Nixon Urged to Veto Deer Legislation
Messages urging Governor Jay Nixon to veto Missouri legislation dealing with deer are outnumbering those calling for him to sign the bills. Nixon's office received a few hundred letters and electronic messages in the weeks after the legislative session's end. More than five times as many messages called for Nixon to veto the law versus those who want him to sign it, according to a review by The Associated Press.
Lawmakers passed measures that would classify captive deer as livestock and give the Agriculture Department responsibility for the industry. The Agriculture and Conservation departments currently oversee it.
The legislation comes as conservation officials have advanced rules intended to combat chronic wasting disease that the deer industry contends are unnecessary and would force operators out of business.