State briefs 2/6/04

Report calls for restricting more from Medicaid funds

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Medicaid recipients should have to prove their income is low enough to qualify for the health-care program, and investigators should search for alternative ways to collect from those with unpaid bills, a legislative report suggests. The report comes from a House committee that worked last fall to find ways to rein in the $4 billion state-federal program for the poor, elderly and disabled. The report calls for trimming the Medicaid rolls by limiting coverage to those with less than $1,000 in assets. The asset limit would not include the person's home, car, prepaid burial plan and household furnishings.

Senate OKs bill requiring DNA samples of felons

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missouri lawmakers want to take DNA tests of all felons as a way to help clear up unsolved crimes. To pay the testing tab, they propose a fee on people convicted of everything from traffic offenses to murder. Senators gave initial approval Thursday to the DNA testing legislation, which also would require the state to pay prisoners exonerated by DNA evidence. The bill, which needs another Senate vote to move to the House, has failed in past years because of the potential expense to the state. The bill would impose a $30 surcharge on anyone who is found guilty or pleads guilty or no-contest to a felony. The surcharge would be $15 in misdemeanor cases and 50 cents in traffic-related cases.

-- From wire reports