Education task force bill passes

A bill that creates a task force to study under-performing schools and school districts in Mississippi was passed on Friday and sent to the governor.

The Senate concurred with changes the House made on the Senate bill 2405. The task force’s goal is to look for ways to improve outcomes at under-performing schools and districts.

The task force will be made up of legislators, parents, teachers, administrators and business leaders. The bill calls for the MEC president or his designee to be on the task force. The group is to provide a report to the Legislature no later than Jan. 2, 2009.

Calling it a day

Both the House and the Senate finished work before noon and will not return until Monday.

Both chambers voted on Wednesday to take Good Friday off. The next major deadline is Wednesday, as bills that originated in the other Chamber must gain approval on the floor to remain alive

Appointed superintendents bill amended, but alive

A bill that called for replacing elected superintendents with appointed superintendents in low-performing school districts remained alive after an amended version passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The language of the bill was changed after the threat of procedural motion that would have killed the bill, said House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown.
When the bill passed the Senate it called for moving to appointed superintendents in districts that are low performing for two consecutive years. It also called for electing all school boards. Some boards in the state’s 152 districts are appointed.

In the House education committee, the bill was amended to remove the provision that called for all school boards to be elected and added a provision to also replace appointed superintendents with a newly appointed superintendent if the district is considered low performing for two consecutive years.

The House adopted an amendment from Rep. Willie Perkins, which requires that after two years an under-performing district with an elected superintendent would continue to have an elected superintendent, but not the same one.

The bill now goes back to the Senate and will likely go to conference where the bill could be returned back to its original intent.
MEC has long supported all superintendents in Mississippi be appointed. There are currently 65 elected superintendents in county school districts.

MEC-supported bills still alive as deadline passes

The committee deadline for bills that originated in the other House passed with several MEC supported bills remaining alive.

A bill that would give the Public Service Commission the right to allow regulated utility companies the right to add some costs of building a plant into its rate base prior to a plant going into operation survived in an amended fashion.

The bill, which originated in the Senate and was passed by a 38-11 vote, was amended in the House Public Utilities Committee late Monday. The amended version creates a special select committee to look at the issue. The bill was moved to the top of the House calendar on Tuesday and passed and sent back to the Senate.

The Senate can request conference on the bill and begin trying to workout differences.

The original language simply allows the utility companies the right to petition the Public Service Commission for permission to build new facilities with a pay as you go approach. The companies could only place charges into the rate base if the PCS determines they ae prudent and cost-efficient for the ratepayers.

Proponents of the bill say it will save ratepayers money in the long run, because the total cost of the project will be less. Currently a public utility can not begin collecting from rate payers the cost for new power generation until the facility is put into use.

The Mississippi Economic Council supports the legislation because it will help ensure a strong utility infrastructure that is vital for economic development.
 

Tourism incentive bill passes Senate committees

Monday, March 17, 2008

Tourism, employment bills pass

Two MEC priority bills continued to make their way through the process on Monday.

The House passed a Senate bill that would create a tourism task force to assist in helping Mississippi take full advantage of tourism opportunities.

The bill, which is a Momentum Mississippi-backed initiative, would bring together legislators, business leaders and tourism officials to address issues facing the state. A similar House bill has been sent to the Senate, but the legislation will likely end up in conference committee to work out differences.

The Senate passed an amended version of a House bill that would completely remove a repealer from legislation that created the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and set up the structure for the state’s current Workforce Development Board.

Created in 2004 to replace the former Employment Security Commission, the department is set to expire on June 30. The House bill simply extended the repealer until June 30, 2011. The Amended version matched that of a Senate bill passed earlier in the session.

Governor signs immigration legislation 

Governor Haley Barbour signed into law a bill that targets illegal immigration.

However, Gov. Barbour said he had concerns about the bill making the electronic verification system, E-Verify, the sole source for the employer to check the eligibility of a worker.

“Today, I have signed into law SB 2988, a bill designed to discourage illegal immigration in Mississippi by creating new penalties for hiring illegal immigrants,” Gov. Barbour said. “I appreciate the efforts of Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant and others in the House and Senate who have worked so hard on this issue.

“Any employer who knowingly hires an illegal alien should be held accountable, and that is the goal of SB 2988.  While I have signed this legislation into law, I have serious concerns about specific provisions of the bill that could have unintended negative consequences.  I urge the Legislature to make the necessary technical changes to ensure this bill will have the intended effect.

“Senate Bill 2988 mandates that employers utilize the federal E-Verify program administered by the Department of Homeland Security.  I am concerned about mandating the E-Verify system as the sole source from which an employer in Mississippi can verify a potential employee’s eligibility, especially since the federal government itself has said E-Verify is not a reliable system.”

For Governor Barbour's complete statement

Friday, March 14, 2008

Education bills target low-performing schools, districts

A bill to form a task force to study issues dealing with under-performing schools in Mississippi gained the approval of the House of Representatives on Friday.

The task force will be made up of Legislative leaders, business leaders and educational leaders. Under the legislation, the task force will be required to present a report to the Legislature by Jan. 2, 2009.

