LAWMAKERS LAUD HOUSE CHANGES

The Missouri House proved a more hospitable place for Republicans this year after the departure of former House speaker Bob Griffin, Cape Girardeau County's two Republican state representatives said Friday.

Under the leadership of the new speaker, Steve Gaw, D-Moberly, bills were debated more openly and there was more bipartisan cooperation, said state Reps. Mary Kasten and David Schwab.

The 1996 session ended Friday at 6 p.m.

State Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, termed it "the slowest session in recent memory."

Kinder said only a handful of major bills came out of the session.

Schwab agreed: "I would say we didn't pass any real earthshaking legislation."

But Kasten termed it "the most pleasant session" she has witnessed in her 14 years in the House.

Schwab, who has been in the legislature eight years, said House procedures changed for the better.

As speaker, Griffin often ruled with an iron fist. Republicans often had little chance to speak up on the House floor.

"We used to have to stand for hours and then we wouldn't be recognized until they had gone through the Democrats three or four times," recalled Kasten.

Schwab said, "He would keep bills from coming up for debate."

That changed when Gaw took over. "Everybody was allowed to have debate on each issue that came up," Schwab said.

"The process actually became fun this year, I thought," he said.

Open debate, however, slowed down the legislative process, he said. "It definitely takes more time when everybody gets a say on an individual amendment and each part of a bill."

Kasten said, "There has been a lot of working together on both sides of the aisle. This has never occurred before.

"I think the people of Missouri are better served by having that working relationship," the Cape Girardeau lawmaker said.

Schwab, of Jackson, credited Gaw for some of the procedural changes.

But he said Republicans had greater influence than in past years in part because of numbers. Of the 163 House seats, 75 are held by Republicans.

With a more even division than in past years, it was hard to pass any bill without input from members from both parties, Schwab said.

Kinder, Kasten and Schwab were pleased the legislature approved a ban on same-sex marriages.

Kinder led the fight to pass such a ban in the Senate. "That is, for me, enormously gratifying," he said.

All three lawmakers praised passage of the safe schools act, which provides funding for alternative schools for violent students and increased penalties for crimes on campuses.

Kinder said the legislation closely resembled a GOP proposal. "After two murders, it was finally deemed important enough by the governor to pass a bill," he said.

The conservative lawmakers also were pleased with passage of a bill that imposes tougher restrictions on abortion clinics and doctors.

Both Kasten and Schwab said they were disappointed that the General Assembly hadn't passed several tax-relief measures.

Kasten and other Republicans pushed unsuccessfully to remove the state sales tax from food.

"I think that is a disgrace we didn't do that," she said.

GOP lawmakers also failed in efforts to raise the amount of child deductions allowed state taxpayers.

"Definitely, there was no tax relief at all," Schwab said.

HIGHLIGHTS

-- Abortion regulation

-- Zero tolerance for underage drinking and driving

-- Safe schools

-- Curbing bogus liens by common-law courts

-- Mechanism for refunding excess revenues to individuals and businesses

-- Ban on same-sex marriages

-- The legislature didn't agree on ways to reduce booming revenues and restrict freebies from lobbyists to legislators.