JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A St. Joseph lawmaker steered clear of a legislative reprimand Tuesday for equating a proposal to increase children’s health care coverage to slavery.

A House ethics committee rejected, 6-4, a remonstrance resolution House Minority Leader Paul LeVota, D-Independence, filed earlier this month that would have formally admonished Rep. Dr. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, for the March 25 comparison.

“It’s nice to know I have the freedom of speech to say what I need to do for my job,” Dr. Schaaf told the News-Press.

Dr. Schaaf didn’t attend the meeting, which originally was closed to the public. The committee’s chairman, Majority Floor Leader Steve Tilley, R-Perryville, said he opened the meeting because the resolution didn’t rise to the level of an ethics complaint.

Dr. Schaaf in March opposed a proposal to expand income requirements for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, contending that government shouldn’t enslave taxpayers by paying for the services of those who can care for themselves.

“That is slavery. When you take somebody who could do it and expect somebody else to do it, that is slavery,” Dr. Schaaf said during the March debate, The Associated Press reported.

Referring to a portrait of President Abrahan Lincoln, Dr. Schaaf said, “That man on the wall tried to end it in our country, and they want to bring it back.”

But Mr. LeVota and nearly the entire Democratic caucus, including Reps. Martin Rucker and Ed Wildberger from St. Joseph, signed the remonstrance — finding Dr. Schaaf’s public debate and similar statements the News-Press published as an April 1 letter to the editor from him as offensive. Mr. Rucker is the chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus.

“When we try to change history and we try to make light of one of the most tragic moments of history ... I think it deserves a remonstrance,” said Rep. Trent Skaggs, D-North Kansas City, a committee member.

House Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, said it would be “morally bankrupt” for anyone to defend slavery, but he urged the committee to vote “no.”

“The Freedom of Speech even extends to dumb comments representatives make on the House floor,” Mr. Pratt said.

Mr. Tilley said representatives frequently make offensive comments and approving the remonstrance Tuesday would have opened the door to a flurry of complaints on other controversial debates.

“I think it was a poor choice of words,” Mr. Tilley said. “The (implication) is he wants to bring back slavery. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”

The only Democrat to vote against the remonstrance, Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, said he found the comments offensive, but objected to the matter reaching a House ethics committee.

“We shouldn’t be here,” Mr. Kelly said. “It’s an inappropriate use of the remonstrance process.”

Dr. Schaaf as recently as Monday said he wouldn’t apologize, despite requests from the black caucus, but contrition came later Tuesday.

After a private meeting between Mr. Kelly and the St. Joseph Republican, Dr. Schaaf addressed representatives on the House floor. He said his prior comments referred to economic slavery, not the slavery of blacks.

“I initially refused to apologize because I do not want to give up my ability to speak about the economic enslavement of the taxpayers,” he said. “But I do believe I offended some members because of the clumsy way I made my impromptu floor speech, and for that I am truly sorry and I apologize to those who were offended.”

Mr. LeVota said he didn’t believe Dr. Schaaf was being completely accountable for his past comments, but in the end, he was satisfied.

“We made our point,” he said.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached at alysonraletz@npgco.com.