State lawmakers extended a program which offsets the cost of prescription drugs for a little more than 200,000 Missouri senior citizens in the last hours of the last day of the session.

The MO Rx program faced elimination twice. It nearly was cut out of the state budget, but negotiators in the House restored funding for the program. As the last day of the session wound to a close, HB 412 passed which extended the sunset of the program until August 28, 2014.

“So, finally on the last day we’ve finally gotten the Senate to perceive that there are 207,000 moderate income senior citizens out there who need help with their pharmaceuticals,” Rep. Chris Kelly (D-Columbia) stated during floor debate.

HB 412 empowers the Board of Pharmacy to refuse certification of a pharmacy in which owners or managers had been disciplined by the board.