Did Missouri's Attorney General approve the fiscal note summary for initiative petition 2026-002?

Plain-English summary

The Missouri Attorney General approved the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary prepared for initiative petition 2026-002.

The summary reported no state savings, initial state costs of $528,524, ongoing state costs of at least $110,000 annually, and no local-government costs or savings.

The AG's review under § 116.175.4, RSMo did not examine whether those estimates were fair or sufficient. The opinion also said approval did not endorse the initiative or express a view on the proponents' objectives.

What this means for you

Initiative-petition sponsors and voters

The opinion approved the fiscal note summary's legal content and form. It did not validate the amount or fairness of the projected costs.

State Auditor and fiscal staff

The opinion completed the Attorney General review required by § 116.175.4, RSMo for the submitted summary.

Common questions

What fiscal impact did the summary report?

It reported initial state costs of $528,524 and ongoing costs of at least $110,000 per year, with no savings. Local entities estimated no costs or savings.

Did the AG verify those estimates?

No. The opinion expressly said the review did not examine their fairness or sufficiency.

Did approval endorse the initiative petition?

No. The opinion disclaimed endorsement and any view on the petition's objectives.

Background and statutory framework

The State Auditor submitted the fiscal note and summary on December 2, 2024. The Attorney General reviewed the summary under § 116.175.4, RSMo.

Citations discussed

• § 116.175, RSMo, governing the fiscal note and fiscal note summary
• § 116.175.4, RSMo, requiring Attorney General review of the summary's legal content and form

Source

• Landing page: https://ago.mo.gov/other-resources/ag-opinions/
• Original PDF: https://ago.mo.gov/wp-content/uploads/30-2024.pdf

Original opinion text

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MISSOURI
ANDREW BAILEY
December 11, 2024
OPINION LETTER NO. 30-2024
The Honorable Scott Fitzpatrick
Missouri State Auditor
State Capitol, Room 229
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Dear Auditor Fitzpatrick:
This office received your letter of December 2, 2024, submitting a fiscal note and fiscal note summary prepared under § 116.175, RSMo, for an initiative petition submitted by Winston Apple, 2026-002. The fiscal note summary that you submitted is as follows: State governmental entities estimate no savings,initial costs of $528,524, and ongoing costs of at least $110,000 annually. Local governmental entities estimate no costs or savings. Under § 116.175.4, RSMo, we approve the legal content and form of the fiscal note summary. Because our review of the fiscal note summary is mandated by statute, no action that we take with respect to such review should be construed as an endorsement of the initiative petition or as the expression of any view regarding the objectives of its proponents. Furthermore, our review under § 116.175.4 does not examine the fairness or sufficiency of the estimated fiscal impact. Very truly yours,

ANDREW BAILEY
Attorney General

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

OP-2024-032