Jackson Free Press

We've reached that make-or-break point during the legislative session where legislators are flying through the litany of spending bills for individual state agencies to build a framework for the budget.

Despite the large amounts of money at stake--the Legislature is assembling a $5.5 billion budget--the vast majority of appropriations bills will pass with little or no real debate.

However, lawmakers did tangle over a few key departments, most notably for the Department of Mental Health.

The House passed SB2874, which included a cut to the mental-health budget, about $6 million in all, which drew rebuke from Democrats.

"Our Department of Mental Health is in dire, dire, dire circumstances," said Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, who questioned the compassion of Republican budget writers. "I don't know how you can sleep at night," he added from the House floor.

Despite the acrimonious exchange, the bill passed the House 116-0.

'Education Works'

A number of education-related bills saw activity last week. Gov. Phil Bryant's prized Education Works bill cleared the Senate. It contains provisions for a reading program that will hold back students who don't show adequate improvement by the end of third grade, establishes charter schools and requires high schools with graduation rates lower than 80 percent to file an improvement plan with the Mississippi Department of Education.

The bill originally aimed to improve teacher quality by raising the admissions standards for teacher education programs to a 21 ACT score and a 3.0 grade-point average.

The ACT score requirement sparked a huge argument in the House where some lawmakers believed the bill was too stringent.

Kevin Gilbert, president of the Mississippi Association of Educators, said the state has too few teachers and he worries that the proposed standards could exacerbate the shortage. "We understand that we have to look at our standards," Gilbert said. "We're not sure that a 21 and 3.0 (GPA) is going to get the result that you want to get."

Religiosity

On March 14, Gov. Bryant signed the Mississippi Student Religious Liberties Act, which extends the right of student-led prayers to "limited public forums" such as athletic events, and prohibits schools from punishing kids for praying or expressing religious viewpoints in class work.

Officials from the American Civil Liberties Union say they are monitoring the implementation of the law, which takes effect July 1, before determining whether the organization will pursue legal action.

The Senate also commended the nation of Israel March 15. The vote followed about an hour of oddly heated Friday morning debate that included a lengthy discussion of where Israel's boundaries lie.

The resolution passed but not before Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, asked, "Is this what the people sent us down here to do?"

Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at [email protected].