Missouri House Committee hears state butterfly bill.

Intro:	A Missouri legislator wants Missouri to be the 29th state with its own official butterfly.
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Wrap: Republican Springfield Representative Charlie Denison sponsors the bill to make Regal Fertility the state butterfly. He says the bill would increase the tourism industry in Missouri.

Actuality:	DENISON.WAV
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Description: "We have many, many tourists and it is huge for the economy of the state. In fact, it is, I'm sure most people know, tourism is the number one economic development to the state of Missouri."

Experts from the Native Butterfly House in Springfield also testified in favor of the plan.

Reporting from the capitol, I'm Crystall Cho.

Intro:	After hearing from fourth graders who want to make the jumping jack the state exercise, a House committee talked about butterflies.
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Wrap: In addition to jumping jacks, the House Tourism Committee discussed adopting the Regal Fritillary as Missouri's state butterfly.

Buck Keagy is a Springfield resident who testified at the hearing and says he's been working with the bill's sponsor for the past three years to prepare this plan.

Keagy says Missouri added two Latin words to the butterfly's name to avoid having a similar butterfly name as the state of Arkansas.

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Description: "If we get this,we got it. No body else would mess with it."

Republican Springfield Representative Charlie Denison is the sponsor of the bill.

He says adopting a state butterfly is supposed to increase Missouri's tourism industry.

The committee is scheduled to vote on the plan next week.

Reporting from the capitol, I'm Crystall Cho.

Intro:	Butterflies were the topic of conversation Thursday morning at a Missouri House committee.
RunTime:	0:45
OutCue:	SOC

Wrap: Republican Springfield Representative Charlie Denison sponsors a bill to make the Regal Fritillary the state butterfly.

Denison says having a state butterfly would help Missouri's tourism industry.

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Description: "Surprisingly some people come in just to see the two butterfly areas, the one in Springfield and one in Branson. So it does add to our economy, it is another place for the people to come see."

Denison says the Regal Fritillary once covered the whole state of Missouri but is now almost extinct.

Buck Keagy from Native Butterfly House says adopting the state butterfly and continuing to grow them in a good vegetation will help prevent them from going extinct.

The committee is scheduled to vote on the bill next week.

Reporting from the capitol, I'm Crystall Cho.