The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 3

Monday, January 19, 2009 3A 16 area lawmakers chairing committees Document: Read a son, R-Springfield, as the panel's vice chairman. Burlison represents the 136th District. Wilson, R-Neosho, said the committee will examine access and affordability of health insurance. The panel has been By Chad Livenqood Jefferson city From reforming health insurance to green lighting the construction of a nuclear power plant, a few southwest Missouri House members will be tackling some of the biggest issues this session. House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, announced his 50 committee Richard chairs Wednesday, handing assignments to 16 fellow southwest Missouri legislators.

Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, was appointed chair of the Utilities Committee, which will consider whether to loosen regulatory restrictions on building nuclear power plants in Missouri. St. Louis-based utility AmerenUE wants to build a second reactor in Callaway County. Lawmakers will be asked to consider undoing a 1976 voter-approved law that requires utilities to get financing for construction of a nuclear reactor, rather than raising rates to fund construction.

For the Callaway II project, undoing the law could cut the cost from $9 billion to $6 billion, Emery said. Richard and the Republican majority view the project as a huge economic de velopment opportunity. The more power supply Missouri has, the better rates consumers will get, potentially attracting new businesses to the state, Emery said. "I definitely believe it is good for Missouri to have Emery Schoeller first of all sufficient1 power, but what would even be better is if we were an exporter of energy," said Emery, whose district includes Barton and Dade counties and parts of Jasper and Polk counties. Debate over the nuclear plant could last the entire session, said Rep.

Shane Schoeller, R-Willard, a member of the utilities and energy committees. "It's an important issue, so it should take time," Schoeller said. Richard appointed Rep. Kevin Wilson chair of the Special Committee on Health Insurance and freshman Rep. Eric Burli- ft SlWil 1 1 Could Be The Answer! One of the most revolutionary non-invasive procedures to effectively help treat the most common cause of Low Back and Leg Pain.

Sciatica Herniated Disc Bulging Disc Degenerative Disc Pinched Nerves pnFrlnrnmpnt nf Rp- COM Ik publican committee assignments. Committee chairs These southwest Missouri House members will chair the following committees: David Sater, R-Cassville, Appropriations Health, Mental Health and Social Services Don Ruzicka, R-Mount Vernon, Conservation and Natural Resources Maynard Wallace, R-Thornfield, Elementary and Secondary Education Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, Judiciary Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, Rules Mike Cunningham, R-Rogersville, Financial Institutions Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, Special Committee on Health Insurance Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, Special Committee on Professional Registration Jim Viebrock, R-Re-public, Retirement Larry Wilson, R-Flem-ington, Rural Community Development Darrell Pollock, R-Lebanon, State Parks and Waterways Dennis Wood, R-Kim-berling City, Tourism Ed Emery, R-Lamar, Utilities David Day, R-Dixon, Veterans Barney Fisher, R-Richards, Special Committee on Workforce Development, Workplace Safety Bob Dixon, R-Spring-field, Transportation gets for the departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He's also chairman of the House retirement committee, which will continue monitoring Springfield's troubled policefire pension fund. With economic conditions continuing to deteriorate, Richard said he's pushing legislators to pass economic development, health care and energy-related legislation before the legislative spring break in mid-March. With committee spots assigned and the House rules having passed by a two-thirds majority on Thursday, the House is already 10 days ahead of normal schedule, Schoeller said.

"People don't send us here to spend time waiting for our committee assignments," Schoeller said. Democrat chair The Greene County Democratic Party on Thursday elected Art Kessler as its new chairman. He replaces Springfield attorney Craig Hosmer, who was elected chairman of the state party's central committee. Kessler is president of Carpenters Local 978. "It's truly a humbling experience to be elected by my fellow Democrats to serve as chair," Kessler said in a statement.

Under Hosmer's leadership, the party purchased an office building on Fremont Avenue as its headquarters and hired a full-time executive director, Matthew Patterson. "I look forward to building on that foundation and working to elect more Democrats locally and statewide," Kessler said. ed Kinder. The three-seat gain in the state Senate was the largest increase in majority for Republicans in a statehouse in the country, Kinder said. "We want to build on the success that the Missouri Republican Party has recently enjoyed," Kinder told supporters.

Cole later added: "We're excited about the future. The cupboard is certainly not bare." tapped to come up with solutions for helping high-risk people without insurance get coverage and finding a way Wilson tor the state to help low-income working people who want insurance afford it. Currently, the state-managed Missouri Health Insurance Pool serves 3,000 to 4,000 high-risk people, said Wilson, who serves on the organization's board of directors. These are people who can't get private insurance and are known as uninsurable, Wilson said. But an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people could be eligible to join the pool if they could afford the high premiums, Wilson said.

"We need to do something to make that more affordable for the uninsur-ables," he said. Richard said he didn't give any preference to the 16 legislators from southwest Missouri just because they're part of a voting bloc that helped him become the No. 1 House official. Many of the chairmen from this region have served on the committees for two or three terms and are well versed in the issues at hand, Richard said. "They are actually experts in their fields," he said.

Richard said freshmen like Burlison were appointed as vice chairs to committees to train them for future leadership roles because term-limits creates a loss of institutional memory. In a year when the state budget is likely to dominate policy debate, the appropriations committees could be busy trimming spending to shore up declining tax revenue. Rep. David Sater, R-Cassville, will chair the appropriations committee that deals with health, mental health and social services spending. That includes the state-run Medicaid health care program and other welfare programs.

Rep. Ray Weter, R-Nixa, is vice chairman of that panel. Rep. Jim Viebrock, R-Re-public, will be vice chairman of the appropriations committee that sets bud- we had in who would be the best person to lead us forward," Kinder told GOP supporters. Russell has served as state party chairman during former Gov.

Matt Blunt's four years in office. Cole, 44, will be charged with maintaining and growing the Republican Party's boost in power in Missouri over the past decade. Atop Cole's agenda is improving the party's technology outreach to voters, recruiting better candidates and moving state party headquarters in Jefferson City to a new office. He also intends to launch a task force on voter integrity and election fraud. Kinder has suggested the party work to break down ethnic, racial and political barriers with urban voters, who typically vote overwhelmingly for Democrats.

Cole intends to make this a priority, officials said. While Republicans lost the governor's mansion last fall, they maintained their majority in the state House and gained three seats in the Senate. They also carried Missouri for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and re-elect- ifi lilt I 1 f'tl; Call Now for a FREE Consultation to see if Spinal Decompression can help you. Cassville lawyer to lead state GOP www.CherryHealthCenter.com By Chad Livenqood The Missouri Republican Party's executive committee unanimously elected Cassville attorney David Cole as its new state chairman on Saturday. Cole's election to the top seat means both the state GOP and De Cole mocratic parties will be led over the next couple of years by southwest Missouri men.

Last month, the Democrats elected Springfield attorney and former state Rep. Craig Hosmer chairman. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, the only remaining Republican statewide official, touted Cole's leadership and work for the GOP Saturday in a conference call with grassroots supporters and county party chairs.

Kinder said he, the five Missouri Republican members of Congress and retiring Sen. Kit Bond decided last month to back Cole as chairman, replacing Doug Russell of Lebanon. "He comes with the endorsement not only from me but from Sen. Kit Bond in extensive deliberations in cku hV fill Jii (' 4 J) OB. "i KA.