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NewsBook: Missouri Government News for Week of August 13, 2001

 

. Missouri is one of the top ten states for outstanding warrants. (08/16/01)
JEFFERSON CITY - The State Auditor's reports Missouri is one of top ten states for the number of outstanding warrants.

The audit found more than 700,000 arrest warrants for people who had not been arrested.

The audit also found that the addressees for thousands of those with arrest warrants could be found by checking other state government databases. Among the databases checked by audit investigators were welfare roles.

There, they found 802 people receiving welfare who had felony warrants but had not been arrested.

. Special legislative session is set one week early. (08/16/01)
JEFFERSON CITY - Any extended legislative vacations for Labor Day will have to be cut short.

Gov. Bob Holden has moved up one week the starting date for his special legislative session that he originally had said would be during the legislative veto session that starts Sept. 12.

But Thursday, Holden's office announced the session would begin Sept. 5. The session is limited to those issues for which Holden has called the session -- down-sizing the prescription drug program for the elderly, exempting the new federal tax refunds from state taxation and changes in livestock price requirements.

. Extra DNA found in a Monsanto genetically engineered crop. (08/16/01)
JEFFERSON CITY - The New York Times reports that unexpected extra DNA was found in genetically engineered soybeans produced by St. Louis-based Monsanto Co.

The soybeans, called Roudup Ready, have been genetically engineered to allow spraying of the herbicide Roundup used to kill weeds.

The use of genetically engineered crops and Monsanto's lead role in the field have come under strong attack from environmentalists and from Europe.

It is the second time that an extra, previously unknown DNA fragment has been found in the crop.

. Uniform ballot-counting rules issued. (08/13/01)
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri's Secretary of State unveiled Monday a new set of standards for counting ballots.

Matt Blunt said the rules were issued to avoid the problems that arose in Florida where different local election officials adopted different rules on how to evaluate a voter's intent on ballots where the vote did not register by computer.

Similar legislation had been introduced during the last legislative session, but died. Blunt said he chose not to wait for the legislature to reconsider the issue because he wanted uniform standards in play for the April 2002 elections.

. The Senate launches an investigation into the governor's union order. (08/13/01)
JEFFERSON CITY - Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, has created a special interim committee to investigate the governor's executive order that opens the door for unions to seek fees from non-union state government workers.

In announcing the committee, Kinder cited a December letter his own investigation had uncovered in which a labor union attorney had indicated organized labor would have no problem if Gov. Bob Holden chose to delay the executive order until after the legislative session adjourned.

Kinder argued that the letter, written before Holden took office, has sections that are verbatim to the eventual executive order.