Term limits prevent Koller, who plans to run for the Senate in two years, and Staples from running for re-election. During their careers both men played key roles in transportation issues.

House Speaker Jim Kreider and Senate Majority Leader Bill Kenney are among 85 lawmakers ineligible to run for re-election. Complicating the issue further is redistricting, which Republicans say gives them a good chance to win control of the House and retain control of the Senate.

The legislature approved:

• Raising $50 million for 2003 by selling bonds against the state's expected future tobacco settlement
• Approving a $111.6 million "revenue enhancement" package that is mostly closing business tax loopholes
• Agreeing to send a $511 million transportation tax increase proposal to the voters this fall.

But perhaps the sweetest news to most lawmakers was Gov. Bob Holden's failure to call a special session.

The major issues lawmakers will deal with today include:
* putting a $511 million transportation tax increase before voters
* raising $112 million in revenue by raising taxes on some businesses
* final action on a $644 million stadium and economic development package.

Today may be even more complicated as term limits mandates that nearly half of the House and a third of the Senate will serve their final day of regular session. The threat of a special session to deal with the budget that once appeared imminent now looks much less likely.

The transportation tax issue would raise the state's general sales tax by a half-cent and the motor fuel tax by 4 cents. If it passes the full House and Senate Friday, it will go before voters this fall.

The bill suffered a major setback in a House committee Thursday, when the committee's chairman, Rep. Kate Hollingsworth, took the bill and left the hearing room without allowing a vote to adjourn. The committee voted the bill out after she had left, but it is still Hollingsworth's decision to report the bill back to House Speaker Jim Kreider.

Hollingsworth said Thursday she was not likely to report the bill out, but late last night she met with Gov. Bob Holden, a supporter of the bill. Her delay on the bill means there is probably not enough time for the full House to approve it as well as a House-Senate conference committee to reach a compromise, and then for both the full House and Senate to approve it again, Kinder said.

The requirement was only added to the bill this morning, in a rush to get the issue brought before the House.

Children will not be forced to say the pledge.

The bill does not have an enforcement clause; each school will regulate itself.

Representative May Scheve of St. Louis County proposed the amendment to a Senate Bill.

The bill, which includes state funds for a new baseball stadium in St. Louis, was approved by a House committee last week. But it has yet to be reported to the full House for debate.

As speaker, Kreider has near absolute power to block House action on legislation.

Through a mix of new taxes, elimination of tax bonuses and accounting shifts, lawmakers agreed to draft a plan that would raise $106 million. However, with three days to go and opposition to various parts of the proposal, the threat of a special session loomed large over the Capitol.

St. Louis city, St. Louis County, Jackson County and Greene County were all taken out in an amendment offered by Sen. Doyle Childers, R-Reeds Spring. All other counties would then vote on the question of whether or not to allow concealed weapons.

The amendment passed by a 15-14 vote, with an unusual teaming of senators from urban and rural areas. Childers said he didn't think the bill was dead, but Senate Floor Leader Bill Kenney said he was not sure if the bill would come up again before session ends Friday.

The House passed a bill Monday that extends the State Children's Health Insurance Program to July 1, 2007. The program offers health insurance coverage to uninsured children.

The proposal has cleared the Senate and a House committee, but has been stalled by the House speaker who refuses to allow House action until a funding increase for education is guaranteed.

The program, adopted under the administration of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan, had been attacked at the time as being a major expansion of welfare.