MISSOURI SENATE REJECTS MEASURE TO CUT OBE FUNDS

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Senate planned to spend all day Tuesday focusing on the budget, but was bogged down after it reached only the second bill.

That bill dealt with proposed spending by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The Senate rejected 14-18 an amendment by Sen. Walt Mueller, R-Kirkwood, to strip $250,000 from the DESE budget.

Mueller wanted to remove money Missouri pays as dues to the New Schools Project, a 17-state research and consulting consortium criticized by some lawmakers for advocating controversial outcomes-based education.

Senators who were critical of the proposed spending spent more than four hours discussing not only the money, but the larger issue of how student achievement should be assessed in Missouri.

And although the amendment failed, Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said the Senate's vote on the measure will open public debate about OBE in Missouri.

Kinder said proposing the amendment was the only way to get debate about the project out of committees and into the full Senate.

Known for his opposition to OBE, Kinder discussed the New Standards Project's promotion of it and other related topics for about two hours.

He distributed copies of the New Standards Project's ideas on academic standards to the other senators and argued that they are neither academic nor standards.

"We wanted to send the message that, before they go any further down this road toward vague outcomes that involve measuring a student's attitude, we want to see more debate in the state," Kinder said. "We want people to be informed about what is going on."

After Mueller's amendment failed, the DESE budget was approved without dissent. Then came unanimous approval, with no discussion, of the budget for the Department of Higher Education. It includes a $33 million increase for Missouri's four-year colleges and universities.

Despite passage of the education budgets, Kinder said he was heartened the Senate took most of the afternoon to discuss what is happening in Missouri schools.

It's an issue he hopes no longer will be ignored and will become the topic of high-profile debate throughout the state.

Majority Leader J.B. "Jet" Banks, D-St. Louis, said senators would work into the night until the overall state budget was completed. He brought in platters of chicken and country ham so senators could munch dinner before resuming work.

Missouri's budget already was approved by the House, which means Senate changes are subject to negotiations between the chambers.

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

Capitol highlights

Highlights of Tuesday activities in the Missouri Statehouse as compiled by The Associated Press:

State Budget

The Senate debated Gov. Mel Carnahan's $12.8 billion budget proposal late into the evening. Among changes made by the senators was to let Missouri cities hosting Amtrak stations off the hook from sharing part of the cost of keeping passenger rail service.

Defense Fund

-House Speaker Bob Griffin, saying he's "in a financial bind," has set up a legal defense fund. Griffin has been under state and federal investigation for months, partly about his dealings as a private attorney with a company that sought a state license in Missouri to operate a gambling boat. Griffin says he's done nothing wrong and expects to be vindicated.

Tax Break

-The House gave first-round approval to legislation allowing people living with and taking care of their elderly parents to deduct an additional $1,600 from their state taxes. An amendment to the bill also phases in state tax exemptions for private pension, annuity and retirement funds up to $6,000.

Gambling Limit

-The House gave first-round approval to a bill limiting how often cities and counties can hold elections to authorize local riverboat gambling. The bill requires localities that reject gambling to wait two years before voting again.

Casino Trains

-The House Ways and Means Committee considered legislation putting casinos on passenger trains. The committee may vote Wednesday on whether to send the measure to the full chamber for debate.

Concealed Gunds

-The House Judiciary and Ethics Committee considered a Senate-passed bill allowing Missourians to legally carry concealed guns. The committee took no vote on the measure. As passed by the Senate, it would require a statewide vote of approval.