Jefferson City • Not long ago it was common to find lines of people waiting to testify before the Missouri House Standing Committee on Children and Families.

Speakers addressed subjects as diverse as child immunizations, day care quality, child abuse, foster care, safety hazards, adoption and abortion.

In 2007, under the helm of Republican Ward Franz, the committee fielded 45 different bills. Its work resulted in laws to protect foster children and support adoptive families.

That's far different from this year's session. The same committee, now headed by state Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, has just 13 bills before it. Half of them deal with abortion restrictions, an issue on which Davis has long hung her political hat.

It's not uncommon for committee chairs, who have done their time on committees and get appointed by the speaker of the House, to push their own agendas. And, because of the state budget crisis, committee loads have been low.

But advocates for children's issues and day care safety have quietly grumbled that under Davis' rule, a once vital committee charged with child and family issues has been so focused on abortion that it has avoided other important work.

This month, Davis refused to hear "Sam Pratt's Law," a child care safety bill named in honor of an infant who died at an unlicensed in-home day care. Davis told the child's family and the Post-Dispatch that abortion legislation was a higher priority and deserved the committee's full attention.

Davis, who is challenging Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, for the 2nd District Senate, does not deny that she has narrowed the focus of the committee.

"Abortion is harmful to children and families. Someone always dies physically, not to mention the social, emotional, spiritual and psychological harm," she wrote in response to questions e-mailed to her at her request. "With over 11,000 babies aborted every year in Missouri alone, this needs to be a priority because it involves destruction of innocent life and families."

Davis said the committee was secondarily focused on families by vetting bills that strengthen marriage and make it harder for couples to divorce.

Democratic members of the committee such as Jeanette Mott Oxford, St. Louis, condemn the focus on abortion, arguing that Davis has been missing out on critical issues while bringing in questionable outside expert testimony to promote her agendas.

Several Republicans on the committee declined to comment about Davis' leadership.

Rep. Mike McGhee, R-Odessa, asked Davis to allow the committee to consider Sam Pratt's Law, and he said he was disappointed that it hadn't been heard. But he was not critical of Davis.

"She's doing a bunch of important legislation," he said. "Some of it's very complicated and has taken three weeks to hear. She's letting a lot of people come in who've written books. She's taking telephone testimony from Canada. They're taking a half-hour apiece."

Since Davis took the committee helm last session, no bill on child care safety or on policy in the state's children's division, which oversees child abuse investigations and foster care, has had a hearing.

But Davis did schedule hearings on several abortion bills. The committee has so far voted to pass along five bills, four of them dealing with abortion restrictions and one on embryo donation. Only two of those bills have so far gone on to the full House.

Those bills support additional requirements for abortion consent, would make it a crime to coerce a person into having an abortion and would prohibit the funding of abortions through federal health care programs or Missouri health care exchanges.

Rep. Rachel Storch, D-St. Louis, has chosen to vet two bills centered on child care safety and child abuse prevention in other committees to avoid Davis'.

"There is a serious question about the credibility of this committee and whether it has any capacity at all to appropriately debate child welfare legislation," Storch said.

Davis said the criticism of the committee's focus amounted to partisan bickering. "Some Democrats might prefer this be called 'the bigger Governmental Intrusion Committee,' but it is not," she wrote, adding that her job is to limit government involvement in families while strengthening such institutions as marriage.

Davis is no stranger to controversy. She became a lightning rod last year, when she spoke out against school lunch subsidies, arguing that hunger can be a motivator for children.

Jefferson City insiders dealing with child welfare issues say most sponsors of such bills, such as Storch, know that it's better to find another committee. Others have decided to wait out Davis' final term this year.

But what about the outsiders?

Hannah and Billy Pratt's infant son, William "Sam" Pratt, was allegedly killed by his day care provider in February 2009. Even after the caregiver, Martha Jane Farris, was charged with manslaughter and child abuse resulting in a fatality, she continued to care for children in her home near Farmington. Her trial is set for October.

Under current state regulations, Farris could still technically care for children because she is not licensed and is not subject to state regulation.

Pratt and her family, who have little political expertise, said they had no idea that they were headed into a dead end when a new child care safety bill sponsored in honor of Sam by Rep. Linda Fischer, D-Bonne Terre, landed in Davis' committee.

Sam Pratt's Law would give state child care regulators the power to close down unlicensed day care providers accused of criminal child abuse — the same power regulators currently have with licensed providers.

Davis has told the family that the bill appeared to be drafted to soothe their grief. Davis said in her e-mail to the Post-Dispatch Thursday that she felt for the family but didn't believe the bill would succeed. Davis said devoting time to it would be a waste of effort given the other important bills the committee was considering. She said she was mulling sending the bill back to the speaker of the House so it could land in another committee.

"The purpose of hearing bills is to send forth the very best ideas to the floor for full debate," Davis wrote.

Child care advocacy groups such as the Missouri Child Care Resource and Referral Network are backing the bill, arguing it's an obvious protection for vulnerable children.

Pratt and her sister, Amanda Thrasher, said they were sure the bill would have a second go next year — in another committee. Yet they continue to have nightmares that another child could be hurt. Families might never know that their unlicensed day care provider is facing criminal charges for hurting a child, Thrasher said. The sisters say Davis is putting the needs of the unborn first.

"Basically she's saying she's got more important things to deal with, and is acting like this isn't an important issue," Thrasher said.