Review and approval of a summary statement prepared for the initiative petition submitted by Patricia Thomas regarding a proposed amendment to Article I of the Missouri Constitution (2020-019).

OF THE GREAT 10 SEAL ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI ERIC SCHMITT JEFFERSON CITY P.O. Box 899 ATTORNEY GENERAL 65102 (573) 751-3321 February 7, 2019 OPINION LETTER NO. 36-2019 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 28, 2019, 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 I of the Missouri Constitution, (2020-019). The proposed summary statement is as follows: Do you want to amend the Missouri Constitution to provide that every employee shall have the freedom to work without being forced to join or pay any fees to a union (labor organization) in order to gain or keep a job? 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. OP-2019-0026 The Honorable John R. Ashcroft Page 2 Very truly yours, Eric S. Schnist ERIC S. SCHMITT Attorney General OP-2019-0026