ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) -- Two Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to strip the Jay Nixon State Park's name away from the former Democratic governor.
The St. Joseph News-Press (http://bit.ly/2jYQccC) reports the Missouri Department of Natural Resources revealed the park in early January, just as Gov. Jay Nixon was finishing his final term in office.
Republican Sen. Gary Romine says his constituents are upset over the department's 2015 purchasing of the land with lead settlement money. The settlement is meant to go toward restoration of areas affected by lead mining, but the senator says the park is not one of those areas.
Romine says while lawmakers can't reverse the purchase, he can try to officially change the park's name.
Romine and Republican Rep. Paul Fitzwater say they would change the name to Proffitt Mountain State Park in honor of the family who pioneered the area.