Opinion Letter No. 83-68

August 20, 1968

Honorable George W. Parker
State Representative, District 120
507 E. Rollins Street
Columbia, Missouri 65201

Dear Representative Parker:

We acknowledge your request for an opinion on the following questions:

"1. Prior to the General Election of November, 1968, who are the members of the Congressional District Committee? That is, are the new Congressional Districts in effect as of now for this purpose? If the old districts are now in effect, when will the new districts take effect so far as these district committees are concerned?"

"2. I believe you have concluded previously that the membership of the District Political Party Committee is made up of the county chairman and vice-chairman of each county wholly within the district the chairman and vice-chairman of each legislative district lying wholly within one county, and the ward or township committeemen and women of a ward or township lying in part or in whole within the district. I am thinking specifically of the membership of the 8th Congressional District in view of the townships from St. Louis County that are in the new district."

As for your first question, it is our opinion that the Congressional districts created by the 73rd General Assembly in 1965 (Laws 1965, p. 250), remain in effect for purposes of selection of party committees until the selection of committee members after the primary election this year. We believe that the legislative scheme clearly envisions reorganization of party committees at all levels not more often than every two years, or from primary election to primary election. There is no reason to believe that the legislature, by establishing new Congressional districts in 1967, so as to comply with the one-man one-vote requirement of the Federal Constitution (Chapter 128, RSMo. Supp. 1967) in any way intended to cut short the terms of office of all committee members duly elected or selected following the 1966 primary election.

In light of our treatment of your first question, your second question necessarily pertains only to the make-up of the party committees organized subsequent to the 1968 primary election. At such time, under the provisions of Section 120.810, RSMo 1959, we believe the 8th Congressional District committee members will include:

(1) The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of County Committees of all counties lying wholly within the new 8th Congressional District. Sections 120.800 and 120.810(2), RSMo 1959, provide that county committee's chairman and vice-chairman shall be members of the congressional committee.

(2) The Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of all legislative districts from counties containing at least two such districts, which in this case are the counties of Boone and Jefferson. Section 120.810(1), RSMo 1959, provides for officers of legislative districts in counties containing more than one legislative district and Section 120.810(2), RSMo 1959, provides that the chairman and vice-chairman of each of such legislative districts shall be members of the Congressional Committee.

(3) The committeemen and committeewomen from each of the townships in St. Louis County which are in whole or in part located within the 8th Congressional District are members of the district committee by virtue of the provisions of Section 120.810(4), RSMo 1959. Under the provisions of Section 128.283, RSMo Supp. 1967, all of Concord and Meramec townships and a portion of Bonhomme township of St. Louis County are within the 8th Congressional District; and therefore those committeemen and committeewomen are members of the 8th Congressional district committee.

Very truly yours,

Norman H. Anderson
Attorney General