By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – The Missouri Senate has taken the afternoon off to play golf at the Lake of the Ozarks.
The outing comes even though several bills, including ethics reform legislation, remain unfinished. Senate President Pro-tem Charlie Shields (R, St. Joseph), who does not play golf, defends the break from work.
"People study the process...they understand we were here late (Monday) night," Shields told reporters after adjournment. He added: "There'll be legislators working the rest of this afternoon and this evening in the building...we'll be here probably late Wednesday night, Thursday night, into Friday, so I don't think people should take too much out of that...there's a lot of work happening in this building right now."
Some Missouri House members think otherwise. In a press release, House Speaker Ron Richard (R, Joplin) said while senators are swinging their clubs, several pieces of legislation sit idle in the Senate, including one that would save 3,700 jobs at a Ford auto plant in the Kansas City area.
The 2010 legislative session ends Friday at 6:00 p.m.