Jackson Free Press

The 2006 session of the Mississippi Legislature ended without much fanfare, but with some disappointment. The session ended without a tourism incentive package and local and private legislation that would have kept a hospital open in Simpson County. There is also talk about a special session to deal with a bond package for the Chevron refinery in about two weeks once the company makes up its mind. Click "more" for a legislative highlight breakdown.

2006 Legislative Session At-a-Glance Highlights

—SB 2604 to phase in full funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the main funding vehicle for the state's K-12 public school districts, over a 4-year period.

—Provided for a pay increase for about 31,000 state employees of at least $1,500 annually.

—Provided a 5 percent pay increase for university and community college personnel.

—HB 1406 to require certain counties to enforce new building code standards and created a council to revise the codes for use by other counties as desired.

—HB 1324 to provide a study of Hurricane Katrina's emergency first responders.

—HB 565 continuing the homestead exemption for property on Coast even if destroyed by Katrina.

—HB 1323 to allow the reconstruction of residential structures destroyed by Katrina on original site regardless of lot size.

—HB 1316 toughens the penalties connected to the crime of home repair fraud to help prevent it from occurring to Katrina victims.

—HB 409 to make the non-use of seat belts in automobiles a primary rather than secondary offense.

—HB 1215 to allow slightly darker post-factory tinting of automobile windows.

—HB 210 to provide full funding of the state's seven mental health crisis centers.

—HB 229 to provide temporary transportation to group of end-stage kidney disease dialysis patients.

—HB 191 to fund the 8th round of Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Program.

—HB 1034 to create a panel to establish a strategic economic development plan for the Mississippi Delta region.

—Provided $15 million for a coal plant in Natchez, producing 1,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent high-paying jobs. (Rentech)

—HB 562 to authorize bonds for the purchase of about 1,800 new voting machines to be used across the state.

—HB 199 to provide for a more efficient and humane juvenile justice detention system, ensuing offenders of educational opportunities and health-care coverage.

—HB 733 establishes a statewide system to automatically notify a crime victim when an offender housed within the Department of Corrections is released, assigned to another facility or released on temporary leave. (Bill I co-sponsored)

—HB 123 to create the state's Clean Indoor Act by banning the smoking in any public building or university or college building. (Bill I authored)

—HB 1121 establishes some "home rule" provisions for high-level school districts and exempts them from certain requirements of the State Board of Education, including the setting and closing of school year dates and holidays and development of parts of the curriculum as the local school board deems proper.

—HB 1634 to provide bonds to fund a host of improvements and economic development projects, including the Rentech plant in Natchez that will bring more than 1,000 construction jobs and about 200 new high-paying permanent jobs.

—HB 929 authorizes a wildlife enforcement officer to request the taking of a blood alcohol test from hunters who kill or cause bodily harm. If the BAC is .08 percent or higher, hunting privileges can be revoked for two years. If the hunter refuses the test, hunting privileges can be revoked for four years and the test refusal is admissible in court in any action arising from the incident.

—HB 1141 to allow employees to keep a firearm in their vehicles as long as the area where they park is not gated or protected by security guards. It also provides immunity from civil lawsuits to companies or government buildings where a shooting occurs.

—HB 1549 to allow an income tax credit against expenses for adopting a child. (Bill I co-sponsored)

—Gave motorcyclists and trailer owners a tax break on their vehicle tags.

—Cracked down on cell phone usage by state employees and directed state agencies to better manage their fleet of vehicles and to use alternative fuels when available, such as ethanol and biodiesel products.

—SB 2021 to allow a property tax break on motorcycles and most trailers.

—SB 2943 to create the Mississippi Gulf Coast Region Utility Board to coordinate water, wastewater and storm sewer issues to assist in the redevelopment of the area in the wake of Katrina.

—SB 2947 to allow state, county, municipal and airport authorities located in the six southernmost counties to renegotiate certain loans for up to two years to help in redevelopment of the region.

—SB 2718 to establish a commission to create a curriculum on civil rights and human rights education to be taught in the K-12 system.

—SB 3086 to put $20 million into the local bridge replacement fund to provide safe travel for school kids and the public at large.

—SB 2472 won't allow for the expiration of a professional licensed issued by the state to any member of the Mississippi National Guard or U.S. Armed Forces Reserve while the member is on federal active duty. The license must be extended for up to 90 days after the member's return from active duty.

—SB 2865 and SB 2527 to strengthen the registration requirements of persons convicted as a sexual offender. It also creates a study of the use of electronic monitoring devices.

—SB 2426 to create a presumption of the right to use defensive force and immunity from civil liability when a person feels threatened by an intruder to a home, place of business or employment or occupied vehicle.

—SB 2942 to study the potential use of biodiesel.

—Passed $382.8 million in general obligation bond issues for various state facility improvement projects and measures that will boost the economic development of the state. Included are $10 million for the Economic Development Highway Act, $5 million for the Rural Impact Act, $5 million for the Small Cities and Counties Fund, $25 million for construction and repairs for the State Public Health Lab, $56 million for the Northrop Grumman Shipyard, $14.2 million for repairs to the Old Capitol Building, $28 million for Department of Public Safety improvements, $30 million for the Department of Marine Resources to help with Katrina damage, $20 million for the Local Bridge Replacement Program, $2 million for the B.B. King Museum, $35 million for university and community college projects, $18 million for the Sillers State Office Building, $51 million for FEMA match, $4 million for the Arts and Entertainment Center in Meridian, $6 million for the Stennis Space Center's Infinity Science and Tourism Project, $9 million for the NASA Shared Services Project, $2 million for state arts projects and $4 million for the Community Heritage Grant Fund.

Previous Comments

ID

170265

Comment

It looks like y'all got a lot of good stuff done, but I have to wonder if the tourism incentive package and Simpson County hospital bill were casualties of the purely symbolic abortion ban. I wondered then how much time it was taking away from legitimate legislation. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-04-01T18:08:59-06:00

ID

170266

Comment

Rep. Fleming, can you provide any insight as to why the Old Capitol Green bill died in the House? Any chance that it can resurrect itself? From what I understand, the state would GAIN money from this. Is that correct?

Author

millhouse

Date

2006-04-01T19:01:29-06:00

ID

170267

Comment

TH: Time was not taken away by one bill for another. That is not how the process works. The hold up on the Simpson County bill was a decision by the Senate to put a tax referendum on every local and private bill that called for a tax increase. It basically came down to a clash between the respective L&P chairmen: Sen. Doxey and Rep. Perkins. The two sides on the tourism tax, for whatever reason, could not get together by Friday afternoon, so we adjourned and the Senate followed suit. Millhouse: The language for the Old Capitol Green project was put in SB 2655 in conference and passed. It needed to be passed during the regular session so that the developers could qualify for the GO Zone funds in the narrow window provided. So from our end the project is a go.

Author

Rep. Erik Fleming

Date

2006-04-01T20:27:08-06:00

ID

170268

Comment

That should be tourism tax incentive.

Author

Rep. Erik Fleming

Date

2006-04-01T20:29:28-06:00

ID

170269

Comment

Thanks for the correction. Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2006-04-01T21:45:01-06:00

ID

170270

Comment

Thank you, Rep. Fleming! This is tremendous news for Commerce Street and Downtown Jackson in general.

Author

millhouse

Date

2006-04-01T22:11:31-06:00