“I think the changes we (the Senate) made were nonsubstantial,” he said. “It was an exercise in long-windedness.”

Jessica Robinson, spokeswoman for Blunt’s office, said Thursday that the governor plans to sign the bill, unless a fatal flaw in the language is found.

The portions of HB1 dealing with the Quality Jobs Act and new market credits were passed with an emergency clause that puts the programs into effect as soon as the governor signs the bill. Most of the other provisions would take effect Jan. 1.

HB2, a measure dealing with bridge repairs, also was passed with an emergency clause. The bill will allow the Missouri Department of Transportation to award a single contract — estimated at between $400 million and $600 million — to repair the state’s bridges over the next five years and maintain them for an additional 25 years.

Debate

Richard said the House spent 2 1/2 hours debating the modified economic-development bill that came from the Senate early Thursday. It was passed without changes to the Senate version.

The Senate version passed late Wednesday night on a 25-7 vote after more than 10 hours of debate. Nodler said the final result was not significantly different from the House version of the bill, or from the objectives Blunt outlined for the special session.

The Senate added six amendments, most adjusting the bill’s wording and definitions. One amendment added stipulations for areas to which some of the economic incentives would apply, including creating a commission to consider projects. The commission would have at least two school board members from the affected districts.

As during the House debate last week, several proposed amendments in the Senate were declared out of order in terms of the governor’s narrow call for the special session. Among those were measures to penalize businesses that are found to have hired illegal workers in the past or present, and to extend to school buses the fuel-tax credit given to aircraft, trains and agricultural vehicles.

An amendment seeking to use any increased general revenue created by the tax incentives for child-care subsidies was declared out of order. Also rejected was an amendment that sought to tie certain aspects of the bill to making the eligibility requirements for the new Mo HealthNet program no more restrictive than the state Medicaid program as of January 1, 2005.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Veto background