JEFFERSON CITY - State employers are confident they will be able to pass new liability lawsuits limits and restructure worker compensation laws now that Republicans control both the General Assembly and the Governor's mansion.

Democratic Governor Bob Holden has vetoed such bills that have made it through the General Assembly the past two years.

JEFFERSON CITY - Gov.-elect Matt Blunt appointed Senate Administrator Michael Keathley as commissioner of the Office of Administration and Deputy Secretary of State Dan Ross as chief information officer.

True to his campaign promise of executing state government with more efficiency, Blunt discussed the role of Keathley and Ross in the consolidation of the states information technology infrastructure.

JEFFERSON CITY - Dolan wants to make not wearing a seat belt a punishable offence without having to connect it with another violation.

Currently in Missouri, you can only be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt if you are pulled over for another reason first.

JEFFERSON CITY - At a meeting before the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight, MoDOT director Pete Rahn explained the plans for funding from the overwhelming passage of Amendment 3.

Rahn says their priortity is improving road safety, and that their first project will be a massive road smoothing project that will improve 2,200 miles of Missouri roads by December 2007.

JEFFERSON CITY - Safety and smoothness rather than extended capacity for Missouri's roadways is how MoDot plans to spend its increased revenue from the passage of Amendment 3.

Acting on what he called a "mandate" from the citizens of Missouri, Missouri's new transportation director unvieled a three-year plan for Missouri's highways on Tuesday.

JEFFERSON CITY - Over 8,000 people arrived at polling places to find their names not on the voting list, so they were forces to cast provisional ballots.

Of these 8,183 provisional votes cast, Missouri counties found only 3,292 votes were valid. However, this large number of uncounted votes would not have changed the outcome of the statewide races. Secretary of State Matt Blunt will certify the 2004 election results on Wednesday.

JEFFERSON CITY - A proposal being considered inside the federal Department of Education would require Missouri colleges -- both public and private -- to submit the personal information of their students, including social security numbers, to the federal government.

Supporters of the measure say the information would remain confidential and that the data is necessary to ensure accountability. Opponents claim it is a threat to the privacy of students.

A spokesman for Gov.-elect Matt Blunt said the soon-to-be governor would reserve his judgement on the issue until he had conferred with the stakeholders in the conflict.