcare providers from paying taxes on personal property. The amendment aimed to address the state's chronic childcare provider shortage by incentivizing the opening of more childcare centers.
Missouri has a significant shortage of childcare facilities, with almost half of all Missouri children under 5, or about 202,000 kids, living in childcare deserts. In some ZIP codes, there are more than 20 children for every available seat in a childcare facility. The high cost of childcare, averaging $656 per month, and the limited access to early childhood education programs further exacerbate the issue. A Missouri Chamber of Commerce survey in 2023 found that 80% of its members believed that the expense and difficulty of finding childcare kept many Missourians out of the workforce.
The proposed amendment faced opposition due to concerns about its financial impact on local governments that depend on property taxes. The state's Blind Pension Fund was estimated to lose $400,000 annually, and a community college in St. Charles County predicted revenue losses. Despite these concerns, the amendment received bipartisan support in Jefferson City, where tackling the childcare provider shortage has been a priority.
Unfortunately, the measure was defeated in the August 2024 ballot. This outcome contrasts with the approval of a similar amendment in Texas in November 2023, which allowed counties or municipalities to authorize property tax exemptions for childcare facilities.
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Childcare establishments exempt from property tax
Missouri Amendment 1, the Property Exemption Tax for Childcare Establishments Measure, was on the ballot in Missouri as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on August 6, 2024. The amendment, which was introduced to the 2023-2024 legislative session, aimed to address the state's childcare provider shortage by allowing the General Assembly to exempt childcare businesses from property taxes. This would have applied to properties used primarily for the care of children outside of their homes, including cases where only a portion of the property is used for childcare.
The amendment had support from both Republicans and Democrats in the state legislature, with the Senate voting 33-0 to pass it on March 23, 2023, and the House voting 91-27 on May 12, 2023. Seventy Republicans and 21 Democrats voted for the amendment, while 25 Republicans and two Democrats voted against it. The amendment was placed on the ballot for voters to approve by a simple majority, following the standard procedure for constitutional amendments in Missouri.
The motivation behind the amendment was to tackle the issue of limited access to early childhood education programs in Missouri. A 2023 investigation revealed that almost half of all Missouri children under 5 live in childcare deserts, and in some ZIP codes, there are more than 20 children for every available seat in a childcare facility. Additionally, a Missouri Chamber of Commerce survey found that 80% of its members cited the expense and difficulty of finding childcare as a factor keeping Missourians out of the workforce. The average monthly cost of childcare in the state was $656, and the Office of Head Start's performance report showed that early Head Start programs reached only 7% of eligible Missourians.
While the amendment aimed to increase the availability and affordability of childcare, there were concerns about its potential financial impact. The state's Blind Pension Fund was estimated to lose $400,000 annually, and local governments anticipated unknown fiscal consequences. Kansas City expressed uncertainty about the proposal's financial impact, and a community college in St. Charles County predicted revenue losses.
Despite the support in the state legislature, the amendment was ultimately defeated in the August 2024 vote. This outcome suggests that, while addressing the childcare shortage and improving access to early childhood education are important priorities, the potential financial implications of the amendment were a significant consideration for Missouri voters.
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Childcare shortage in Missouri
Missouri Amendment 1, the Property Exemption Tax for Childcare Establishments Measure, was on the ballot in Missouri as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on August 6, 2024. The amendment was introduced to address the state's chronic childcare shortage. The measure was defeated, but it is important to understand the context of the childcare shortage in Missouri.
Missouri has been facing a significant childcare shortage, with high costs and low worker pay contributing to the issue. The average cost of full-time childcare in Missouri is $8,100 annually, which is unaffordable for many families. The median hourly wage for childcare workers is low, at just under $12 in 2021, leading to high turnover in the industry. The pandemic exacerbated the problem, with Missouri losing 30% of its childcare facilities during that time. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), 89 out of 114 counties in Missouri are childcare deserts, meaning only one out of three children in those counties have access to childcare.
The childcare shortage has had economic impacts on the state, with businesses losing about $723 million annually due to absent workers and turnover. The state and local economies are also losing out on approximately $146 million in tax revenue. The University of Missouri Extension estimates that the state is losing a total of $869 million annually due to childcare shortages.
To address the shortage, lawmakers proposed Amendment 1, which would have exempted childcare establishments from property taxation. This approach is similar to Texas and Florida, which have passed tax exemptions for childcare centers. The amendment passed in the Senate with a 33-0 vote and in the House with a 91-27 vote. However, it was ultimately defeated in the ballot.
Other efforts to tackle the childcare shortage in Missouri include the federal government providing over $1 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to stabilize the industry, and the state working on fine-tuning its aid programs. Gov. Mike Kehoe has also proposed a tax credit package to boost childcare access, and the DESE has launched an Innovation Start-up Grant application to expand childcare in local communities.
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Missouri's political system
The legislative branch is vested in the General Assembly, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House has 163 members serving two-year terms, while the Senate has 34 members serving four-year terms. Each senator represents an equivalent number of constituents, while each county has at least one representative, regardless of its population.
The Missouri judicial system has an unusual feature called the Missouri Plan, which has been adopted by several other states. Under this plan, the governor fills a judicial vacancy by appointing one of three judges selected by a nonpartisan judicial commission. The appointment must then be confirmed in a separate nonpartisan ballot in the first general election after the judge has served for 12 months. This plan applies to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and circuit courts in metropolitan St. Louis and Kansas City. In other counties, judges are elected by voters in partisan elections.
As of 2025, Missouri has a Republican trifecta and a Republican triplex, with the Republican Party controlling the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature. Historically, Missouri has served as a bellwether for US party politics, with the Democratic Party dominating at the state level. However, Missourians have also elected Republican governors and Republican majorities to the General Assembly. In recent years, the Republicans have gained control of both houses of the legislature.
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Constitutional amendment process
The Missouri Constitution is the state constitution of the U.S. State of Missouri. It is the fundamental document that outlines the state's framework for governance, including the powers, structure, and limitations of the state government, individual and civil rights, and other matters. The Missouri Constitution is subject only to the federal Constitution and the people of Missouri.
The current Missouri Constitution was adopted in 1945 and is the state's fourth constitution. It has been amended 126 times since then, with the most recent amendments (four in total) approved in 2024. The Missouri Constitution provides for three branches of government: the legislative branch (the Missouri General Assembly), the executive branch (the Governor of Missouri), and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court of Missouri). It also establishes local governments in the form of counties and cities.
Constitutional amendments in Missouri can be referred by the state legislature or placed on the ballot through a successful citizen initiative campaign. A simple majority is required in both the Missouri House of Representatives and the Missouri State Senate to refer a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot. The number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is based on the number of votes cast for governor in the state's most recent gubernatorial election. In two-thirds of Missouri's congressional districts, proponents must collect signatures equal to 8% of the gubernatorial vote for initiated constitutional amendments.
Missouri is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question to appear on the state's ballot every 20 years, starting in 1942. Since 1962, Missourians have been asked every twenty years if they would like to convene a constitutional convention to revise the constitution; each time, a majority of the state's voters have rejected the proposal.
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Frequently asked questions
Missouri Constitutional Amendment 1, or Amendment 1, was a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on the ballot in Missouri on August 6, 2024.
The amendment proposed to exempt childcare establishments from property taxation.
Missouri Constitutional Amendment 1 was supported by its proponents, who nicknamed it "Clean Missouri". Seventy Republicans and 21 Democrats voted for the amendment.
The measure was defeated.
The amendment was seen as a way to address the childcare shortage in Missouri and make childcare more accessible, which would benefit children, families, the workforce, and society as a whole.
