40-2025: INITIATIVES.INITIATIVE PETITIONS.

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI
ANDREW BAILEY
Supreme Court Building
207 W. High Street
P.O. Box 899
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3321
Fax: (573) 751-0774
www.ago.mo.gov
March 3, 2025
OPINION LETTER NO. 40-2025
The Honorable Denny Hoskins
Missouri Secretary of State
James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Dear Secretary Hoskins:
This opinion letter responds to your request dated February 18, 2025, for our
review under § 116.332, RSMo of the sufficiency as to form of an initiative petition
submitted by Damien Johnson, Article I, 2026-027.
We conclude that the petition must be rejected for at least the following reasons:
Section 116.050.2, RSMo states that “The full and correct text of all initiative
and referendum petition measures shall: (1) Contain all matter which is to be
deleted included in its proper place enclosed in brackets and all new matter
shown underlined;” This petition does not include, as part of the text of the
proposed measure, a section number.
Because of our rejection of the form of the petition for the reasons stated above,
we have not reviewed the petition to determine whether additional deficiencies exist.
Pursuant to § 116.332.4, RSMo, the Secretary of State is authorized to review this
opinion and “make a final decision as to the approval or rejection of the form of the
petition.”
Very truly yours,
ANDREW BAILEY
Attorney General
OP-2025-040