Toby Barker: MS State Rep for District 102

Remember the Cigarette Tax?

2011-06-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Every morning, legislators receive the electronic update from Governing Magazine, a survey of different public policy methods and leadership profiles around the country. I've found Governing Magazine to be refreshing, because for the most part, it just gives facts, news and information, leaving out philosophical or partisan spin. So a reader gets the good, the bad, the ugly and sometimes the mundane from different legislative and executive bodies from around the nation.

One headline I noticed from yesterday's edition was Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's veto of an extension of an additional 4-cent cigarette tax. If you're from Mississippi, you probably remember the cigarette tax saga that lasted from 2006-2009, where there was a host of arguments for and against raising Mississippi's cigarette tax (then the nation's third-lowest). Reading this report brought back bad memories of late-night special sessions, rally after rally at the Capitol and a sort of anti-climactic finish when the Legislature finally did raise the tax.

Here's the article from nola.com.

Happy Founders Day

2011-03-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Founders Day for The University of Southern Mississippi. On this day in 1910, Governor Edmund Favour Noel signed the bill that created Mississippi Normal College, which would go on to be known as State Teachers College, then Mississippi Southern College, and finally The University of Southern Mississippi.

Just as a reminder on how far we've come from the humble beginnings of our early days, I'm reposting a resolution I authored with other Southern Miss alums in the House last year, when we celebrated our Centennial. Southern Miss to the top!

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 67

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, ADMINISTRATION, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT, UPON THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDING.

WHEREAS, March 30, 2010, marks the one hundredth anniversary
of the founding of the University of Southern Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, the University of Southern Mississippi began as
Mississippi Normal College through the passage of House Bill No.
204, which was introduced by State Representative Marshall
McCullough of Lincoln County, then passed by the Mississippi House
of Representatives on March 16, 1910, approved by the Senate a
week later and signed into law by Governor Edmond Favor Noel on
March 30, 1910, with no state appropriation; and
WHEREAS, during the search for a location for the college,
Hattiesburg residents, Dr. T.E. Ross, Mr. H.A. Camp and Mr. A.A.
Montague, saw the tremendous opportunity for their city and state,
and donated 120 acres of land on a stretch of wilderness a few
miles west of downtown Hattiesburg, thus enabling Hattiesburg to
be chosen over Jackson and Laurel as the site for the new college;
and
WHEREAS, leaders of the City of Hattiesburg and Forrest
County took the bold and courageous step of selling bonds to raise
the needed money to build the first buildings on the new college's
campus; and
WHEREAS, the first classes began at Mississippi Normal
College on September 18, 1912, under the leadership of its first
president, Dr. David Anderson Cook, with the education and
training of new teachers to serve the people of Mississippi as the
college's mission; and
WHEREAS, since its inception, this noble institution has
built a reputation of persevering and succeeding in both good and
tumultuous times, surviving several politically motivated
dismissals of presidents and even attempts by the Mississippi
Legislature to close its doors; and
WHEREAS, this determination to succeed, advance and "do more
with less" pushed the institution to greater heights, as its
mission expanded and its name changed from Mississippi Normal
College to State Teachers College (1924), Mississippi Southern
College (1940) and, ultimately, the University of Southern
Mississippi (1962); and
WHEREAS, under the vision and leadership of nine different
presidents, the University of Southern Mississippi's breadth and
depth of academic programs have evolved from its humble beginnings
of solely training teachers to its current status as an
internationally recognized pioneer in areas such as nursing,
economic development, language disorders, marine research, gifted
education, athletics, the arts and polymer science; and
WHEREAS, the University of Southern Mississippi has graduated
over 125,000 alumni, counting among its ranks statesmen, scholars,
entertainers, educators, athletes and artists; and
WHEREAS, the same desire to survive and succeed continues to
mold and motivate its students, faculty, staff, administration and
alumni, thus ensuring the University of Southern Mississippi's
second century will be all the more prosperous than the first; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to
commend 100 years of service to the State of Mississippi by such
an outstanding institution as the University of Southern
Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby
commend the students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni and
friends of the University of Southern Mississippi, both past and
present, on one century of loyalty and excellence, and express
best wishes on guiding the university to greater heights in the
next century.

