LAWMAKERS SAY SESSION A MIXED BAG

For Southeast Missouri's Republican lawmakers, the just-ended legislative session was a mixed bag.

But for Democrats like Rep. Larry Thomason of Kennett, the session was a good one.

"I am really, really ecstatic about this session," said Thomason, who is retiring after 10 years in the House.

He called it the "second most productive" session in his years in the House.

Thomason said lawmakers dealt with some tough issues, ranging from health care for children to post-desegregation funding for the state's school districts.

Republican lawmakers lamented passage of a bill in the Democratic-controlled Legislature that would expand the Medicaid program.

"This is a horrible bill," said Rep. Patrick Naeger of Perryville.

Naeger said the Medicaid expansion is dependent upon more than $50 million in federal funds.

"What happens if the funding ends?" he asked. The bill expands Medicaid for the next five years, Naeger said.

Naeger and other Republicans said the bill, which was supported by Gov. Mel Carnahan, expands welfare to middle-class families.

But Thomason said he doesn't consider it welfare for the rich.

"The bill was designed for working parents who just can't afford to carry the kind of insurance they ought to," he said.

Thomason said the bill is designed to provide health care coverage for parents with children who have serious health problems.

"I think it is the greatest thing we have done this year," Thomason said.

Rep. David Schwab, R-Jackson, couldn't disagree more.

"I feel like it is strictly going in the wrong direction," said Schwab. "This is just the first step toward us getting a government-run health care system."

The bill would extend Medicaid to families with incomes as high as $34,000 or $35,000, he said. Families with incomes as high as $48,000 could get the coverage, but they would have to pay a premium.

Rep. Mary Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, also criticized the Medicaid bill. "I just think it is a step toward socialized medicine and it is the wrong way to go."

Republican lawmakers also objected to a bill that allows the public schools to offer day-care programs.

Naeger said it is another "feel-good" bill that will bring more government intrusion into people's lives.

Schwab said society should look to the private sector and not the government to provide day care.

The Legislature approved several bills that cut taxes by a combined $150 million.

But Republican lawmakers said the tax cuts ended up far short of real tax relief.

Naeger said the increased tax deductions for parents and tax relief for senior citizens are good measures.

But he said the tax cuts fall short of true cuts since they were made to bring the state in compliance with Missouri's Hancock Amendment.

Naeger said the Legislature should have lowered taxes even more.

"We did nothing with property taxes," he said.

Naeger said the tax cuts that were approved by the Legislature still might not be sufficient to keep state revenues under the constitutional lid.

Schwab said the state could have afforded bigger tax cuts.

He said Missourians would have seen larger tax cuts if the Republicans ran the Legislature.

But area Republican lawmakers said the session had its good points too.

Lawmakers passed a bill that will allow Missourians to decide in a statewide vote if law-abiding citizens can carry concealed weapons.

State Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, strongly favored the legislation.

He and many other lawmakers believe that law-abiding citizens should have the right to protect themselves.

"We have an election we can win next April," said Kinder.

Thomason and many other Democrats also supported the concealed weapons bill.

Kinder said the Cape Girardeau area fared well in state funding this session.

The Legislature passed bills that will provide state funding for Cape Girardeau's airport tower and increased state aid for the local school district.

Lawmakers also earmarked $5.6 million for a polytechnic building at Southeast Missouri State University, $1 million toward construction of Cape Girardeau's new vocational-technical school and $100,000 toward the relocation of the regional crime lab.

Kinder said passage of the Medicaid bill was the only major blemish on the session.

"I thought it was a pretty darn good session," Kinder said.

Kasten said the session was a good one from the standpoint of funding for local projects.

She and other area lawmakers also praised passage of bills to combat the growing methamphetamine problem in the state and strengthen visitation rights in child-custody cases.

Thomason said the session wasn't as partisan as he had anticipated. "For the most part, we worked together just amazingly well."