MEMPHIS, Tenn. &045;&045; Gov. Haley Barbour defended the action of this year’s legislative session Friday, including the controversial Medicaid cuts that affected 47,000 individuals.

&uot;It’s a myth that the Legislature didn’t do much this session,&uot; said Barbour, speaking at a tri-state convention of newspaper professionals. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen also spoke during the panel discussion on economic development, which was moderated by Pete Johnson, co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority.

Barbour, who is six months into his first term, said lawmakers this year were able to pass legislation to boost economic development.

The Legislature passed a major overhaul of workforce development &045;&045; the first goal to come from a job creation summit the new administration held in January. The Legislature also came back in special session to pass a comprehensive tort reform package.

&uot;It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t easy,&uot; he said. &uot;There were some who weren’t for it, but they put their leaderhsip positions ahead of their personal preference because the majority was for it.&uot;

Barbour had also pledged no new taxes &045;&045; a difficult feat in a year with a multi-million dollar shortfall.

The governor acknowledged that balancing the budget took some tough decisions.

&uot;The Legislature enacted $231 million of savings,&uot; he said. &uot;There were some hard decisions made.&uot;

Among them was a much smaller increase for K-12 funding &045;&045; just 4.6 percent this year &045;&045; and no increase for community colleges, as well as $41 million in savings in corrections.

But the most controversial cuts have come in Medicaid, although Barbour noted that the state made improvements to the program at the same time, including a provision to give every Medicaid recipient an annual physical, at which time they will also be reviewed for eligibility.

Those moved off of Medicaid already qualify for Medicare, Barbour said.

&uot;I am confident most of them will get better benefits,&uot; he said.

And Barbour said extending the deadline for the cuts &045;&045; from July 1 to Sept. 15 &045;&045; will help better inform the public about the cuts.

&uot;It’s the right thing to do,&uot; he said of the cuts, &uot;but it’s crucial to get it right.&uot;