Why We're Not Extending the Session Right Away

2011-03-30T05:26:00.001-07:00

Here's an excellent analysis on why House Republicans will not rubber stamp a vote to extend the 2011 legislative session. So instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I'll just link you to Rep. Greg Snowden's (R-Meridian) blog.

How the Constitution Says Redistricting Should Work

2011-03-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here's how the Mississippi Constitution spells out the redistricting process:

ARTICLE 13. APPORTIONMENT; SECTION 254. Senatorial and representative districts.

“The legislature shall at its regular session in the second year following the 1980 decennial census and every ten (10) years thereafter, and may, at any other time, by joint resolution, by majority vote of all members of each house, apportion the state in accordance with the constitution of the state and of the United States into consecutively numbered senatorial and representative districts of contiguous territory. The senate shall consist of not more than fifty-two (52) senators, and the house of representatives shall consist of not more than one hundred twenty-two (122) representatives, the number of members of each house to be determined by the legislature. Should the legislature adjourn, without apportioning itself as required hereby, the governor by proclamation shall reconvene the legislature within thirty (30) days in special apportionment session which shall not exceed thirty (30) consecutive days, during which no other business shall be transacted, and it shall be the mandatory duty of the legislature to adopt a joint resolution of apportionment. Should a special apportionment session not adopt a joint resolution of apportionment as required hereby, a five-member commission consisting of the chief justice of the supreme court as chairman, the attorney general, the secretary of state, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president pro tempore of the senate shall immediately convene and within one hundred eighty (180) days of the adjournment of such special apportionment session apportion the legislature, which apportionment shall be final upon filing with the office of the secretary of state. Each apportionment shall be effective for the next regularly scheduled elections of members of the legislature.”

Speaker McCoy's Statement Preceding the Senate Concur/Nonconcur Vote

2011-03-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

Here's the statement from Speaker Billy McCoy made on Wednesday before the Senate's vote to invite conference on Thursday.

“In adopting JR 201, the Mississippi House of Representatives has approved the plan for the redistricting of its members (for a second time), as well as included in the resolution the plan sent to the House for the redistricting of the members of the Senate (without changes). As far as I am concerned, the matter is settled. The Senate has approved its plan, and the House has approved its plan.

For the 50 years that the Mississippi Legislature has been conforming its district lines to meet the demands of one-person, one-vote and the Voting Rights Act, the Legislature has conducted this business with one overriding tradition in mind – that neither house will interfere with the districts of the other house. We have maintained this tradition for half a century, it has served the state well, and I have no intention of changing that tradition for as long as I am speaker.

This year the Mississippi Legislature has passed fair redistricting plans after sixteen (16) public hearings, approved unanimously by the bi-partisan Joint Legislative Committee on Legislative Redistricting, and vigorous floor debate.

Should the Senate choose to invite conference on JR 201, I will not entertain that request nor will I appoint conferees. In addition, the House will immediately transmit JR 201 to the Department of Justice and seek preclearance of the plan for use in the upcoming elections. We will ask the Department of Justice to work with us in adopting this plan to prevent the taxpayers from having to pay for two sets of legislative elections and from having to pay for the expensive cost of litigation. There is no reason whatsoever that the Legislature should incur these unnecessary costs at the same time we are cutting education, Medicaid and mental health.”

Tuesday 3/8; Redistricting, Visitors

2011-03-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

So, here's how it went down yesterday (this is 2nd hand information and from Twitter)...

1. House plan went to Senate Apportionment & Elections Committee...Senator McDaniel moved to table and the Senate committee voted to table, thus killing JR 1 (the House plan).

2. Senate plan came up in the Senate Apportionment & Elections Committee...Senator Joey Fillingane moved to adopt a strike-all amendment which did away with the majority-minority district in Hattiesburg, and this strike-all passed.

3. On Wednesday (today), it will be interesting to see which plan Chairman Terry Burton presents to the entire Senate, and if the Hattiesburg delegation will have the votes to amend the plan on the floor, as he did in committee.

