KWOS Jefferson City News Authority
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has vetoed a bill that would have allowed some motorcycle riders to drive without helmets.
Parson vetoed the measure Friday. It would have repealed Missouri’s helmet requirement for motorcycle riders who are at least 18 years old and have health insurance.
Parson didn’t express opposition to relaxing helmet requirements for motorcyclists. In a letter to lawmakers , Parson wrote that he vetoed the bill because of a section that dealt with suspending driver’s licenses over unpaid fines related to traffic violations.
Some lawmakers have been trying for a long time to repeal the helmet requirement. They passed a bill to do so in 2009 but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Jay Nixon.
