JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers looked far from cleaning their plate of legislative priorities on the eve of the session’s final day.

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

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

Also Thursday, senators attempted to repeal a 2007 law that lessened requirements on incorporating villages. Two Senate Democrats, however, halted all debate in a roughly 90-minute filibuster. The political tactic came the morning after the House had attached a provision that would keep sexually related businesses from setting up within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, public parks and other sites.

Senate and House negotiators struck a compromise and slashed all language involving “grown-up establishments,” bill sponsor Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, said.

But the same Democrats, Sens. Victor Callahan of Independence and Chris Koster of Harrisonville, fought the bill with a second filibuster. Mr. Callahan contended that the village bill’s passage in the Senate would jeopardize the attention of other bills in the House not yet completed, such as the immigration effort and a bill aimed at providing property tax relief.

(Of note, Mr. Wildberger said he saw House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, and Mr. Callahan speak in great length Wednesday night in the House.)

Both chambers still need to vote up the compromise by 6 p.m. today before it can become law.

On deck for today 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.

Hope 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, Mr. 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, Rep. Jim 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, R-King City, said he’d received no assurances from Mr. Shields, the floor leader, that the Senate would consider it today.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached at

alysonraletz@ngpco.com.