MISSOURI'S SENATORS WILL BACK AMENDMENT

After the U.S. House passed a balanced budget amendment by a wide margin Thursday, the Senate is prepared to take the issue up Monday.

Getting the measure through the Senate would require 67 votes and could be difficult since a handful of members can tie up legislation in that body.

Among supporters of the amendment are Missouri's two Republican senators: Christopher Bond and John Ashcroft.

Ashcroft was elected in November after running on a campaign platform that included support of a balanced budget amendment.

Doreen Torgerson, Ashcroft's press secretary, said the senator believes the amendment is part of the "American people's agenda" and one of the mandates voters issued in the 1994 elections.

"If Congress is going to listen to the voice of the people, it should not have a problem," Torgerson said.

One of the strongest Democratic supporters of the amendment will be Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, who for years has advocated a balance budget amendment.

He predicted Friday that the Senate would muster the two-thirds needed to send the proposal to the states, but warned, "It's by no means certain."

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau was one of the 300 voting for it in the House. That number was 12 more than the minimum needed to have a two-thirds margin.

Emerson recalled that he introduced a version of the amendment on his first day in Congress in 1981, and has been working for its passage ever since.

"It's good to see something that you've been fighting in favor of for so long and so hard finally get the impetus that you think it deserves," said Emerson.

He said opponents of the measure attempted to create the impression that Social Security benefits would be cut because of it. However, Emerson said a resolution was passed as part of the debate that Social Security is not part of the equation.

Two Southern Illinois congressman, Glenn Poshard and Jerry Costello, both Democrats, voted for the amendment.

Torgerson said Ashcroft would routinely vote against unrelated amendments that are offered by opponents to slow down the process.

"John has every intention of being a strong supporter of the balanced budget amendment," she said.

Once passed by Congress, the amendment would need the ratification of three-fourths of the state legislatures to become the 28th amendment to the Constitution.