Missouri lawmakers looked far from cleaning their plate of legislative priorities nearly 24 hours away from the session’s Friday end.

Several key bills continued to hang in the air Thursday afternoon, including high-profile illegal immigration measures and a solution to a controversial village law.

The Senate Thursday morning passed a bill loaded with efforts to crackdown on employers of illegal immigrants, but the House didn’t agree to negotiate until after 4 p.m.

Representatives Ed Wildberger, D-St. Joseph, and Jim Guest, R-King City, have both requested to have a say in final negotiations when the bill goes to conference tonight.

The House and Senate must combine and agree upon their positions before the bill can become law.

Mr. Wildberger wants to ensure provisions that provide penalties for contractors and sub-contractors who hire illegal immigrants on state construction projects remain in the legislation.

But Mr. Guest is concerned recently added language may usurp the authority of county sheriffs. The amended legislation calls for increased cooperation between sheriff’s departments and federal officials in investigations of illegal immigrants.

Gov. Matt Blunt has threatened to call a special session if the Legislature doesn’t back the immigration bill.

Also Thursday morning, senators attempted to pass the repeal of a 2007 law that loosened requirements on incorporating villages. Two Senate Democrats, however, filibustered the bill and halted all debate. The political tactic came the morning after the House had added on a provision that would keep sexually related businesses from setting up within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, public parks and other sites.

Instead of going up for a vote, Senate and House officials agreed to go to conference and negotiate a new version.

Just before 5 p.m., Senate staff distributed a compromise on the village bill, which didn’t include the “sex shop” provision.

Both chambers still need to vote up the compromise before it can become law, though.

On deck for Friday is consideration of a repeal of campaign contribution limits. The bill’s author, Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, received support in the Senate, but it still must pass the House. The timing puts the bill in jeopardy, since the House rarely grants additional negotiations in conference on the last day of session, which ends at 6 p.m. Friday.

Hope has all but dwindled for a measure from Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, that would’ve enacted the governor’s Insure Missouri plan to provide greater health care access to the uninsured. Negotiations between Dr. Schaaf, House Speaker Rod Jetton and the Missouri Hospital Association for weeks have stalled the bill because of competition provisions that have been added to the legislation. No improvement came this week.

Also, Mr. Guest’s attempt at prohibiting Missouri from participating in requirements for national driver’s licenses has yet to see any play in the Senate. It already passed in the House, but Mr. Guest said Thursday he’d received no assurances from Mr. Shields the Senate would consider it by 6 p.m. Friday.