Missouri committee hears HJR 94 to push six-year voter review of conservation sales tax; department and advocates urge caution

Representative Harbison, sponsor of House Joint Resolution 94, told the House Committee on Government Efficiency on May 1 that HJR 94 would reduce the dedicated sales tax that funds the Missouri Department of Conservation and submit the levy to periodic voter reauthorization to increase “government efficiency” and accountability.

Harbison said the measure would not eliminate the department but would “bridal them to the table to be more efficient,” and argued that some counties receive little direct benefit from conservation land holdings. “We pay the electric bill before we buy the bass boat,” Harbison said, describing the proposal as a way to let voters periodically review funding.

The hearing drew a mix of public testimony. Several witnesses from conservation and environmental organizations urged the committee to reject HJR 94 or to proceed cautiously, arguing the sales tax underpins conservation programs, land management and rural economies that depend on outdoor recreation.

Aaron Jeffries, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Conservation, told the committee the agency receives no general revenue and that the sales tax funds a wide…