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Down
to the wire Barbour and the Senate are intent on dealing with Mississippi’s $700 million budget shortfall. Barbour’s plan would wipe out half of the debt in the first year, but House leaders says it leaves education short. A group of just under 20 senators have signed on to House funding levels. Right now, a majority is holding firm to the Legislative Budget Recommendation (LBR) figure, pointing to a study by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP Report) that contends education savings can be found in school administrations, not the classroom. McCoy and House are dug in, intent on funding education at some $161 million over the LBR. The House finds some of the money to fill the gap by increasing fees and taxes. Barbour says he’ll veto the increases. Negotiations between House and Senate budget conferees will head into the weekend to try to beat a Saturday deadline for filing conference reports for appropriations and revenue bills. Look for legislators to extend the deadline by filing dummy bills – bills with $1 of spending. Such bills will technically beat the deadline and give legislators until Tuesday to work things out. Funding education at House levels without increasing taxes will be impossible. Something will have to give. Education accounts for over 60 percent of the state’s budget. In a $3.6 million general fund state budget, the money is simply not available to be made up elsewhere. On
a side note, legislative leadership has proudly pointed out that appropriation
conference committees have been opened to the public for the first time
this year. Other conference committee meetings have been “open”
for several years. Capitol watchers complain that nothing much ever happens
in open conferences. Once the meetings officially open, members adjourn
to a back room where they iron out details. And then there’s this:
In open session on the House floor, the Clerk reminded members that conferences
are open to the public, but went on to say they are under no obligation
to notify the public when conference committees meet.
Before the 2003 gubernatorial election, some pundits incorrectly predicted a close election which would cause a repeat of the 1999 House vote, and many in political circles predicted the end of the electoral college in the 2004 legislative session. This debate has created some shifting political positions. For example, although Governor Musgrove had voted against abolishing the electoral college while he was a State Senator, he criticized its use in 1999. As for Governor Barbour, he said before and after the 2003 election that he favored abolishing the electoral college, although he favors a run-off if no candidate meets a certain threshold. The bills to abolish the electoral college have died in this session, but the debate will no doubt arise again in future sessions. During the 1999 electoral college vote, many House members proclaimed that they would vote the way their House districts voted. For the political hacks who like to imagine "what if," it is interesting to see how the various House districts voted in the 2003 gubernatorial election. The Magnolia Report has compiled the following data to fulfill this curiosity:
McCoy's
car stolen UPDATE: STOLEN AGAIN!
This week, conservative members of the House killed a procedural attempt to raise the tobacco tax by 9 cents a pack to fund crisis mental health centers. Lt. Governor Amy Tuck has had little trouble keeping her troops in line this year on important votes. Not so at the other end of the capitol, where many Republicans and conservative Democrats have begun asserting themselves on critical votes. Early
in the year, House leadership had little trouble accomplishing their
goals on the House floor. A mid-session rule change and a few stalled
bills in committee seem to have changed the mood among many House conservatives.
According to sources in the House, members were more willing to go along
with the leadership early in the session because they felt their voices
would be heard through the long legislative process. After the rules
change and a perceived irresponsiveness on part of the leadership, House
conservatives began taking a more adversarial approach, figuring they
had nothing to lose.
The
spat between neighboring lawmakers was prompted by a polarizing Certificate
of Need (CON) issue in Lee County, one of the hottest legislative issues
in Tupelo and surrounding counties in years. The CON would have granted
Baptist Medical Systems authorization to build a hospital in Tupelo to
compete with North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC), the largest rural
hospital in the nation. Nunnelee, as chairman of the Senate Public Health
and Welfare Committee, effectively killed the bill when he opted not to
let it out of committee. "Tort
reform was indeed not the only reason the majority of the House voted
to change that rule," said McCoy. "Getting in the business of
'pulling' bills from committee by 62 votes invites legislative anarchy.
