The 2004 legislative session comes to a close and Senate leaders are assessing their accomplishments and arguing about the tactics used by each. Senate Leader Peter Kinder (R-Cape Girardeau) believes he and his fellow Republicans accomplished a great deal, despite efforts by Senate Democrats to filibuster just about every bill that came before the body. Kinder thinks rules regarding filibusters are probably due for a change in the future. Senate Democratic Leader Ken Jacob of Columbia, who led the filibustering all session long, did so right up until the final minutes of the session Friday afternoon. Jacob relented in time for a foster care bill to pass before the session ended. Jacob rejects suggestions that he might have ended his filibuster had House Speaker Catherine Hanaway (R-Warson Woods) focused on certain pieces of legislation he wanted passed in the final hours of the session. Democrats say they stood in the way of what they call harmful legislation. Republicans say repeated filibusters by Democrats thwarted the will of the people of the state.
