Agency's funding
The Missouri Department of Conservation draws about 60 percent of its annual budget ($107 million) from a sales tax of one-eighth cent, according to its annual report. The sales tax was written into the state Constitution in 1976, and it never expires.
The agency draws another 20 percent ($33 million) from selling hunting, trapping and fishing permits; other sales and rentals account for nearly 5 percent ($10 million). About 15 percent ($28 million) comes from the federal government.
The bills affecting the agency's budget included:
• HJ8 would ask voters if they would like to repeal the Conservation sales tax. Status: Withdrawn on Jan. 28.
• HJR 27 would ask voters voters to halve the Conservation sales tax to one-sixteenth cent. Status: Not referred to committee until May 15, the last day of session, when it was sent to the House Select Committee on Rules.
• HJR 28 would ask voters to vote on the Conservation sales tax every 10 years. Status: Not referred to committee until May 15, the last day of session, when it was sent to the House Select Committee on Rules.
• SB 56 would eliminate hunting, fishing and trapping permit fees for Missouri residents. Status: Amended to eliminate only half the permit fee for out-of-state hunters who own at least 75 acres in Missouri; referred to the Senate's Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee, the last step before a floor vote.
Agency's power
Lawmakers typically leverage their control over agencies' budgets to make a department do something or stop doing something. Since the Conservation Department doesn't rely on the Legislature for money, lawmakers have few ways to steer Conservation policy besides direct legislation.
The bill affecting the agency's policies included:
• HJR 39 would propose a constitutional amendment to block the Conservation Commission from acquiring more land. Status: Not referred to committee until May 15, the last day of session, when it was sent to the House Committee on Conservation and Natural Resources.
• HB 315 would require the department to test dead deer found along state highways for chronic wasting disease. Status: Referred to the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on April 2.
• SB 337 would ban the department from contracting Conservation work with non-profit organizations. Status: The Senate Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee held a hearing April 14, but didn't vote on it.
• HB 763 would ban the department from contracting Conservation work to non-profit organizations. Status: Passed the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on April 28 and was referred to the Agriculture Committee, which never voted on it.
• SB 557 would require the department to pay drivers who hit a deer up to $500. Status: The Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee held a hearing April 1 but never voted on it.
• HB 317 would require the department to pay drivers up to $500 if they hit a deer. Status: Referred to the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on April 2.
• HB 1212 would designate the carcass of an illegally killed animal as evidence and prohibit the Conservation Department from destroying it until the case's final disposition. Status: Not referred to committee until May 15, the last day of session, when it was sent to the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee.
Commission's power
A four-person Conservation Commission makes the major decisions for the department. A director, currently Bob Ziehmer, enacts those decisions and oversees the department's daily operations.
Bills that affect the agency's leadership included:
• HB 316 would compel Conservation commissioners to register as lobbyists and follow lobbyist rules. Status: Referred to the Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on April 2.
• SJR 1 would double the number of Conservation commissioners and tie each position to a geographic constituency. Status: Referred to the Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee on Feb. 5.
Rules for deer
Missouri classifies all deer as wildlife, even if they're raised captive on a farm. That puts them under the purview of the Conservation Department, which last year proposed stricter rules for deer farms to combat chronic wasting disease.
Bills that affect deer included:
• HB 1094 would transfer authority over captive deer to the Department of Agriculture. Status: Passed the House Agriculture Committee and the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, but it never came up for a floor vote.
• HB 1096 would allow slaughtering deer meat for commercial human consumption at any facility inspected by the Missouri Department of Agriculture or the USDA. Status: Passed the House Agriculture Committee and the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee, but it never came up for a floor vote.
• SB 178 would transfer authority over captive deer to the Department of Agriculture. Status: Referred to the Senate Government Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee on Jan. 29.