HCS HB 491 -- MISSOURI STATE PARK BOARD

SPONSOR:  Kelly (McGhee)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on
Corrections and Public Institutions by a vote of 7 to 0.

This substitute establishes the Missouri State Park Board,
created by Executive Order 86-26, which is responsible for
managing all aspects of the Historical Marker Program.  The board
will consist of eight members, two of whom must reside in a
county in which a state historic site of significant military
history is located.

The Department of Natural Resources and other state agencies are
prohibited from erecting, modifying, or removing any state
historic military monument located on any site under its control
or located on state land listed on the board's registry without
first holding a public hearing and receiving the board's
approval.  The department must publish a public hearing notice in
the Missouri Register at least 60 days in advance of any action
to seek the board's approval.  The notice must also be published
once a week for two weeks in any qualified newspaper in the area
where the monument is located.

Anyone who knowingly removes, defaces, or destroys any registered
state historic military monument without the approval of the
General Assembly or the board will be guilty of a class A
misdemeanor.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2006, FY 2007, and
FY 2008.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that there is a due process issue
regarding the erection, removal, or name change of historic
monuments and markers.  There have been instances where historic
markers have been removed, battle flags taken down, and name
changes made on state buildings without any input from interested
parties or the public at large.  These decisions should not be
made by a few people behind closed doors, and there should be an
opportunity for people to discuss their concerns in an open
forum.  By allowing this to happen, we are losing our history;
and it is very important not to censor the past.

Testifying for the bill were Representatives McGhee and Kuessner;
and Bruce Hillis.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on the bill gave informational
testimony to the committee.

Others testifying on the bill was Department of Natural
Resources.

Bob Dominique, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated August 25, 2005 at 1:19 pm