Also on Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have the Hattiesburg Chamber Orchestra play in the Capitol rotunda during the lunch hour. For the second straight year, these incredible musicians dazzled everyone there. I can't tell you how proud it makes me when they come to visit. It solidifies Hattiesburg's place as the center of culture and the arts in this state. And a lot of folks can say negative things about our school district, but no one can touch us in many of the arts programs. After their performance, Chairman Watson and I were able to meet with them in the Ways & Means Committee room to discuss what we do in the Legislature. Then they were able to watch the ATV safety bill debate. It was also good to see Steve, Margie and Taylor Willis, who were visiting with the group.

And to close out yesterday, I send a happy belated birthday wish to my former roommate Isaac Gardner, who's now an accomplished actor and musician in New York City...and ditto for Theresa Erickson, who's pretty much changing the world in Hattiesburg by leading the Pine Belt Community Foundation.

Animal Cruelty Bill Finally Passes

2011-02-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

SB 2821 passed the House 119-3 this afternoon. Aside from a few questions on dogs getting into garbage or chasing wildlife, there was little debate on the measure. Reps. Greg Ward and Brandon Jones handled the bill well on the floor, and Rep. Jeff Smith praised Chairman Ward on finally bringing a bill out. The version we voted on was a measure approved by both Farm Bureau and the Humane Society, two organizations that had historically been at odds over the issue.

Proposed Fee Increases to Fund Pay Hikes for Judges/DAs

2011-02-18T08:32:00.001-08:00

General docket fee on Supreme Court filings-
would increase from $100 to $200 (this would still be the lowest in the Southeast)

New civil case filing fee in chancery court- $40
New civil case filing fee in circuit court- $40

Traffic violations-
assessment for DA/assistant DAs would increase from $1.50 to $10.

Implied consent law violations-
assessment for DA/assistant DAs would increase from $1.50 to $10.

Game and fish law violations-
assessment for DA/assistant DAs would increase from $1.50 to $10.

Other misdemeanors-
assessment for DA/assistant DAs would increase from $1.50 to $10.

Other felonies-
assessment for DA/assistant DAs would increase from $1.50 to $10.

New assessment for judicial salaries- $75

My Plans for 2011

2011-02-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

My Plans for 2011

Four years ago, we began a journey that saw us dream big things for ourselves, our city and our state. We dared to think the political process could be done differently, and the people of Hattiesburg agreed. Serving as your state representative has been an honor. I'll never be able to properly thank all of you-friends, neighbors, church and community- for your support of me and our cause.

I think back to the 2007 campaign and how things have changed since then. As a district, we've seen continued population growth, the announcement of several new economic development projects and a renewed emphasis on our city neighborhoods. For me personally, the last four years brought the purchase of a home, a change in career, and perhaps my biggest overachievement- marrying Kate.

As I've attempted to confront our state's challenges, I'll admit the task has been overwhelming at times. However, my desire remains- to better the quality of life for people; and to provide decent and honest representation for this district.

When I took the oath, I set out to prove politics could be done differently. I've always sought to be known as the guy who worked hard, legislated fairly and pulled people towards common ground. As a Republican, I believe that less government works best- but I also believe our political discourse should remain civil. Sometimes that worked well; other times it did not.

I've also tried to communicate with an honesty and a candor that folks might not be familiar with. Above all, I've pushed an agenda that is fiscally responsible and pro-Hattiesburg, seeking to protect our employers, quality of life and values. And despite a difficult economy, our city has done well. But the job is not done. We continue to face the challenges of keeping homeowners and jobs in our city neighborhoods, bettering our public school system and protecting our health care community. And I intend to keep meeting these challenges head on.

Today, I'm announcing that I intend to seek reelection for state representative for District 102.

I believe our city's best days are ahead. But to be the premier city of Mississippi, we must protect and nurture the resources that make us Hattiesburg- our universities, our health care community, our industries and our strength and independence as a community.

I do not know what challenges the 2011 election will hold. But we intend to win the way we won the first time- by staying positive, working harder and casting a clear vision of what this district can and should be. While we won't hold an event until later or officially start campaigning until after the 2011 session is complete, I want to make my intentions clearly known.

To win, we'll need your help. We'll need your vote, your voice and, not to be cliche, but your prayers. Every bit of your support goes a long way. We can and we will continue to take hold of tomorrow's promise.

