Special session ends without jobs bill

Posted: 09.23.2011 at 4:27 PM

The House started the day by repealing the law that bans private social media communication between teachers and students. Only two lawmakers, including Jefferon City's Jay Barnes, voted against the fix. Barnes says it simply shifts the constitutional free speech problem from the state to local school districts.

"Just tradin' one big constitutional ball of wax for 529 little balls of wax,” Barnes said.

The house spent much more time on MOSIRA, the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act. The debate focused on whether to include language prohibiting the use of Mosira funds for embryonic stem cell research.

"There should be no problem putting pro-life protections in MOSIRA,” Randolph County Representative Randy Asbury said. “It would have no negative impact on any company not intending to do unethical research.”

Critics, including many pro-life lawmakers, argued the language is redundant, and would force the bill back to the Senate where it would die.

"I am not about to vote for something that puts this bill, and possibly the only chance we have to create jobs this session in jeopardy,” Kansas City Representative Ryan Silvey said.

It's the only chance because the House and Senate are at an impasse on the big bill to spend millions in tax credits to develop Missouri imports and exports.

Majority floor leader Tim Jones was perplexed: "To come here in the middle of an economic recession that has never ended – over the last three years – with nine-percent unemployment – and to go home with a Facebook fix?"