State battle over $1 billion shortfall starting to get bitter

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Since the beginning of the legislative session in January, all eyes have been focused on finding money to balance the current state budget. While there was ample political sniping between majority Republicans in the Missouri Legislature and the Democratic governor, the opposing factions eventually forged a compromise that everyone could live with, though it made no one happy.

With that problem settled, at least for now, attention turned last week to preparing a spending plan for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

With the two sides at philosophical odds as to how an estimated $1 billion shortfall for next year should best be addressed, the partisan bickering took a decidedly negative turn that will likely get only more bitter in the coming weeks.

Gov. Bob Holden called a news conference on Wednesday to complain about what he labeled "immoral" cuts a House committee made to a state-subsidized health insurance program for children.

"I've had a tough time controlling my anger," Holden said. "I can't believe the first place these people go to balance the budget is on the backs of our children in this state. We're better than that as a state."

The committee lowered the income threshold that determines who qualifies from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to 185 percent, saying the subsidy should be reserved for those who truly need it. Republicans said that a family of four with an annual household income of $55,000 currently qualifies.

Holden said the budget bill in question would be "dead on arrival" if the cuts are not restored by the time it reaches his desk.

In the following days, Holden fired off angry statements on other cuts the various House appropriations committees had made, including those to Medicaid services and a state prescription drug program for the elderly.

On Thursday, Republicans fired back, accusing the administration of threatening state workers' jobs if they cooperate with lawmakers seeking to reduce spending.

House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, produced a memo she alleged was written by someone at the Department of Natural Resources. The document says that sharing budget-cutting ideas with lawmakers is a firing offense.

Hanaway acknowledged that neither she nor anyone in her caucus attempted to authenticate the memo or identify its source before going to the media. A DNR spokeswoman said it isn't an official department document and appears to be someone's notes from a recent internal meeting. She said there was no mention of firing offenses at the meeting.

The various state departments whose directors report to Holden have made a tactical decision to hold firm to the governor's proposed budget, which requires substantial tax increases to preserve spending. Those tax proposals are making little progress in legislature.

Republicans prefer cuts to achieve balance, but say they need the cooperation of the departments to identify what should be eliminated first.

Sudafed restrictions

An over-the-counter drug is one that doesn't require a doctor's prescription to obtain. The phrase could soon take on a literal meaning for Sudafed and myriad other commonly used cold, flu and allergy medications.

A bill heard by a Senate committee last week would require retailers to store such medications behind the counter or otherwise out of the easy reach of customers.

Law enforcement groups are seeking the legislation with the intent of keeping the products from falling into the wrong hands through theft. The active ingredients in those medications -- ephedrine and pseudoephedrine -- are the base components of methamphetimine.

"If these items were behind the counter, the thefts at retail stores would go down considerably," said state Sen. Anita Yeckel, R-Sunset Hills and the bill's sponsor.

However, Ronald Leone, executive director of the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, said authorities should leave retail decisions to merchants.

"Law enforcement does not need to tell my members how to decrease theft in their stores," Leone said.

When recently suffering from a cold, Senate Minority Floor Leader Ken Jacob, D-Columbia, said he spent considerable time in the store reading boxes to determine what product best addressed his symptoms without being more potent than he wanted. Customers wouldn't be able to do that if Yeckel's bill became law, he said.

The measure would also restrict customers to two boxes of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine products per purchase. The current legal limit is three boxes.

That's the ticket

Advocates for the handicapped last week tried to win for residents the power to write legally enforceable tickets to those who illegally park in handicapped spaces.

A bill sponsored by state Sen. John Dolan, R-Lake St. Louis, contained a provision to allow residents to apply to the Missouri Department of Public Safety for ticket-writing authority, provided they paid a $50 fee.

That section, however, was dropped from the bill before it was heard by a Senate committee.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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