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LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Daily legislative updates Compiled By
Scott Waller Senior Vice President
of Governmental Affairs
Mississippi Economic Council
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Daily Updates From The Mississippi Legislature
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Legislature
leaves without budget
What looked to be an 11th
hour comprise on the state budget failed to transpire Wednesday and
Legislators were forced to end the 2009 regular session at midnight.
Lawmakers had spent last
week in Jackson making very little progress on the budget and did not return
until Wednesday. The effort to fund the 2010 fiscal year budget will now go
into a special session that will be called by Governor Haley Barbour.
The major issue on the
budget is funding of Medicaid. An apparent compromise of receiving $60
million from hospitals to help fund Medicaid dissolved around 8 p.m.,
leaving budget negotiators with little options but to adjourn sine die.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Legislature recesses
The legislature, unable to make any progress on a 2010 budget,
has decided to recess until May 26.
Lawmakers had returned to the Capitol on Wednesday after a
month-long break. The hope was the time off would allow questions to be answered
about the federal stimulus money the state will receive.
The two chambers have yet to reach an agreement on how to fund
the majority of state agencies and programs.
While in Jackson, the legislature did pass a cigarette tax that
is expected to generate an additional $106 million annually.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Legislature doesn't address eminent domain
The House and Senate dissolved a called special session without
addressing the issue of eminent domain.
Gov. Haley Barbour called the session to allow legislators an
opportunity to deal with the issue after he vetoed a bill during the regular
session that would have restricted the use of eminent domain for major economic
development.
The issue was debated in the Senate Judiciary A committee and
discussed briefly in the House Jud A committee. But neither chamber acted on the
bill.
“When I vetoed a terribly flawed eminent domain bill that would
have been catastrophic for job creation in Mississippi and the Senate sustained
my veto, I said I would offer the Legislature an opportunity to pass an eminent
domain bill that gives more protection to private property rights without
killing job creation in our state. I did that in today’s Special Session, and,
unfortunately, the House leadership chose not to let it be considered,” said
Barbour.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Legislature returns to tackle budget
The legislature returned to the Capitol today after a
month-long break to deal with budget issues.
Prior to the start of the session at 1 p.m., Gov. Haley
Barbour met with many lawmakers to outline his revised budget. After
determining how federal stimulus money is allowed to be used, Barbour said
the state is still facing almost $300 million shortfall.
Following guidelines for using the federal stimulus money,
education must be funded at 99 pecent of the current budget for fiscal year
2010. Also cuts made to this year's budget would be restored to the
education budgets.
The base education funding includes the Mississippi Adaquate
Education Program, community colleges and institutions of higher learning.
Other non-base education funding will still face a cut of
about 6.3 percent, while non-education funding will face a 6.5 pecent cut,
when compared to FY 2009.
Cigarette tax increases
The state’s tax on a pack of cigarettes will go from 18
cents to 68 cents under a bill passed by the House and Senate on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Governor Haley Barbour indicated he
would sign the legislation, saying he had included the expected $106 million
in revenue in his revised budget.
While the bill was debated at length in both chambers, there
were four dissenting votes in the Senate and 18 in the House. The
compromise on the legislation was worked out by the conference committee
during the four-week recess.
A portion of the money raised from the tax increase will go
to offset a shortfall in the legislative car tax fund. The shortfall is
expected to be between $25 million and $30 million. Without the money,
counties would be forced to raise the price of car tags.
Governor calls Special Session
The House and Senate will go into Special Session at 9 a.m.
Thursday to address three topics, including a possible eminent domain bill
that would restrict the use of eminent domain without compromising economic
development.
Earlier in the regular session, Barbour vetoed a bill that
excluded major economic development projects from using the eminent domain
procedure to secure land. The House overrode the veto, but the Senate
sustained the veto. After the vote, the governor said he would call a
special session on the issue once the legislature returned to work on the
budget.
In addition to eminent domain, the special session call also
included two other issues: The ability for the legislature yo authorize
counties to spend certain levy proceeds for roads; and it gives lawmakers a
chance to allow the State Department of Health to issue a Certificate of
Need for an Olive Branch hospital.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Legislative recess begins, lawmakers await stimulus
information
It’s no joke, the Legislature is going home… but they’ll be
coming back. Both the House and Senate adjourned on Wednesday and might not
return until next month.
The time off is designed for legislators to receive
additional information on how much money Mississippi will have available
from the federal stimulus package. It will also allow lawmakers to determine
how the money can be used.
Under the Joint Resolution passed by the House and Senate,
lawmakers would return May 4 at 2:00 p.m. However, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant
and House Speaker Billy McCoy could call the Legislature back to Jackson
prior to that if the stimulus information is available. Both McCoy and
Bryant said they would try to give legislators at least a week’s notice if
they decide to return before May 4.
The resolution also allows them to return if an agreement is
reached on a cigarette tax. Conferees from the Senate and House were still
meeting on Wednesday in an effort to reach an agreement. The Senate has
offered an increase that would make the total tax 64 cents per pack. The
House is pushing for 75 cents.
Also, the bill to address Medicaid funding died when the
conference committee failed to reach an agreement. However, the funding
issue, which includes a possible hospital tax can be addressed through an
appropriations bill once the legislature returns.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Rush is on to move general bills
Both the House and Senate worked Tuesday to clear the
calendar of general bills following Monday’s conference report deadline.
