A special legislative session to hasten winter utility bill assistance remains on the table.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder toured the state this fall calling for the special session to help low-income Missourians. His Oct. 27 visit to St. Joseph drew criticism from Democrats, who dubbed Mr. Kinder’s intentions as politically motivated.

But a spokeswoman for Gov. Matt Blunt told the Associated Press today that "he has consulted with legislative leaders and is still considering whether to call a special session before his term ends in January."

Mr. Kinder originally had asked Mr. Blunt to call the session after the Nov. 4 election, which included the lieutenant governor’s own re-election bid, to allow time to "dilute any political ambitions."

Mr. Kinder defeated Democratic challenger Sam Page, a state representative from Creve Coeur.