Kelley: Prop B Amendments Pass

One of my priority issues for this session passed another hurdle this week when the Missouri House of Representatives passed SB113 with no amendments. SB113 is the bill that makes changes to Proposition B which was passed in a statewide vote last November.

From the beginning, we made every attempt to strike a balance between honoring the integrity of what the voters passed and protecting the honest, legitimate dog breeders who have been following the law and abiding by the regulations of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. One telling fact was there was not one licensed kennel in Missouri which would have met the requirements of Proposition B.

One of the most harmful of the provisions would have limited the number of breeding dogs a producer could possess to only 50. This would have been no different than limiting how many cattle or hogs a producer could own. I cannot think of another situation where we tell a private company how small they must limit their business.

When the House received SB113 from the Senate, most of the issues had been addressed with input from producers, agriculture groups, and the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Several provisions were added that strengthened protections for the dogs, especially in the area of inspection and enforcement.

If any changes had been made to the bill during debate in the House, it would have had to go back to the Senate for further consideration. With only four weeks left in the session this would have been a risky move with other issues such as the budget and redistricting needing attention. We were able to keep the bill as is during the debate and pass it with a vote of 85-71.

The bill now goes to Governor Jay Nixon for his consideration. At this point he has three options. He can sign the bill and it will become law. He can veto the bill and unless the legislature can over ride the veto it will not become law. The third option is less common, but does occur. The governor can do nothing and a bill becomes law without his signature. This usually only happens on a piece of legislation the governor does not particularly like, but feels does not rise to the level of a veto.

I hope the governor chooses to sign the bill. An important segment of Missouri’s number one industry is depending on it.