MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

  Exit  

MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News

MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

  Exit  

MDN.ORG Mo. Digital News Missouri Digital News MDN.ORG: Mo. Digital News MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News

Help  Close

Latest Missouri Government News as of May 3, 1996

• Abortion Bill before Senate (5/2/96)
• Legislature Enters Its Last Two Weeks (5/2/96)
• Governor Vows Abortion Bill Veto (5/1/96)
• New Mom Hospital Insurance Bill to Governor (5/1/96)
• Health Insurance Bills Clear Senate (4/30/96)
• Mandatory AIDS Testing Approved by House (4/30/96)
• Aging Department on the Ballot (4/30/96)
• Income-tax Cuts Dropped in House(4/30/96)
• Senate Votes to Let Cities Regulate Cigarettes (4/29/96)

The Senate Judiciary Committee has sent to the full Senate an abortion counseling bill the governor had warned just the day before he would veto.

The committee's action assures that abortion debate will dominate the closing days of the 1996 legislative session - as the issue did in 1995.

For more information see our newspaper story.

Lawmakers begin Monday (May 6) the final two weeks of the session with some of the major issues of the year unresolved.

The governor's call for a tax cut appears to be facing major problems in the Senate.

The bill cleared the House Thursday, leaving little time for Senate committee and chamber action.

Even if approved by committee quickly, the tax cut bill would be placed at the bottom of a list of dozens of other bills already waiting for Senate action.

On Thursday, the House gave final approval and sent to the governor a measure that would require health insurance policies to cover child immunizations and another measure that would remove the upper-age limit for school bus drivers.

For more information on these various issues, see:

• Senate committee passes abortion bill, despite governor's veto threat.
• House passes and sends to Senate a tax cut on groceries.
• House passes free immunization bill that the governor says he'll sign.
• The House passed a bill that would eliminate the age limit for school bus drivers.

Gov. Mel Carnahan promised Thursday that like he did last year, he will veto an abortion-counseling bill working it's way through the legislature.

The Senate anti-abortion sponsor had dropped a provision requiring that a woman contact a private counselor before an abortion could be performed.

As an alternative, the state Health Department would advise women about private counselors.

But Carnahan said that change did not make the bill acceptable.

For more information, see our two radio stories with digital audio from the governor:

• The governor says he will veto legislation to restrict abortion.
• The governor says he is opposed to an attempt to add caregivers to Tel-Link.

Legislation to require health insurance policies and HMOs to provide a minimum hospital stay for new mothers is on the governor's desk.

The House accepted changes made by the Senate earlier in the week and gave the bill final approval.

The measure would require coverage for at least 48-hours in a hospital after delivery.

For more information, see our radio story with digital audio.

Two of the major health-care bills in the 1996 legislative session were approved by the Senate.

Both bills impose coverage requirements on health insurance and HMOs.

One measure would require coverage for a minimum hospital stay after delivery by new mothers. The other would require coverage of child immunization.

Earlier this year, both bills had been approved by the House which now must review the Senate changes.

We have several stories you can review for further details:

• The Missouri Senate has approved a House bill to improve the state's immunization practices.
• Members of the Missouri Senate have agreed to a bill forcing health insurance companies and HMO's to cover the cost of child immunizations.
• The Senate approves requiring health insurance cover minimum hospital stays for new mothers.
• The Senate approves insurance coverage of child immunization and 48 hour post-delivery hospital stays.
• Senate roll call on the immunization bill.
• Senate roll call on delivery insurance coverage.

The House has approved an amendment that would let any person seek a court order for an HIV test of another with whom the person had contact.

The amendment was attached to what had been a relatively minor Senate-passed bill.

For more information, see:

• Our radio story.
• House roll call on the amendment.

Missouri voters will get to decide this year whether there should be a separate department to handle programs for the elderly.

The proposed constitutional amendment was given final approval by the House Tuesday.

Click here to see the roll-call vote.

The House Ways and Means Committee Chairman dropped efforts to win House approval for cuts in the state income tax after he failed to stop members from adding amendments to the measure.

The proposal would have provided an extra tax deduction for an elderly dependent who lives in the taxpayer's home and exempted some private pension income from the income tax.

The committee chairman, Rep. Ken Jacob, said he had to drop the bill because the House leadership had not given him enough floor time to deal with all the amendments that he expected to be proposed.

For more information, see:

• Our newspaper story on the tax bill and other legislative developments on Tuesday.
• The House Ways and Means Committee chairman drops bill for cuts in the state income tax (radio story).
• Republicans attack decision to drop House bill to cut income taxes (radio story).

Anti-smoking forces scored a major victory in the Missouri Senate Monday on legislation to toughen state laws regulating tobacco sales.

The Senate voted to remove a provision in the bill that would have barred local government from enacting their own, tougher ordinances.

For more information, see:

• Our newspaper story.
• The preemption amendment rollcall.