Topeka ? Ten members of a legislative committee Tuesday boycotted the committee’s meeting, saying they were upset about the way the chairwoman had run an earlier meeting.

“They didn’t show, but the meeting went on,” said House Insurance Chairwoman Patricia Barbieri-Lightner, a Republican from Overland Park.

She thanked the seven committee members who did attend the meeting, saying, “I would like to applaud you people. You are dedicated and committed to working for the people of Kansas.”

State Rep. Cindy Neighbor, R-Shawnee, said the boycotters would return to the committee’s next meeting, but that they wanted to make a statement by not attending Tuesday.

“From our group’s standpoint, the process had broken down,” Neighbor said. The lawmakers who did not attend the committee were evenly split along party lines: five Republicans and five Democrats.

Neighbor said Barbieri-Lightner had mishandled a public hearing last week on a bill that dealt with expanding the state Health Wave insurance coverage to the unborn children of certain pregnant women.

Anti-abortion groups testified in favor of the bill, saying it would provide new coverage to an estimated 700 women and clarify that life begins at conception.

Abortion-rights advocates testified against the bill, saying it was a subterfuge designed to attack a woman’s right to chose whether to have an abortion by elevating the legal status of a fetus to the same as the mother.

At that hearing Barbieri-Lightner, who opposes abortion, “was debating the issue” with abortion advocates and committee members, instead of simply moderating the meeting, Neighbor said.

“Whenever people come here to testify, there’s respect given to them,” Neighbor said. “We go through a process in a professional manner. That appeared not to happen” last week.

Last year, Barbieri-Lightner was criticized for cutting short testimony on bills opposed by the insurance industry. She later apologized.

Tuesday, the committee had a hearing on a bill that would require insurance companies to provide proof of auto insurance in an electronic format to county treasurer offices. No vote was taken.

Barbieri-Lightner, who is a Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, which includes the east side of Lawrence, said the committee would continue working on several bills in the coming weeks. Barbieri-Lightner faces Adam Taff and Kris Kobach in the Republican Party primary to determine who will run against U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat, in the November general election.

Asked about the conflict on the Insurance Committee, House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, said he had talked with Barbieri-Lightner and believes “things will be fine.”

Asked if she will remain chairwoman of the committee, Mays said yes. “It would be a very bad policy to move chairs because there was some fuss,” he said. “The bottom line is what legislation comes out.”

Leaving the meeting on Tuesday, state Rep. Mario Goico, R-Wichita, said he didn’t know why 10 members didn’t attend. “I believe we are here to do the work of the citizens of Kansas, so I was here to do the people’s work,” he said.