Prohibits paying circulators for initiative petitions

HB 1999 prohibits paying individuals who collect signatures for initiative petitions in Missouri. The bill directly affects people gathering signatures to place citizen-led ballot measures on the election ballot. Key provisions require signature collectors to swear in an affidavit that they are not being paid (Section 116.080), and violations are punishable as a class A misdemeanor. This replaces prior law to prevent financial incentives for signature gathering, aiming to reduce potential fraud in the initiative process.