JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Chris Dinkins wants to rein in the overgrown bureaucracy of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and make the department more accountable to the people. She is the sponsor of two constitutional amendments that would give voters the opportunity to make some common sense reforms to the way the department operates.
“Right now MDC has no accountability to the legislature or the people. Farmers, ranchers, and private property owners here in Missouri deserve to be part of the conversation when MDC makes major decisions that impact their livelihood. It’s time to give Missourians a seat at the table,” said Dinkins, R-Annapolis.
HJR 108 would give voters the opportunity to change the makeup of the Missouri Conservation Commission, which oversees MDC. The commission is currently made up of four members appointed by the governor. If approved by voters, HJR 108 would increase the membership on the commission to nine nonpartisan members with one elected from each of the current MDC regions and one appointed by the governor. Dinkins said the change would ensure Missourians from all parts of the state have adequate representation on a commission that has too often been out of touch with the issues that matter most to those who live in rural areas.
Dinkins also filed HJR 112 to give voters the opportunity to redirect some of the funding currently generated by the conservation sales and use tax to other areas of need. Dinkins noted that the department is currently flush with cash and had a savings account balance of nearly $100 million.
“MDC has become an overgrown bureaucracy that continues to attack the liberties of the citizens of this state. When voters passed the conservation tax they did so with the best of intentions wanting to protect Missouri’s wildlife and natural attractions. They never dreamed they would be creating a runaway government agency completely unelected and unaccountable to the people,” said Dinkins.
If approved by voters, HJR 112 would send one-third of the current tax to MDC, another third to the veterans’ commission, and the final third to the sexual assault forensic examination program.
“Real reform requires an overhaul of the current system. I believe these constitutional amendments give voters a pathway for this to happen,” said Dinkins.
In addition to her constitutional amendments to reform the Missouri Department of Conservation, Dinkins also filed House Concurrent Resolution 81 to urge the USDA Forest Service to rescind an order that prevents feral swine hunting in the Mark Twain National Forest. Dinkins said the decision to close public land to feral swine hunting will hinder the state’s efforts feral swine management efforts and result in exponential growth of the feral swine population. Her resolution urges the USDA Forest Service to rescind the order and allow hunters to continue the grand tradition of protecting agriculture and the natural areas of the state by hunting feral swine on national forest lands.
