AN ASSESSMENT OF MAJOR BILLS

Let me summarize, as I see it, the status of key legislation currently being considered in Jefferson City and take it outside of the political reporting that so obsesses the media ... especially with the election of the first Republican majority in the Senate in over 50 years, an outcome unknown until Jan. 24 (almost three months after the normal early November election date because of three special elections). So when state SEN. PETER KINDER assumed his current position as president pro tem of the Missouri Senate, we were already almost 25 percent of the way through this year's session scheduled to adjourn May 18.

So far, most major bills are ahead of schedule.

1. Appropriation bills: Already passed the House, set to start being floor debated in the Senate this week and already ahead of the normal timetable. This is the most important annual responsibility of the legislature and should be completed two weeks prior to adjournment with the bipartisan cooperation shown to date.

2. Prescription drug bill: The mishandling by the administration last year cost the state $60 million over the estimated cost. The loose interpretation of qualified beneficiaries was one of the reasons for the $300 million overspending in the budget for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.

Bills are moving to a joint House-Senate committee and should be signed after language is worked out.

3. St. Louis Cardinals stadium bill: Will be debated in both houses and will have a fair hearing with arguments on both sides heard before the vote. Outcome undecided.

4. Redistricting bill: Mandated by the new census numbers for state House and Senate districts as well as congressional districts.

A. Congressional redistricting committees are under initial supervision by a Senate bipartisan committee to draw the boundary lines. Current Democratic congressmen William Clay and Richard Gephardt are fighting over the new lines to be drawn in St. Louis, and there will be no easy compromise here.

If no agreement is reached, the federal courts will determine the lines.

As president pro tem, Senator Kinder shared his authority to appoint both Democrats and Republicans to the redistricting committee for congressional districts and permitted the Democrats to appoint their members to the committee.

B. State Senate and House committees: If no agreement from at least 70 percent of these committees (nine Democrats and nine Republicans on the House redistricting panel and five Democrats and five Republicans on the Senate panel) the Missouri Supreme Court will decide the new boundary lines.

There's been more political and press-release accusations than need be here ... but GOV. BOB HOLDEN has taken a lower road than expected in his handling of this matter.

YES ... and it's not hearsay or secondhand information ... HOLDEN did link the redistricting appointments of the Republicans to his transportation bill. But that doesn't bother me as much as issuing a press release claiming Senator Kinder misrepresented his position and denying the linkage.

5. The transportation bill: This bill should have a fair hearing in the Senate. It represents the biggest tax increase in Missouri history and addresses the accountability of the Department of Transportation. In addition, the makeup of the highway commission, the allocation of the money generated by a sales-tax increase, a registration-fee increase, the scrapping of the 15-year highway plan and the understandable rural-urban differences make this bill one of the key and toughest legislative bills this session.

Implementation would require a vote of the people, but I would think the supporters of this plan would want a bill with the most opportunity to succeed.

Governor Holden has a survey which to date he has not shared in full with Republican House or Senate members -- even while he decries the lack of bipartisan support.

Construction firms and leading business and industry groups in St. Louis are lobbying heavy for this bill as they see new money currently earmarked for their area.

I have no strong feelings pro or con, but the public must (and the news media can do a better job here) be better informed as to the issues that are being debated about this important issue -- the highways, bridges, roads of Missouri.

6. The allocation of $4.5 BILLION of tobacco money is in legislation heading to a conference committee. I expect some agreed legislation to pass.

7. SENATOR KINDER'S tobacco lawyer fee-limitation bill: No one to date has come forward to defend the obscene fees that the appointees of Attorney General JAY NIXON would receive.

The clock is ticking, and I would hope (but don't expect) Nixon or GOVERNOR HOLDEN would get a ruling or opinion to clear up the legal questions used to attack Kinder's bill.

After all ... this is an estimated excessive fee of over $300 million that the state could be using for education, health, highways and much more. Where's the news media and public outcry?

In my next column, I'm going to write about a honey pot of over $400 million that no one is discussing. I'm hoping someone takes the time to research it and beats me to the story.

Gary Rust is chairman of Rust Communications.