Roadkill regulations: Proposed state laws target dead deer littering Missouri's highways
JEFFERSON CITY — Bipartisan proposals heard by a Missouri House committee on Thursday would require the state to remove and bury dead deer and other animals that litter major roads and highways.
The pair of bills were spurred primarily by calls from constituents, according to both of the sponsors, who cited potential health and safety hazards, as well as an unappealing image projected to residents and visitors of the Show-Me State.
"If you have someone coming in to look at your area of the state to put in a business, what's it like if they drive 15 miles and see 20 deer?" said Rep. Kent Haden, a Republican from Mexico, who said he had seen five on his way to the Capitol. "They are an eyesore, they're a public nuisance."
The proposals, House Bills 404 and 501, would require the Department of Transportation to remove large dead wildlife, like deer, from roads and highways. The carcasses would be moved to and buried in land owned by the Department of Conservation, which would pay for the removal and burial costs.
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Current policy is for MoDOT to move deer to the shoulder of the road, turn them around and let them decompose, according to the department's legislative liaison. If the carcass does become a health or safety hazard due to chronic waste disease or something else, the department pulls it to a safe location off the highway.
Department officials estimate it costs around $305 per deer for removal and burial — requiring two to three MoDOT employees to head to the location and transport the carcass. The proposal would cost around $762,500 in fiscal year 2024 and $915,000 in the years to follow.
Rep. Paula Brown, a St. Louis Democrat who's also sponsoring the measure, cited the Department of Conservation's roughly $43 million budget carried over from last year as evidence that the state could afford to undertake the costs (which could also come from contractors, with MoDOT and state government as a whole continuing to struggle to retain workers).
"We're open to solutions, this is not to punish anyone," Brown said. "But when constituents call you and tell you how disgusted they are and they're from all over the state, it's time for us to do something."
Haden said similar legislation had been proposed several years ago, but was set aside after the two departments agreed to come to a solution. But he said "territorialism" had caused that not to happen, and that it was time for the General Assembly to step in.
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"It's a food fight, and someone's going to have to say 'What's good for the state of Missouri, and who is going to do it?'" he said.
Not all lawmakers were in favor of an immediate legislative solution, however — Rep. Rudy Veit, a Republican from Wardsville, said "I don't think we should be telling you all how" to deal with the roadkill problem.
"I encourage you to come back with a simple solution," Veit said.
The House committee did not vote on the legislation. If voted on and approved, it would head to debate in the full House.
Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri bills aim to rid roads and highways of roadkill
