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The department recently spent about $33,000 on a public-opinion poll showing that a majority of respondents favor an existing state law requiring all motorcycle riders to wear helmets.
Department director Pete Rahn cited the poll during a news conference outside a hospital emergency room last month while urging Nixon to veto a bill allowing people age 21 and older to ride helmet-free on all Missouri roads except interstate highways.
On Thursday, Nixon vetoed $33,000 from the transportation department's administrative budget for expenses and equipment during fiscal year that starts next Wednesday. The Democratic governor said in a written veto message that the cut was "due to administrative inefficiencies."
Nixon spokesman Jack Cardetti confirmed Friday that the veto was in response to the poll on the motorcycle helmet law, which was funded from Missouri's share of federal highway safety money.
"The governor thought that political polling was a waste of taxpayers' dollars and therefor he took it out of their administrative budget for next year," Cardetti said.
Transportation department spokeswoman Sally Oxenhandler said Friday that agency officials "have no response at this point" to Nixon's veto.
Nixon has until mid-July to decide whether to sign or veto the motorcycle helmet legislation.
The governor's office has been inundated with e-mails from motorcyclists urging him to sign the legislation. Those e-mails, obtained by The Associated Press under the open-records law, include several in which the authors describe assurances by Nixon that he will sign it.
In an interview with the AP last month, Nixon denounced the poll, declaring: "Taxpayers are darn sick and tired of people spending public money to lobby public officials like that."
Rahn has defended the poll as part of the department's mission to promote highway safety, asserting that more motorcyclists would be killed and injured if Missouri's helmet law is relaxed.
After the line-item veto, the department still is budgeted to receive more than $27 million from state road funds for administrative expenses, equipment and personnel.
Budget bill is HB4.
On the Net:
Nixon: http://www.governor.mo.gov
Legislature: http://www.moga.gov
MoDOT: http://www.modot.org
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And I heard democrats spend spend spend!?
If the helmet law is repealed, the seat belt law should be repealed too. I do not see that happening though, because "it is just all about the money"
If the helmet law is repealed, the seat belt law should be repealed too. I do not see that happening though, because "it is just all about the money"
It may be all about the money, but seat belts save lives - helmets don't. For a gov'ment agency to spend our money attempting to influence a voter issue that is none of it's business is outrageous. Thank you Governor Nixon. I know the helmet law decision is a tough one for you, but I appreciate your discretion regarding this issue.
If this is only a safty issue then it would make sense to lower the speed limit to 20 mph for everyone. That will save some lives for sure, and while we are at it let's control traffic congestion at sporting and church event's so there arn't as many accidents after church and game's.
Let's outlaw liquor again, that ought to help save several lives, aned let's see what other personal freedom's can be taken away in the name of safty.
WHEN DOES IT STOP? I'm old enough to make my own decission's about my safty.
You bleeding heart do-gooder's need to mind to you'r own business just like Pete Rahn need's to do his own job and let the legislative system do it's job.