It's like government by Barabbas, in which whomever has the attention
of the mob today makes the rules. Question is, whose mob will hold sway
tomorrow?" “It’s
like a person cheating at school. If they’d spent half that time
concentrating on positive dialogue on (the main tort reform bill) as they
did trying to cheat and use a subversive move, we’d be getting some
things done.” “We
can’t work. You can’t confer with a cedar tree.” “I’m
not changing my mind. We'll be sitting here in session for the next four
years if that's what they're waiting on. Will someone please send out
a message for me: I'm a Democrat. I'm not onboard with the Republicans’
national agenda and campaign. I have never seen an issue where corporations
and their money and clout are so evident. People have rights, too, not
just corporations.” “It
takes two to tango. We can’t have one despotic body calling all
the shots, which is essentially what we have come to.”
At one council meeting, Republican Councilman Chuck Teston accused Mayor Ken Combs and fellow-Republican Councilman Kim Savant of “trashing” him. Savant shot back, “That’s a joke. I don’t have to make him look bad.” At another meeting, after a local businessman agreed to pay the bill, Combs got into a heated exchange with Teston and GOP Councilman Billy Hewes. Combs accused the council of embarrassing the city as Teston shot back that Combs was the one embarrassing the city because he wouldn’t let another member speak. Combs replied, “All right, go ahead. If you’d like another fool to talk, go ahead.” After Hewes spoke out against Combs for supporting the Barbour campaign in the matter, Combs and Hewes got into it over their Republican credentials. When Hewes pointed out he is a Republican, elected by Republicans, Combs retorted, “You’re a rhino. You’re a rhino.” Hours later, Hewes told The Sun Herald he was baffled by the comment and didn’t know what it meant. The Magnolia Report did some research and learned R-I-N-O is a term meaning Republican In Name Only, often used by Republicans derisively to describe people they feel wear the party label only to get elected. After Combs left the meeting, Hewes pointed out that the $20,250 donated to cover the expenses was $25 less than the city billed. Councilman Kim Savant pulled $25 out of his wallet, threw it on the floor and said, “I hope to God this puts this to rest.” With apologies to Councilman Savant, we’re kind of hoping for more. Residents of Jackson probably are too. For once, Gulfport made the Jackson City Council look civil.
Would
Speaker Billy McCoy be going too far by not recognizing one of his committee
chairmen in order to kill a tort reform bill? Whose
editorial page is most in touch with Mississippi? Who
will get your vote for president? In
which region of the state do you live?
Thompson
staffer tells Jackson to “Beat It” "The One Gloved Wonder" recently made the trek to Capitol Hill to pick-up a humanitarian award from the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association for his work combating AIDS in Africa. During his visit, Mr. Jackson had a private meeting with several members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Several members of the CBC did not welcome the performer, essentially telling him to “beat it.” When Jackson inquired about attending the CBC’s Wednesday meeting, he was turned away. Congressman Bennie Thompson was among those who snubbed Jackson. Lanier Avant, chief of staff, for Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), said, "It would be different if he contributed to folk's campaigns." Avant who admits he bought two copies of Jackson's last album, "Invincible," compared him to O.J. Simpson. "He's coming around now like O.J. Nothing about (O.J.'s) life was black until 1994, when he was arrested and being chased down the highway. The blackest thing about O.J.," he added, "was that he retained a black lawyer, Johnny Cochran." Avant continued, "Believe it or not, people in the Mississippi Delta don't wake up thinking about Michael Jackson. I know that he has not been involved in my boss's efforts or any other member of Conference for that matter."
Movers and Shakers Scott Newton - GOP Attorney General nominee Scott Newton has landed at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in their Government Investigations and Litigation Group. His practice will focus on health care, securities fraud, white collar crime litigation, and internal corporate investigations. Jason Dedwylder - legislative assistant to Rep. Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R-Miss.), Vice-Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is leaving Pickering's office to join the Washington-based firm Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy as a lobbyist. Michael Callahan - Southern District Public Service Commissioner Michael Callahan announced his switch to the Republican Party. Callahan sounded themes similar to the spate of party switchers late last year, stating the Republican Party was "more in sync" with his thinking. Callahan specifically noted his view that Democrats are out of touch with Mississippians on cultural and social issues like gun rights and gay marriage.
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Legislative
sessions normally last 90 days. After every statewide election year, the
session is extended to 120 days to accommodate changes in the executive
and legislative branches. This year, 120 days may not be enough to bridge
the chasm between Governor Haley Barbour and the Senate on one side and
Speaker Billy McCoy and the House on the other.
