The Ayes Have It: Worker Speech Rights Bill Passes
In April, I testified before the Missouri Legislature about the importance of reaffirming the free speech rights of government employees. Senate Bill 29, which changes how union dues are collected and are used for political purposes, just passed the Missouri House with an 85-69 vote. The legislation's next stop is the governor's desk.
Currently, Missouri requires public union employees to opt-out of having dues money removed from their paychecks that could be used for political objectives with which the employee may disagree. Under the reform, union members would presumptively keep those dollars unless they opt-in to paying for the union's political activities. That is a better system that supports employees' free speech rights.
I am glad to see it get through the legislature, and I look forward to seeing whether the governor agrees that union members' money is their money first, not the union's. Kudos, Missouri Legislature.
View the original at Show-Me Institute →
As confirmed against the Show-Me Institute's website on August 15, 2026, the Institute's stated policy permits reprinting of its published articles and commentary provided the original author receives credit. Letting the Institute know about a reprint is appreciated but is not a condition of use.
This entry was archived under that permission as it stood on the date above. If the Institute's policy changes after that date, it does not apply retroactively to entries already reproduced here under the terms in effect at the time — this is a record of the grant as confirmed, not a live status check.
The original remains hosted at the Institute's own site — use the link below for the canonical version, current formatting, and any images.