And I invite you to join us again in making it happen.

Casey Eure, Columbus Day, HEADWAE and other Thursday Ramblings

2011-02-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

With inclement weather beginning to bear down on most of Mississippi, the House and Senate elected to adjourn Thursday shortly after swearing in newly-elected Rep. Casey Eure (R-Biloxi). After a two-hour drive to Hattiesburg (kept at a breakneck 45 mph), I'm finally home and actually have a chance to blog between "fetch" throws to my dog.

As for Casey, he'll have to wait until Monday to cast his first official vote in the Mississippi Legislature (unless you count the voice vote to adjourn, which would be a less than climactic opening vote for the history books). In case you weren't around last November, Rep. Eure's predecessor, Rep. Steven Palazzo won a seat in Congress, creating the vacancy. Eure ran first in the first election and won the seat in the runoff on Tuesday.

We didn't move very far down the calendar today. The House leadership brought back up their funds transfer bill that failed yesterday. Apparently, the original bill had a code section in there dealing with a fee, which made it a 3/5 vote that they couldn't quite pull off. So they brought it back up for reconsideration, passed an amendment to delete that section of the bill, which meant the bill only needed a simple majority, and thus it passed. However, we still maintain that it takes more money from the reserves than needed (and more than the House budget negotiators agreed to when the Joint Legislative Budget Committee made its recommendation in December). Either way, the budget will be worked out in conference- but it would go smoother if both sides just went ahead and were realistic on what's feasible this year.

(By the way, the dog has now grown tired of me and is sleeping soundly).

We also designated Columbus Day as an official state holiday, which I did not support. The rationale was that state employees hadn't seen raises in several years, and this was a goodwill gesture. However, Rep. Joe Warren (D-Mount Olive) threw out the figure of $12 million for employee costs per day in committee when it was passed on Tuesday. While this won't change how much the state is dolling out, we are losing productivity. Added to the bill via amendments were "recognition days" (days we recognize but don't make official holidays) African American Day (last day of February) and Women's Day (August 26). Also, Confederate Memorial Day was made a dual holiday by also recognizing at as Civil Rights Memorial Day.

One of the highlights of the day was the HEADWAE luncheon (HEADWAE stands for a very long acronym that I can't remember but denotes appreciation to people involved in higher education in the state). Each college and university, public and private, recognized one outstanding student and one outstanding faculty member. Southern Miss recognized Miss Suzanna Ellzey, a biochemistry major from Hattiesburg and Tri-Delt. Suzanna's a great person from a great family and represented us well. The faculty honoree was Dr. Steven Yuen.

Finally, the official numbers from the U.S. Census arrived for Mississippi today. That means a redistricting plan could be right around the corner.

So I'm off to begin working on the weekly newsletter. If you want daily updates on the happenings of the Mississippi Legislature, you can follow me on Twitter at @toby_barker.

2011 Session Underway

2011-01-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Many apologies for not already blogging by the third day of the 2011 session. Twitter makes it so easy to just send short updates...which by the way, you can follow me on Twitter at @toby_barker. This year, I'll also be continuing my weekly email updates (we've grown our constituent list to nearly 500 people in District 102!). To be on the email list, shoot an email to toby@tobybarker.com.

We gaveled in Tuesday, January 4 at noon, and most of the Hattiesburg delegation was hard-pressed to make it by then. We had a briefing in Hattiesburg at 9 a.m., where the Mississippi Development Authority filled in the remaining details on the new solar panel facility that is coming to Hattiesburg. Then a few of us stayed for the announcement at 10 a.m., but we had to leave 20 minutes into it to trek up to the Capitol. I managed to make it first with Reps. Larry Byrd and Harvey Fillingane just on my heels.

For our delegation, Tuesday was not the relaxed first day we had known in previous years. A bill had been drafted (HB 403) to authorize the state incentives for the Stion plant, and we had to work both the members of the Ways & Means Committee in the House and the Finance Committee in the Senate, as well as our colleagues on the floor to ensure passage. Around 3:20 p.m., HB 403 had cleared both houses of the legislature and now heads to the Governor Barbour's desk. Tuesday truly was a great day for the city of Hattiesburg, the Pine Belt and all of Mississippi.