The legislation is an amended version of a Senate bill, so it will go back before the Senate for approval, or it could go to conference committee to work out differences.

A Senate bill that would require additional training for school board members in districts that are low performing was also approved by the House. The bill passed without any amendments, so it will now go to the governor.

The House took up a number of other bills before calling it a week, most of which where non-controversial and prompted little debate.

The Senate worked a little over 30 minutes Friday. The vast majority of the bills that were passed dealt with designating certain sections of highways around the state as memorial highways.

The Legislature faces a Tuesday deadline to move bills from the other house out of committee, but chambers will convene a little earlier than normal on Monday. The Senate returns at 2 p.m., while the House will gavel in at 3 p.m.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Bill would address low-performing school districts

A bill to replace superintendents in the state’s lowest performing school districts will come before the full House.

The bill, which passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, also had to be approved by the House Apportionment and Elections Committee. The Elections Committee added a pair of amendments, one dealt with contracts of appointed superintendents and the other allowed Lafayette County’s School Board and superintendent to change to an appointed superintendent with consent of all school board members and the superintendent.

Because the bill was amended, it had to go back before the Education Committee, which approved the bill by a vote of 11-8. There was concern from the Education Committee members that the amendment concerning Lafayette County changed the bill’s original intent.

State Superintendent Dr. Hank Bounds appeared before the Elections Committee to explain this bill was designed to target districts that are failing their students.

“This bill looks at some of the worst districts in America,” Bounds said, referencing Mississippi’s low national educational ranking. “We get a chance to change the direction of these failing schools.”

Rep. Kelvin Buck, a member of the Education Committee, asked to speak before the Elections Committee prior to the vote on the bill.

Buck asked members to support the bill.

“This bill is an attempt to change the outcome for children,” he said. “When it comes to outcomes for students, that is where we ought to be focused."

Buck said the bill was “personal” to him because his district has some schools that are failing students.”

Governor touts health insurance bill

Governor Haley Barbour held a press conference at the Capitol to promote the proposed Health Insurance Exchange program.

The Senate has passed a bill that Gov. Barbour says would create a system to help employees of small businesses have access to affordable health insurance.

He was joined at the press conference by doctors, small-business owners and leaders of the pro-life community. According to the governor’s office, nearly 134,000 Mississippians work for small businesses that do not offer employer-sponsored health insurance.

Gov. Barbour said he hopes the House will pass similar legislation.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Bill would increase pay for experienced teachers

The House passed an amended version of a Senate bill that would allow teachers with more than 25 years of experience to continue receiving annual increases.

The original Senate version calls for additional increases for teachers each year from year 25 to year 30. The House amendment changes it from 30 to 35 years.

Also, a bill that would require elected school superintendents to be replaced with appointed superintendents in low-performing school districts passed the full House Education committee on Wednesday.

The bill, which was amended and approved a day earlier by a House Education sub committee, also calls for any appointed superintendent to be replaced if the district is low-performing. Before any action could be taken, a superintendent would have serve for two complete school years.

The bill now goes before the House Elections Committee.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Bill calling for some appointed superintendents advances

A bill that would replace elected school superintendents with appointed superintendents in low-performing school districts passed a House Education sub committee on Tuesday.

The Senate bill was amended to strike a provision that would require all school boards to be elected, as some members of the committee were concerned over abolishing appointed boards that have been successful.

The bill is expected to be taken up by the full House education committee on Wednesday.

Appointing superintendents is a priority issue for the Mississippi Economic Council and is one of the elements of the Quality Education Act. A move to appointed superintendents statewide has long been a position of MEC. The Senate bill was a compromise bill reached earlier in the session. There are currently 62 elected superintendents in Mississippi.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Senate clears calendar of budget bills

The Senate spent about an hour in session on Monday working through 41 appropriations bills. Among the spending legislation was funding for universities and community colleges and other state agencies, such as the Mississippi Development Authority.

The House was in session less than 30 minutes, working through six Senate bills dealing with insurance. Among the bills passed was a fee for inspecting factory-built homes.

The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and the House will return at 2 p.m. Both chambers will be holding committee meetings throughout the day.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Appropriations bills taking priority in Senate

On Friday, the Senate began addressing appropriations bills, passing about 20 bills during the hour-long session.

The bill primarily dealt with funding of board and commissions. There are still more than 30 appropriations bills on the Senate Calendar, including bills that cover funding for universities and colleges.

The House on Friday passed a Senate bill that increases the penalty for home invasion to a minimum of 10 years.

Appropriations and revenue bills face a floor deadline of Wednesday. Bill that have passed either the House or Senate must face a March 18 deadline in the opposite chamber.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

 A Senate bill aimed at stopping employment of illegal immigration passed a House Committee and the full House on Tuesday.  

The bill, known as the Mississippi Employment Protection act, will require all employers to phase in the use of a Status verification system known as e-verify. The electronic system is operated by the Department of Homeland Security. 

