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Lawmakers begin final push

May 1, 1997
By: Susan Batt
State Capital Bureau

Missouri's legislators will spend the next two weeks deciding how much of your money will flow into welfare pools, what your child will or will not be taught in sex ed and what your medical insurance will cover. Susan Batt reports how the pace is picking up as the May 16th deadline nears.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

Throughout the capital lawmakers and their staffs are feeling the tension of getting through all of the work left for the end of the session.

St. Louis County Senator Betty Sims and her staff are looking ahead to the last two weeks.

Actuality: Betty Sims
RunTime:
OutCue: "...Go. Go. Go."
Contents: They're chaos. They're absolute total chaos. And you really have to have every nerve alert. And the interesting thing for us is when we're in the chamber, it is very cold, so all of use are freezing with our noses cold and our hands cold trying to keep alert, and it's "Go! Go! Go!"

As Sims and other legislators keep on the go with only about 120 bills passed this session, the challenge for a lawmaker's staff is keeping track of what's going on.

Doris Broeker is here for her first year with Senator Sims.

Actuality: Doris Broeker
RunTime:
OutCue: "...everything she needs."
Contents: It's going to be wild. We really won't accomplish a lot of the day to day type things we usually do, correspondence and whatnot. It's just going to be chasing her around making sure she has everything she needs.

Over in the House, Speaker Steve Gaw's chief of staff is busy trying to help him keep the House moving with so many big issues left to debate. Sarah Parker says they are still working on managed care, education and child support.

Actuality: Sarah Parker
RunTime:
OutCue: "...to be right now."
Contents: But probably welfare reform is the biggest issue we have yet to debate on the floor of the House. So a lot of excitement still to come, so it's a fun place to be right now."

The House has even added extra time each week to get more in, and Columbia Representative Vicky Riback Wilson, finishing her first term, is thinking positively.

Actuality: Vicky Riback Wilson
RunTime:
OutCue: "...reared up to go."
Contents: It's a heavy agenda with two weeks to go, but we're all ready and reared up to go.

Parker says they are prepared for some long days.

Actuality: Sarah Parker
RunTime:
OutCue: "...the next day."
Contents: We try to get here close to 8, and 9 or 10 is an early night. Sometimes it is quite a bit later than that. It just depends on what's going on on the floor and what still needs to be done for the next day.

Senator Wayne Goode's administrative assistant Susan Lewis has one solution to the late nights.

Actuality: Susan Lewis
RunTime:
OutCue: "...get one in."
Contents: If you have a nice sleeping bag and, you get real tired and you might need it to curl up in t the corner and take a quick nap if you can get one in.

Legislators are not the only people feeling the crunch time. Lana Monroe works in the capital's copying center where they have brought in extra copy machines to meet the growing demand. One machine has even been set up in a hallway outside the House.

Actuality: Lana Monroe
ST:
OutCue:
Contents: It's frantic. Everyone is busy. Trying to keep everything organized is a real trick.

Organization will be key to getting through all of the work left in this General Assembly, but lawmakers and staff say they are ready for the final push.

Actuality: Doris Broeker
RunTime:
OutCue: "...I think."
Contents: It's almost like carnival atmosphere. Everybody's up and wired and they're just extremely active, running from one place to the next. But it's very positive. Everybody is ready for it, I think.

Senator Sims' administrative assistant Doris Broeker. The next two weeks you will hear a lot of news from Jefferson City as state lawmakers cast their votes on some of the biggest issues of this session, but by all accounts they are ready for the long debates and late nights.

Susan Batt, KBIA, Jefferson City.