Jackson Free Press

HOUSEKEEPING - A WEEKLY SUMMARY

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 5, 2007

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

Bills to strengthen public education programs ranging from K-12 through the university system, help restore insurance stability to the Coast region and increase pay for teachers and state employees were quickly placed on the agenda of the House of Representatives during the first week of the 2007 Legislature.

However, procedural moves prevented full discussion and a vote on those issues. Some members said it was too early in the session to be discussing such important financial matters and that better data would be available in March. Backers of the proposals, however, said that enough revenue information was already available to go ahead and vote on those bills.

Among the measures that were passed almost unanimously by the House Appropriations Committee and then sent to the House floor were:

> HB 238 to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the chief financing vehicle for the state's 152 public school districts. The bill would increase funding for the K-12 program by about $125 million over last year when a phased-in full funding plan was approved by the Legislature. The plan includes, under HB 239, a salary increase of 3 percent for teachers at all certificated levels. It would put a first-year teacher's salary with an ‘A' certificate at $30,900 annually, up from an even $30,000 a year. The highest paid teachers—with at least 25 years experience and a ‘AAAA' certificate would earn $56,870.

> HB 240 to increase state employees' pay by at least $1,500 a year. Some would get even more under a long-standing realignment program that compares their salaries with the regional average.

> HB 241 and HB 242 to improve funding for the state's eight universities and 15 community colleges.

> HB 243 to pass an appropriation of up to $30 million to the State Department of Insurance to strengthen the state's insurance "Wind Pool" in an effort to reduce the premiums on commercial property. The rates have soared after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and some Coast businesses have had to close in the face of soaring insurance costs.

> HB 244 to provide $5 million for a new Highway Patrol "trooper school" starting July 1.

> HB 245 to fully fund the state's seven mental health crisis centers.

AT WEEK'S END, ALL of these bills remained on the calendar for consideration by the House of Representatives at a later date. They could be debated and voted on at anytime between now and Feb. 21, which is the deadline for floor action on appropriation and revenue bills originating in the House of Representatives. The first major deadline of the session is Jan. 15 for the introduction of bills and constitutional amendments.

With the delay in consideration of the funding bills, the first major bill passed by the House was HB 300 to restrict the use of eminent domain to take private property. Under the bill, eminent domain cannot be used to convert privately owned property for retail, office, industrial or residential development, or for the enhancement of a government's tax revenue. The law would not apply for uses such as drainage and levee facilities, public roads and bridges and utility facilities. After 10 years of inactivity, any such property taken for those proposed uses would be sold and must be offered first to the party from whom it was first purchased at its original price. TURN OVER TO BACK PAGE

Many other states had already passed their own eminent domain laws. Mississippi courts over the years had made rulings to protect private property rights, but leaders of the House bill said they wanted to put a law on the books to further strengthen the rights, noting that court decisions can be altered.

The House of Representatives welcomed two new members to its ranks on opening day. They are Rep. Linda Whittington of Schlater in District 34 and Steven Palazzo in District 116. Whittington was elected to fill the unexpired term of the late Rep. May Whittington, also of Schlater, who died last year, and Palazzo won a special election to fill the unexpired term of former Rep. Leonard Bentz, who was appointed to the Public Service Commission by Gov. Barbour.

Also on opening day, two more special elections were held to fill two other unexpired terms. In District 101, Harvey Fillingane of Sumrall was elected to fill the unexpired term of his son, Joey Fillingane, who was elected to the state Senate. In District 100, Ken Morgan of Columbia was apparently elected to fill the unexpired term of Virginia Carlton, who was elected to the State Court of Appeals. Results of both elections must be certified before the winners are allowed to take office.

The House also expressed several prayers on behalf of fellow Rep. Leonard Morris of Batesville, who underwent surgery on Thursday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Rep. Morris is chairman of the House Medicaid Committee and a member of the Legislature since 1993.

The Legislature passed resolutions commending the life of former President Gerald R. Ford, who died Dec. 26.

A special guest of the House during opening week was Indiana State Rep. Peggy Welch, a native of Clinton and graduate of Mississippi College. During high school, she was a page in our House chamber. A nurse in private life, she was lauded for leading a team of Indiana lawmakers to the Coast to help rebuild after Katrina. Rep. Welch has been an Indiana lawmaker since 1998.