The bill passed by a vote of 111-8 in the House, and no one spoke against the bill. The body took action on the legislation the same day it passed the House Judiciary B Committee. The Senate unanimously passed the bill of Feb. 26.

The bill calls for all companies with more than 250 employees doing work with the state to begin using the verification system on July 1. Any contract in effect prior to July 1 would not be subject to this legislation. 

All companies with 250 or more employees would have to begin using the verification system by January 1, 2009. Companies with 100 or more employees, but less than 250 would be required to use e-verify begin in July 1, 2009. Companies with 30-99 employees would be required to implement the verification system by July 1, 2010 and all other companies would have to being using the system by July 1, 2011.

According to the legislation, any company that complies with the legislation and uses the Status verification system would not be in violation of the law. 

“Any employer that complies with the requirements of this section shall be held harmless by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, provided the employer is not directly involved in the creation of any false documents, and provided that the employer did not knowingly and willfully accept false documents from the employee.” 

If a company that has a contract with the state is found to be in violation of the law, that company would lose its contract and not be allow to work for the state for a up to three years.

The bill also makes it a felony for illegal immigrants to “accept or perform employment for compensation.” Sen. Michael Watson, the bill’s principal author said the provision is aimed at the employee, not the employer. Any illegal immigrant found guilty would face from one to five years in jail and a fine of $1,000 to $10,000.

The legislation now heads to Gov. Haley Barbour.

Senate Appropriations approves IHL, Community College funding

Mississippi public-supported universities and community colleges will receive about the same amount of funding as they did last year, under the Senate’s appropriations bills.

The only real increases for the dozen or so IHL and community college bills were for health insurance, Sen. Doug Davis told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. However, Davis pointed out most all of the bills provided more money than was recommended by the Legislative Budget Office.

The bills still face approval by the full Senate and the final budget numbers will likely be worked out once the Senate and House begin conference committee negotiations.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Senate Education Committee schooled on MAEP

The Senate Education Committee explored the process for funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program on Tuesday morning.

Education Chair Sen. Videt Carmichael invited State Superintendent of Education Dr. Hank Bounds to discuss the MAEP formula with the committee. Last year, the Legislature fully funded the program and bills are coming before the committee to fully fund the program again this year. 

Bounds said there are still 25 bills alive that deal with education issues, many of which were introduced in both the Senate and House. Carmichael said he wanted the committee to have a better understanding of MAEP as the Legislature works to finalize the FY2009 budget.

House deals with appropriations bills

The House worked through more than 50 appropriations bills Tuesday afternoon. The bills were passed out of the appropriations committee on Tuesday morning and taken up in the afternoon session.

The bills provide funding for a wide range of state agencies, including the Public Service Commission and its staff, a number of boards, such as the board of Psychology. The funding bill also included money for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. However, the bill for the wildlife department was held on a motion to reconsider.

The bills will now be sent to the Senate, where they will be discussed in the appropriations committee.

Senate begins receiving House bills

On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said he has already assigned more than 100 House bills to committees. Bryant encouraged the Senate members to begin dealing with that legislation in order keep things on track leading up to the March 18 deadline for committees to act on legislation from the House.

Several House committees were meeting, and the full House was scheduled to convene at 2 p.m.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Legislators begin looking at bills from other side

After two busy weeks of working legislation on the floor of the House and Senate, Legislators are starting to shuffle through legislation that was introduced to the other chamber.

Both bodies met briefly on Monday and were preparing to begin committee work this week. Senate committees will take up bills passed by the full House, while House committees will handle bills passed by the full Senate. All bills must pass committee by March 18 to stay alive.

Legislators also face a March 12 floor deadline for appropriations and revenue bills originating their own house.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Senate, House survive deadline for floor action

The House and Senate managed to work through their respective calendars meeting Thursday’s deadline for floor action on bills.

Both Chambers took up about 300 bills each over the past week, with the majority of the legislation passing.

Among the more notable bills on Thursday:

* Both the House and Senate passed bills to raise the unemployment benefits. However, the two bills vary greatly. The Senate version calls for an increase to the weekly benefit of $10 increase this year and another $10 increase next year. In the House, the bill calls for raising the rate $24 a week now and adding a cost of living adjustment that would increase the amount each year.

* The House version of a public utility bill that would allow the Public Service Commission to grant rate increases to power companies to pay for the construction of power generation plants as they are being build was recommitted, which kills the House version. However House Public Utilities Committee Chairman Tyrone Ellis said he would consider the Senate’s version of the bill. MEC supports the bill, which would make certain Mississippi’s Utility infrastructure is competitive, affordable and reliable for economic development. The bill would also lower the overall cost to the consumer if the utilities have the ability to pay for the plant as it is being. It could ultimately save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars, because construction and financing costs would be less.

* The House passed a teacher pay raise bill that also includes extending annual increments to 35 years, and increases the assistant teacher salary. Earlier in the session, the Senate passed bill that extended the increments to 30 years and provide additional pay to experienced teachers that serve as mentors to new teachers.

* Late Thursday, the Senate passed bill that calls for the next phase of the High School redesign program