A wek remains in the legislative session and House leaders appear optimistic that much will be done in the next five days. Women’s health care, transportation, a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens, farmland protection – these are some of the major bills lined up for passage. One major piece of legislation still up in the air is the one dealing with the distribution of money from the national tobacco settlement. House Speaker Jim Kreider of Nixa says if the legislature doesn’t send the tobacco bill to the Governor by the end of this session, the inaction could trigger a lawsuit from someone wanting the money distributed in Hancock Amendment refunds.