Both chambers were hoping to finish work on all
non-appropriations bills by Wednesday, however agreements had not been
reached on a cigarette tax or funding of Medicaid.
Monday, March 30, 2009
MEC PRIORITY ISSUE
Children First Act passes both chambers
The House and Senate on Monday passed "Children First Act”
designed to improve leadership and accountability in failing school
districts.
The legislation was an MEC-priority issue and was promoted
during the MEC fall Marathon Tour. The 26-city tour allowed MEC members and
leaders statewide to learn more about this vital legislation.
The details of the legislation was worked out during the
conference committee process which was led by Senate Education Chairman
Videt Carmichael and House Education Chair Cecil Brown. The legislation
calls for the state to work with failing school districts for two years in
an effort to improve student performance, implement certain instructional
strategies and professional development for teachers and leaders.
If, during that time, the school district does not make
progress, the state would then take over the district.
The legislation is the result of work of a legislative
appointed task force to study and report on the status of underperforming
schools and school districts.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Senate upholds Governor’s veto of eminent domain
The Mississippi Senate voted Thursday morning to uphold
Governor Haley Barbour’s veto of House Bill 803, which would have limited
the use of eminent domain. The bill would have restricted the use of eminent
domain for major economic impact projects, such as Nissan, Toyota and
PACCAR.
Governor Barbour expressed concern that had the bill become
law, Mississippi’s economic development efforts would have come to a halt
and hurt the state’s chances to attract major projects. Several business
groups, including MEC, had supported the governor’s veto.
“Sustaining this veto is great news for job creation in
Mississippi. I commend and thank the Senators who put job creation first,
and look forward to working with the House and Senate to craft a bill that
will strengthen protections for private property without crushing our
economic development efforts.”
The Senate voted 28-22 to override the veto, but the effort
failed because it required a 2/3 majority. Only 18 votes were needed to
sustain the veto.
In his veto message, Gov. Barbour said he would call a
special session to address some of the issues with the bill. Thursday
afternoon, the Senate voted to invite conference on Senate Bill 2230, an
eminent domain bill that was still alive. A conference report is due by
Monday if the bill is to remain alive for consideration in the regular
session.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Budget decision delayed
The Legislature will take a little longer to get a budget
worked out for fiscal year 2010. Both the House and Senate have agreed to
finish all business other than the budget by next week and then recess until
May 4.
At that time they will try to address the budget, with the
hopes of knowing what impact the federal stimulus package will have on
Mississippi.
The 2009 regular session was scheduled to end on April 4.
Tuesday, March 24, 2008
House overrides veto on eminent domain
The Mississippi House of Representatives voted to override
Governor Haley Barbour's veto of House bill 803 on eminent domain Tuesday
morning. The bill restricts the uses of eminent domain for major economic
impact projects, such as Nissan, Toyota and PACCAR.
In order for the legislation to become law, the Senate will
now have to override the veto as well. Barbour, who has been joined in
opposition of the legislation by several business associations,
including MEC, has said that the legislation will effectively shut down
economic development in Mississippi.
"If the Mississippi Legislature had set out to devise a law
to make it highly unlikely that Mississippi could attract major projects
with large numbers of jobs like Nissan, Toyota, PACCAR, Stennis Space Center
or facilities along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, House Bill 803 would
do the trick." Barbour said in his veto message. "None of these huge job
creation projects would exist in Mississippi today without the prudent,
lawful use of government's power to take private property by eminent domain.
"If a legislator wants to hurt job creation in Mississippi
during this recession and forever after, a vote to override this veto is the
best way to achieve that terrible outcome."
The Senate is expected to address the issue on Thursday. If
Senate overrides the veto, the bill would become law.
For Complete Veto Message
Monday, March 23, 2008
Barbour veto's eminent domain bill, says it hurts
economic development
Governor Haley Barbour vetoed House Bill 803 on Monday,
saying the eminent domain legislation in its current form doesn't address
the true issues and would harm the state's ability to attract major economic
development projects.
At an afternoon press conference, Gov. Barbour was joined by
MEC president Blake Wilson and other business association executives, to
urge the legislature to sustain the governor's veto, so Mississippi can
position itself to continue the economic development successes over the past
few years. Wilson pointed out that in its current form, the legislation
would tie the hands of economic developers.
For the bill to become law, both the House and Senate will
have to vote to override the veto.
Wednesday, March 18-Friday, March 20
Conference week begins; appropriation bills in question
With deadlines for general bills and revenue bills behind
them, the Legislature began to work on the concurrence and non-concurrence
calendar.
During the upcoming week conferees will begin working on bills that
were sent to conference.
On Friday, the Legislative budget committee received an
update on state collections. The fiscal year 2009 shortfall is expected to
be about $100 million. The revenue reduction for
fiscal year 2010 is estimated to be $400 million. The uncertainty of the
budget and the impact of the federal stimulus package prompted Senate
Appropriations Chairman Alan Nunnelee to suggest that the Legislature not
deal with budget bills until May.
 For
past 2009 Legislative News
For
2008 Legislative News
For 2007 Legislative News
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