Rone dicamba bill passes House, moves to Senate

A bill aimed at increasing penalties for the misuse of dicamba passed the Missouri House Thursday. The bill now moves to the Senate, with its author looking to earn the governor’s signature by mid-March.

149th St. Rep. Don Rone (R)

149th St. Rep. Don Rone (R)

HB 662 passed by a 144-9 vote. Eight Republicans and one Democrat voted against the measure. The bill passed with an emergency clause, meaning it would take effect immediately if it gains Gov. Eric Greitens’ signature.

The bill is among three introduced by State Representative Don Rone, R-Portageville, who’s devoted the current legislative session to dicamba-related issues. In recent years, farmers reported damage to thousands of acres of crops caused by the alleged misuse of the highly-volatile herbicide, which is known for its tendency to drift when used illegally.

If passed, the bill would increase the penalties for the illegal use of dicamba. The fine for the first offense would increase to $1,000 per applied acre, up from the $1,000 per field currently imposed. Fines increase to $2,000 per applied acre if someone is found using dicamba illegally in two consecutive years or twice in three years.

The same fine would also be handed down to those who refuse to submit books, documents and certifications records during an active complaint investigation. All penalties collected would be handed to the school district where the violation occurred.

Rone hailed the bill’s passing in the House Thursday, saying he’s hopeful it will move quickly through the state Senate before being passed ahead of the upcoming growing season. Rone says State Senator Brian Munzlinger will introduce the bill to the Senate.

“I don’t have any reason not to feel good about it passing the Senate,” Rone said Thursday. “There might be something come up, but you never know. The Senate is different animal. It has its own rules.”

Rone’s other two bills are still being debated in the House, but he says those two are less critical than HB 662. He says the bill’s large increase in financial penalties will deter those from illegal using the herbicide. HB 605 would task the Department of Agriculture with reviewing each herbicide to determine if it’s an “inherently volatile herbicide (IVH).” HB 606 would halt the sale of a herbicide-resistant seed if it’s sold without a corresponding herbicide