Farm groups rally in support of SB 113 in front of Capitol

Legislators and the Nixon Administration are close to a deal on new regulations for dog breeders in Missouri; but only close.

Lawmakers involved with rewriting Proposition B, the dog breeder regulations approved by voters in November, say they are talking with the administration. Yet, no agreement has been nailed down.

The legislature has already approved its revision of the initiative. It sent Senate Bill 113 to Governor Nixon Monday. That same day the administration, through the State Department of Agriculture, announced it had brokered an agreement between agricultural groups and animal welfare organizations in the state on tougher regulations of dog breeders. Nixon since has been meeting with key legislators in an effort to push his proposal through the legislative process.

The developments inflamed passions on an increasingly contentious issue. Supporters of Proposition B gathered outside the Governor’s Mansion late Wednesday afternoon, chanting “Veto 113” and “No Compromise”. Only a couple of blocks away, on the steps of the Capitol, farm groups rallied in favor of SB 113. Several lawmakers addressed the crowd, which afterward chanted “Sign the Bill.” [Read more...]

Governor Nixon refuses to disclose what he will do with Senate Bill 113 during a brief meeting with reporters this morning at the Carnahan Memorial Garden.

Nixon prefers to talk about the compromise his administration has reached in talks with Missouri farm groups and animal welfare organizations, rather than discuss whether he will sign or veto the bill approved by the legislature. SB 113 would revise Proposition B approved by voters in November. The compromise outlined by the State Agriculture Department would strengthen the language in SB 113, adding additional requirements for dog breeders. A separate piece of legislation would provide funding.

“My sense is that we’re making solid progress,” Nixon tells reporters after a ceremony at the garden adjacent to the Governor’s Mansion that honored the contributions of Pat Jones and her late husband in creating the Katy Trail.  “I think the solution signed off on by the Missouri Humane Society, the animal breeders, the agriculture groups is a solid step forward. And my hope is that that solution is part of the legislation that gets to my desk very quickly.” [Read more...]