State jobs will remain intact, according to Holden, although certain mid-management positions will be held vacant until the budget crisis subsides.

Democrats are expressing no surprise at the withholdings, despite rumors of layoffs preceding today's announcement, but certain GOP members express extreme concern over the use of executive order.

Holden stated that he may reverse such decisions if economic growth increases later this fiscal year.

For the last couple of months, Holden has warned that lower-than-expected tax collections would force cuts as deep as 18% in budgets approved by the legislature in the spring.

Some Republican lawmakers, however, say tax collections are not so poor as to justify the size of the cuts threatened by the governor.

The proposal would have the program administered by a private business rather than by the state -- as proposed by the Senate's Health Committee chairman, Marvin Singleton.

But Singleton said he was not yet ready to endorse the task force plan, voicing concerns about the price tag.

But that rule covers only those with existing service. The PSC warns that nearly 30,000 households will not be protected by the rule because their service already has been shut off for non-payment from last winter.

The PSC says those households must get their past bills paid in order to be covered by the shut-off limitations for this winter.

The two bi-partisan commissions appointed by the governor to draw the maps gave up after failing to reach agreement by the Tuesday morning deadline to submit plans to the Secretary of State.

Both commission split along party lines. The House panel gave up first. The Senate panel continued meeting past midnight before adjourning.

Under Missouri's Constitution, the Supreme Court now must pick a panel of judges to draw the district lines in conformity with the 2000 census.

The suggestions were released by the department recently in a 19-month study of 200 miles of I-70 as it stretches between Kansas City and St. Louis.

At this time, no funds have been set aside for a major overhaul of I-70.

Carnahan said her packed hearing was not an effort to generate publicity for a possible campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

The widow of Missouri's former governor said she was not ready to make an announcement whether she would run for re-election 2002.