CAPITAL CHRONICLES: JUDGE MAY TAKE SOCIAL WORK IN OWN HANDS

Three high-ranking officials of the Missouri Department of Social Services, including Director Gary Stangler, will meet in the next few days with U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple, who has just cited the three for contempt of court. The judge has accused top-echelon DSS officials with indifference and interference in keeping child welfare workers in Kansas City from complying with a court order to insure the safety of children being kept in foster homes.

The court order stems from an agreement with state welfare officials that, when it was made, was hailed as the first federal ruling to recognize the legal rights of foster children. The contempt ruling orders state welfare officials to take steps within six months to comply with the agreement, which among other things calls for the elimination of overcrowding in foster homes, added training for foster parents and increasing the number of social workers who supervise the children in Kansas City. Judge Whipple has said that if improvements are not made in the Missouri system through increased legislative funding, he would consider bringing state social workers into Jackson County from other areas of the state.

An official in the DSS reports that a meeting of Dr. Stangler and other state officials with the federal judge will be held within a few days. The spokeswoman said the problem was caused partly by the failure of departmental employees in the Kansas City area to communicate with the agency's capital office. The source also says DSS officials believe the problem can be corrected through a series of steps now being planned.

Although the contempt charge and Judge Whipple's threat to transfer state employees to the Kansas City area have received little publicity, its implications could have some far-reaching effects in Missouri and other states. If a federal judge has the right to exercise administrative power over state programs, it could mean that every project in the state that receives federal funds could eventually come under the scrutiny and control of the U.S. judiciary.

Many Missourians still aren't convinced that federal judges have the right to require state expenditures for public schools that are under desegregation orders in a U.S. court. Despite the skepticism, by July 1, 1993, federal judges will have succeeded in transferring $1.966 billion dollars from the state treasury to school districts in St. Louis and Kansas City. If U.S. courts can legally transfer state money to local schools, what's to prevent them from transferring a few state social workers from one spot to another?

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~"OPERATION CASHCROP": Missouri's corn, soybean, wheat and cotton farmers weren't the only ones producing record yields in 1992. The state's marijuana growers were also busily planting and the more fortunate ones were harvesting a bumper crop - but with no help from the Missouri Highway Patrol. During the period the patrol runs its "Operation Cashcrop" eradication program, 24.4 million plants of cultivated and wild marijuana from 1,073 fields were seized and destroyed in addition to ~05 pounds of processed pot.

As a result of this activity, 374 arrests, with 10 more pending, were made during the summer and early fall season. In addition, officers confiscated 172 weapons, seized seven homes. 44 vehicles, three tractors, gold and silver valued at $1,860, 35 electric woodworking tools and $75,4127.19 in cash.

"Operation Cashcrop" is carried out in cooperation with county sheriff and local police departments. This year's hotline, which receives anonymous tips on where marijuana is being grown, tallied 184 calls according to a Highway Patrol spokesman.

Last year the operation netted 12.9 million plants from 1,151 fields.

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TERM TERMINATOR: Not only did state Rep. Michael Reid (R-78th District) win the right to succeed former state Sen. Edwin Dirck in the 24th senatorial district in a Dec. 15 special election, he also became Missouri's first official one-termer. The designation became a part of our state's vocabulary when voters approved the term limitation amendment last November. As the new law is written, lawmakers who are elected to fill unexpired Senate terms may only complete that period and stand for an additional four-year term before becoming ineligible for a second full term.

The new amendment limits members of the General Assembly to 8 years of service in each chamber or a total of 16 in both. Years served prior to the first election after the amendment took effect on Dec. 3 do not count toward the total a person can serve . What still remains unclear, according to Secretary of State Roy Blunt, is whether the so-called one-termers can run for a second four-year term and then resign in mid-term to meet the 8-year limitation. Blunt said this point will have to be determined later, through additional legislation or a court ruling, or both.

Two other senators-to-be will also fall under the restrictions of the term limitation amendment. The resignations of congresswoman-elect Pat Danner in the 12th senatorial district and attorney general-elect Jay Nixon in the 22nd district will create vacancies that will be filled by special elections in the two areas. The state's incoming governor, Mel Carnahan, is expected to set the dates for these two elections after taking office Monday, Jan. 11.

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EXPORT ENTERPRISES: Statistics compiled recently by the Department of Economic Development reveal that made-in-Missouri exports provide a major boost to the state's economy, as well as the general revenue fund. Last year more than 1,600 Missouri businesses exported $4.5 billion in goods, products and services to 166 countries. The department's totals emphasize the importance of state export offices located in Duesseldorf, Germany; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea; and Taipei, Taiwan. Early this year the agency, along with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will open another foreign trade office, this one in Guadalajara, Mexico, a move expected to give an added boost to the state's farm economy.