HOUSEKEEPING - A WEEKLY SUMMARY

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 12, 2007

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

Bolstered by pro-education forces at two separate rallies during the week, the House of Representatives this week easily passed HB 238 to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, known as MAEP, which is the 152 public school districts' main funding vehicle.

A companion bill, HB 239, to raise teachers' pay by 3 percent was also passed by the full House this week, along with HB 240 to provide at least a $1,500 pay raise for regular state employees. The House also passed HB 243 to shore up the state-run insurance "wind pool" with a $30 million appropriation through the State Department of Insurance.

Public education also came to the forefront through HBs 241 and 242 providing additional financial support over the current year for the state’s eight public universities and 15 community colleges. including a pay raise for professors and staff. A general obligation bond passed also passed in HB 246 to provide $200 million in repair and renovation monies for the various four-year and two-year institutions.

The MAEP funding formula—the top priority of the House—was established in 1997 as a way of ensuring that every child in the public schools secured a quality education. However, only in 2003 has the formula been fully funded. With state revenues expected to increase in FY 2008 starting July 1, it has been widely believed that enough money would be available to fully fund the MAEP during this session. Gov. Barbour also has expressed support for the plan, which would put $125 million more into the education program than was appropriated for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The bill, passed with the House galleries full of public education supporters, makes sure that no school district gets less money than it did in the current year and adds more dollars for such programs as at-risk student enhancement and the new high school "re-design" program of State Supt. Hank Bounds. It also funds the "high growth" districts around the state. A key leader noted that with full funding this year, only about $30 million in new money would be needed each new year to fully fund the formula. Mississippi will be spending $4,465 per student, still one of the lowest amounts in the nation. HB 238 now moves to the State Senate, which has indicated passage won't be as easy as it was in the House.

During meetings of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee held during the fall, Senate members of that panel would not go along with several House-proposed versions of the FY 2008 budget. Senators were even given a chance to set the entire state budget if only they would vote to fully fund the MAEP program. However, they balked at that opportunity and have given no indication when they'll take it up.

HOUSE COMMITTEES MET in earnest during the second week of the 90-day session this week to begin studying bills assigned to them. Some of the bills they approved then went to the full House of Representatives for a vote and then were sent to the Senate for consideration.

The House Labor Committee and the full House gave approval to HB 237 requiring an increase in the minimum wage paid to workers in the state. Under the bill, the minimum wage in Mississippi would go to $6.25 per hour on July 1 of this year and to $7.25 per hour on Jan. 15, 2008 and increase thereafter based on the national inflation rate. The current minimum wage is $5.15 per hour. Backers of HB 237 said such an increase is overdue and would help remove some people from welfare rolls. Opponents said small businesses in the state could not afford the increase and would be hurt by the move. An amendment would exempt high school and college students who work from the wage hike. Meanwhile, the U.S. House this week also passed a bill hiking the minimum wage to $7.25 over 26 months.

With the Partnership For a Healthy Mississippi effectively out of business, the House Public Health and Appropriations committees and the full House moved this week to enact a new statewide tobacco education, prevention and cessation program. HB 349 creates the Mississippi Tobacco Control Commission to develop and implement such a program with a $20 million appropriation. The former "Partnership" had been considered the nation's premier tobacco program, and backers of the new program say it was formulated similar to the Partnership.

The bill notes that tobacco disease is the single most preventable cause of death in the state and U.S. HB 349 would utilize a smoking cessation program that is consistent with the "best practices" for tobacco control as designated by the federal Centers for Disease Control. A commission would be established to guide the new organization and would hire an executive director and staff to create a program for tobacco education, prevention and cessation. including a five-year plan.

Another major action by the House Transportation Committee and the full House this week was passage of HB 612 to pay back $25 million to the State Department of Transportation and Office of State-Aid Construction for monies borrowed from their reserves the last few years to shore up the state budget.

The "wind pool" appropriation in HB 243 is designed to help lower commercial insurance rates on the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast where businesses are facing mounting insurance cost increases. Passage "would send a message to Coast businesses" that the Legislature is backing them in recovery, backers of the bill said.

