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no agreement over tax bill

JEFFERSON CITY - Less than a minute after Missouri's House speaker was accused of bigotry for refusing to support tax deductions for private school costs, a House-Senate conference committee adjourned without reaching agreement on the legislature's tax cut bill.

"The minute we put something down to help a parent, it is disgraceful," Sen. John Scott, D-St. Louis, said to House Speaker Steve Gaw during Wednesday night's committee meeting. "You want to deprive poor people of buying food over your bigotry dealing with catholic schools."

Gaw later stated that he believed that Scott was joking when he made the comment. Scott said he not intend to accuse Gaw of bigotry and apologized if he had done sow.

But the matter did not help resolve the tax bill standoff that has lasted for days. Gaw argues that deductions for primary and secondary school costs would violate the state constitutional ban on government support of religion since the deductions cover parents who send their children to parochial schools.

"The governor will veto this bill," said Speaker of the House Steve Gaw, D-Moberly. "We've got to get beyond this impasse. I don't know how we will do it. This is too important of an issue. I think it's sad that we can't get anything this important to pass."

The parochial school issue has become a major stumbling block in getting Gov. Mel Carnahan's three cent state sales tax deduction on food approved.

"Unless we can get the three cents signed, this bill won't do anything for anybody," Gaw said.

Senators argue that parents who send their children to private and parochial schools are deserving of a tax break because of the $140 million they save taxpayers in public education.

The tax bill originated as the governor's plan to lower the state sales tax on food. But the Senate loaded on a number of other tax cuts - including tax breaks on private pensions, medical oxygen and vending machines - when it was passed out of the Senate.

In conference, House members have agreed to include some version of almost every one of those Senate-added subjects - except the one covering school costs.

Although only two days remain in the session that adjourns at 6pm Friday, both Gaw and the Senate chairman, Sen. J.B. "Jet" Banks, D-St. Louis, said there still was enough time to work out an agreement.