LEGISLATURE MUST MEET ON BUDGET

Gov. Mel Carnahan accused lawmakers Monday of being irresponsible in failing to pass a budget and ordered a special session on spending to finish the task.

The session will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, a half hour after the 1997 regular session is scheduled to end.

But it is up to legislative leaders to decide whether lawmakers will work over the weekend or return later.

State Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said any budget bills would have to go through the House first.

He said he expects the Senate to take roll call and then recess until possibly Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

Rep. Joe Heckemeyer, D-Sikeston, said the House too may just convene briefly and then recess Friday evening.

It takes at least five days to reintroduce and pass bills. The special session could last a maximum of 60 days.

The new budget year begins in 49 days.

Missouri's constitution states that no appropriation bill can be considered in a regular session after 6 p.m. on the first Friday following the first Monday in May.

That deadline was last Friday. But two of the dozen appropriations bills were held up after the House and Senate couldn't reach agreement over funding for Planned Parenthood.

A majority of House members refused to appropriate money for Planned Parenthood because some of its clinics perform abortions.

Senators argued that the House position was unconstitutional.

More than $1 billion in proposed spending is held up in a fight over how to spend about $7.4 million for family planning and abortion alternatives.

The stalemate has held up funding for health and mental-health services for the 1998 fiscal year. Also affected are the salaries for some 11,000 state workers, along with pay and expense money for lawmakers, statewide officials and Missouri courts.

The governor blamed "anti-family planning extremists" for the budget crisis.

Carnahan said in Jefferson City Monday: "These extremists ignored the constitution and failed to meet their fundamental responsibility to the people of Missouri. This inaction is an embarrassment."

"The budget is no place to fight ideological battles," said Carnahan. "Family planning reduces unwanted pregnancies and it reduces abortion."

Carnahan said a federal judge has issued a permanent injunction that prohibits the state from excluding a specific provider of family planning services.

But Republican House leaders accused the governor of promoting taxpayer-funded abortion services.

"The governor and Planned Parenthood chose to play a game of chicken with the state budget in order to force the view of a small minority onto the whole Legislature," said Asst. Republican House Leader Don Lograsso.

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate voiced unhappiness over the extended session.

"I think it is a bummer," said Kinder.

Heckemeyer said he wants to finish the budget so he can return to farming. He said: "I have 180,000 week-old chickens in the barns. We are beginning to plant milo. I still have soybeans to plant and the ground's beginning to dry out."

"Are we all frustrated? You bet. We want to go home," Heckemeyer said.

Both Kinder and state Rep. David Schwab, R-Jackson, said Carnahan was punishing lawmakers by ordering the Friday-night start to the special session.

Kinder and Schwab said the governor should have convened a special session to run concurrently with the last week of the regular session.

Kinder criticized Carnahan for labeling lawmakers as extremists. He said such criticism seemed more proper for a state party chairman or a political commentator.

Kinder said House and Senate leaders should have addressed the issue well in advance of the budget deadline.

The Republican senator said Carnahan didn't want to hold the special session during the last week of the regular session because it could interfere with efforts to pass key bills that the governor supports.

Kinder said Carnahan's entire legislative package is "hanging fire."

"One well-placed torpedo could send the entire ship down with no survivors," said Kinder.

Heckemeyer said Carnahan was wise to hold up the start of the special session until the regular session ends.

Regardless of what happens in the special session, Heckemeyer said the budget fight likely will leave a rift between House and Senate members going into next year's session.

Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press.