Gov. Haley Barbour was scheduled to address the Legislature with his annual "State of the State" address at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15 from the House chamber.

HOUSEKEEPING - A WEEKLY SUMMARY

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING JANUARY 19, 2007

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

Members of the House of Representatives and our counterparts in the State Senate have completed the filing of the bills and proposed changes to the state Constitution that will be considered during the 2007 legislative session.

Our Legislature operates off of a pre-established calendar, with deadlines for certain actions to be taken at intervals during the 90-day session that started Jan. 2 and is scheduled to end on Sunday, April 1.

After the Jan. 15 deadline for the introduction of bills was met, the next major deadline we face is Jan. 30 for committees of the House and Senate to "report out"—either approve or allow to die—the bills originating in the respective chambers. Then we'll face a Feb. 8 for full House action on those bills.

As the House committees report out bills, we begin considering them in the full House. For example, during this third week of the session, we approved these matters:

> HB 555 to extend the life of the State Board of Health. The group and the state medical officer have been in the headlines of late and the Senate conducted several hearings into its operation. The House is likely to wait on the outcome of Senate deliberations before deciding the board and agency's future.

> HB 566 to provide for the issuance of a birth certificate in the event of a stillborn birth.

> HB 801 to compensate poll workers for up to eight hours of training on new voting machines.

> HB 296 to increase the amount of unemployment compensation in the state. It would go up $20 to $230 per week on July 1, then another $20 on July 1, 2008. The state has an unemployment trust fund of around $725 million. Jobless workers usually get about one-half of the pay they got while working.

HERE ARE EXAMPLES OF BILLS that were passed out of House committees and will be taken up later by the full House of Representatives:

> HB 567 to establish a facility to treat burn victims at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. A similar facility once operated in Greenville. Now, our burn victims must go out of state for treatment. Such a facility here would cost an estimated $10.6 million to construct in a space that is available at UMMC. The facility could accommodate up to 16 patients at one time.

> HB 727 to give judges more discretion in sentencing youthful offenders to jail. Currently, some youth have been given automatic life without parole sentences.

> HB 732 to require physical and health education in the public schools and to create healthier food preparation to combat obesity and diabetes. Schools would also hire a physical activity coordinator.

The House Appropriations Committee also heard about the growth of drug courts in the state which offer alternatives to the sentencing of drug offenders. We now have 14 drug courts and four juvenile drug courts. Last year, 1,043 adults were enrolled in drug court and therefore not incarcerated—saving the state about $13.2 million. It costs the state $12,720 to house an inmate for one year. The drug court idea was initiated several years ago by Rep. Alyce Clarke of Jackson and are named in her honor.

Also during this week, we heard Gov. Barbour give his final "State of the State" address for this term in office. "Our economy is thriving; more people are working . . . indeed the number of people employed has increased more than 30,000 in these three years; incomes are up considerably, to record levels. State finances have improved tremendously. State support for education and our other priorities is up substantially compared to three years ago, and will increase again," Barbour said.

He added that the state continues to recover well from Hurricane Katrina. "The strong, resilient, self-reliant people of South Mississippi and the Coast have endured, indeed some are still enduring terrible hardships. They bore the worst of Katrina; many still are living in conditions that amount to deprivation . . . but they persevere, they’ve recovered and they are into rebuilding, on the way to renewal.

Nothing is as critical to the excellent State of our State as the courage and selflessness of those people."

Many members of the House of Representatives attended the funeral in Batesville on Jan. 16 for Rep. Leonard Morris, who died Jan. 12. Mr. Morris was chairman of the House Medicaid Committee and a longtime advocate for public education and economic development in the state. He was one of the authors of the bill that brought Nissan to Mississippi several years ago. Mr. Morris, who was also honored with a memorial service in the House chamber, will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

We also held a ceremony in the House chamber to honor the retiring head of the State Department of Mental Health, Dr. Randy Hendrix. Under his guidance, the state agency's facilities have been expanded to include seven crisis centers around the state and new hospitals to serve the mentally ill.

We also welcomed to the House chamber Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Jacobs of Prentiss County, who are advocates for Vietnam War veterans. Mr. Jacobs served in that war and his wife lost her first husband there. Several members of the House are veterans of Vietnam.