Jackson Free Press

The House passed a statewide $7.25 minimum-wage bill, though they hobbled the bill, according to the Young Democrats of Mississippi, by voting in an amendment exempting part-time high school or college employees from the bill.

"It really shows a lack of concern for young people who are pursuing their degree, whether it's high school or college, while trying to work," said Young Democrats of Mississippi President Kenneth Grigsby. "An amendment like this rips their legs out underneath them."

Rep. Joey Hudson, D-Monticello, said he inserted the amendment because he feared that colleges and universities could not afford to pay a higher wage for work-study programs and would have to turn away more students were the new wage imposed.

Barbour, who attacked the bill last week, had not changed his mind by the time of a Thursday press conference on gun laws.

Rep. John Mayo, D-Clarksdale, seemed confident that the Senate would destroy the bill. "Oh, they'll kill it," Mayo told the JFP on the steps of the Capitol.

Senate Labor Committee Chairman Terry Brown said he could not personally stand behind the bill. "If it came down to a tie vote, I could not support it," Brown said.

The House continued to hammer away at bills throughout the week, passing HB 238, which fully funds the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Sen. Ezell Lee, D-Picayune, said the Senate would likely pass the Mississippi Adequate Education Program bill strictly due to its timing. "I'm embarrassed to say this, but if you have a legislator whose name is not on this list (of past supporters of MAEP bills), they're probably going to vote for MAEP now because it is an election year," Ezell told a crowd of public school advocates minutes before the House voted in the bill.

The House also passed HB 239, which raises teachers' pay by 3 percent, followed by HB 241 and HB 242, providing additional one-time money for the state's eight public universities and 15 community colleges and a pay-raise for professors and staff. Few representatives asked where the money for those pay raises would come from next year, should the one-time pay-out truly prove to be "one-time."

The House also passed HB 246, a general obligation bond providing $125 million for repair and renovation to four- and two-year institutions, HB 240, giving a $1,500 pay raise to regular state employees, and HB 243, which shores up the state-run insurance "wind pool" with a $30 million appropriation.

The Mississippi Underwriting Association, or "wind pool," insures vulnerable property in the state's coastal areas. Since Hurricane Katrina, the cost this insuring method has jumped 268 percent. The state money offered through HB 243 would counter this high cost and allow businesses to rebuild without the hamstringing of being uninsurable.

Barbour could prove to be an opponent of HB 243, telling the Associated Press that he wanted the state to wait and let the federal government bail out the wind pool.

The governor did not immediately attack HB 349, a "Partnership" bill that recreates a tobacco-cessation program that Barbour killed last year when he sued to cut its annual $20 million state appropriation. Barbour, a former tobacco lobbyist, said he does not know enough about the bill to pass judgment yet.

"I don't know enough about it. I look forward to getting a better look at it and seeing what the Senate does with it," Barbour said. "The concept is that we need to appropriate this money and get annual oversight … so I'm very comfortable that this is what we ought to be doing."

The Legislature adjourned minutes after convening at 4 p.m. Monday, with only a handful of committee meetings, such as the House Education committee meeting, which is discussing the food in K-12 cafeterias. Rep. John Reeves, R-Jackson vowed to take trans-fats out of cafeterias and push for more recreational and physical education this year.

Barbour held his State of the State address in the House chambers Monday evening, delivering a shiny outlook on the state's economy. He touted the "record level" spending the state is lavishing on its education system, including two 8 percent pay raises and a K-12 funding increase of 19 percent. Barbour also said the state is spending an extra 28 percent on state universities and community colleges, and reminded House members and state officials that he planned to sign a bill fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program—a formula he called artificial late last year.

"With its reduced price tag, we can afford to fully fund MAEP," Barbour said, not mentioning that the price dropped only about $35 million—or 1.5 percent.

Rep. Jamie Franks, D-Mooreville, was cynical. "You can tell it's an election year in Mississippi," Franks said. "He should have mentioned the three years previous, when he didn't care to fully fund MAEP. This ought to be a yearly commitment, not just a single year thing."

Franks said there are still far too many coastal residents sitting in FEMA trailers or in the homes of relatives. "Barbour's taking the credit for all the good things, but he'll have to take the blame for the bad," Franks said. "Like he said, 'we sent checks to nearly 10,000 Mississippi families,' but that's only 10,000 out of many, many more—and this is more than a year after Katrina."

On Tuesday, the House attended services for Rep. Leonard Morris, D-Batesville, who died Friday after kidney surgery.