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Senate Republicans attacked one of the federal health care bill’s most controversial parts Monday, passing a ban on insurance coverage for abortions out of a Senate committee.

Missouri has banned women from getting health insurance for abortions for more than two decades, with the exception of an abortion to protect the mother’s life.

“The federal bill threatens Missouri’s long-standing laws against funding abortion, and would compel taxpayers to fund abortions for the first time in American history,” said Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, the bill’s sponsor.

The Senate Small Business Committee passed the bill, 5-1, despite opposition from Planned Parenthood representative Michelle Trupiano.

“We believe this goes against the practice of free markets,” she said. “It’s government intrusion into insurance companies deciding what they want to offer.”

Sen. Rita Days, D-St. Louis County, the only committee member to vote against the bill, said the bill’s future will be less smooth than its committee passage. “This isn’t over yet,” she said.

Senate Democrats have already filibustered other anti-abortion bills this session, and the measure joins a crowded Senate calendar.

Also at the Capitol, the Senate Government Oversight Committee shot down a bill to reorganize the state’s health care plans, which the UM System had opposed.

The bill would have created a commission to recommend putting all state workers’ health plans under one statewide umbrella. But the committee first voted to weaken the bill, then tied on whether to pass it, effectively killing the plan.

Republicans were mostly against the bill. The commission is unnecessary, said Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville.

“We already know what the answer’s going to be. (State agencies) don’t want it,” she said. “Nobody wants to give up the turf they have.”

Supporters have said combining the state’s health plans would have lowered average costs for all agencies. UM System representatives were against a similar bill in early March. At the time, they said the system’s premiums were lower than other agencies’, and they want to keep them that way.

Senators will consider Tuesday hundreds of Missourians’ e-mailed suggestions on how to fix the state’s budget.

Several committees will have a workday to look at people’s advice. Missouri’s budget is $500 million short this fiscal year, thanks to declining state revenue collections and federal money Gov. Jay Nixon was counting on that Congress hasn’t yet approved.

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