Review and approval of a summary statement prepared for the initiative petition submitted by Patricia Thomas regarding a proposed amendment to Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution, version 1 (2018-313).

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI JEFFERSON CITY JOSHUA D. HAWLEY P.O. Box 899 ATTORNEY GENERAL 65102 (573) 751-3321 January 12, 2018 OPINION LETTER NO. 14-2018 The Honorable John R. Ashcroft Missouri Secretary of State James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center 600 West Main Street Jefferson City, MO 65101 Dear Secretary Ashcroft: This opinion letter responds to your request dated January 5, 2018, for our review under § 116.334, RSMo, of a proposed summary statement prepared for the petition submitted by Patricia Thomas regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to amend Article XIV of the Missouri Constitution, version 1 (2018-313). The proposed summary statement is as follows: Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to provide that: employees shall have the freedom to get and keep their jobs without being forced to pay any fees to a union (labor organization) or join a union; public employee unions cannot deduct dues from paychecks or make political contributions without annual permission; public employee unions must file financial reports that will be public records and follow certain procedures; OP-2018-0004 www.ago.mo.gov The Honorable John R. Ashcroft Page 2 laws and ordinances cannot require certain wage rates (a prevailing wage) for maintenance or construction of public facilities; and it is a crime to purposely violate the provisions of this amendment? Pursuant to § 116.334, RSMo, we approve the legal content and form of the proposed statement. Because our review of the statement is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the petition, nor as the expression of any view regarding the objectives of its proponents. Very truly yours, John Attorney OSHUA General D. HAWLEY OP-2018-0004