Yesterday, House Republicans held off an attempt to override Governor Barbour's veto of HB 1642 from the 2010 session. We also had several hearings to attend. Today, several of Mississippi's Tea Party groups visited the Capitol.

I've noticed several announcements this week for candidates seeking statewide office. Phil Bryant announced on Monday for Governor, Billy Hewes announced at the Capitol on Wednesday for Lt. Governor and Max Phillips announced today.

Late December Ramblings

2010-12-30T09:44:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I'll make my sixth trip to Jackson this month (no, taxpayers aren't covering the tab today). But hopefully the day will prove fruitful for the city.

It's good to see things work out after a lot of work from a lot of people.

Here's hoping 2011 is a banner year for Hattiesburg.

Vote Tomorrow

2010-11-01T12:57:00.001-07:00

No excuses...vote tomorrow. For the people crying out for change over the last two years, tomorrow you have the opportunity to make your voice heard. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. If you're in the metro area, you'll get the opportunity to vote on the following races:

U.S. House, District 4
Palazzo vs. Taylor vs. Hampton vs. Revies

Chancery Judge, Post 1
Jim Thomas vs. any number of write-in candidates

Chancery Judge, Post 2 (replacing retiring Judge Sebe Dale)
Beam vs. Phillips vs. Russell

Circuit Judge, Post 1 (Lamar Co. only)
Mozingo vs. Prichard

Circuit Judge, Post 2 (Lamar Co. only)
Harrell vs. Turney

If you don't know where you're suppose to vote, go to this Web site; Delbert will tell you where.

House Most Wanted List

2010-10-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

So yesterday, a colleague of mine emailed this out. It's a list of new taxes the House Democratic leadership is supposedly rolling out for approval next year. To say that the likelihood of any one of these becoming reality is low would be quite the understatement. But for your own musings, here's the list:

Possible Tax Increases proposed by The House Leadership
Total - Approximately $300 million

Beer excise tax increase - $8 million
Alcohol excise tax increase - $9 million
Soft Drink tax - $20 million
Gaming tax increase of 1% - $27 million
Income tax increase - $150 million
Cell phone tax $1 per phone - $23 million
LLC Charge/fee $25 each - $1.5 million
Fee increases on Banks & Check Cashiers - $20 million
Fees & Licenses increases - $10 million

In addition:

Eliminate 2% Sales Tax discount
Eliminate evaporation allowance for petroleum distributors
Revise distribution of Oil & Gas Severance taxes
Revise the Gaming Road Bond Fund
Special fund Agencies – DEQ $11 million
Wildlife $7 million
Marine Resources $1.3 million
(this is general fund monies to these special fund agencies)

October Tax Revenues Coming In Higher Than Expected

2010-10-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, we received word from Governor Barbour's office that Mississippi's tax revenues will come in slightly higher than expected. While this is good news, it doesn't diminish the fact that we're heading into the next fiscal years with hundreds of millions of dollars less than we had this year. Here's a statement from Governor Barbour:

“The state’s preliminary revenue collections as of today came in slightly higher than our conservative estimate for the fiscal year.
October revenue was 1.87 percent, or $7.3 million, more than we had anticipated. While I’m pleased to report that we surpassed the estimate, the need to prepare our state for another difficult fiscal year still exists. The economy still is not strong, and the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds dictates that we prepare a Fiscal Year 2012 budget recognizing that Mississippians expect their government to prioritize state spending rather than reach deeper into their pockets.”
-Governor Haley R. Barbour

Seeing The Salaries of Government Employees

2010-10-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

California just launched a Web site publishing the salaries of all city and county employees. Some county and municipal governments have yet to submit their salary information, which could result in fines from State Controller John Chiang.

This article came to us courtesy of Governing Magazine.

School Nixes Biden Campaign Appearances

2010-10-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here's an article from The Philadelphia Inquirer about an elementary school in the Radnor School District canceling a campaign event where Vice-President Joe Biden was scheduled to appear for Democratic Congressional hopeful Bryan Lentz. Click here to access the article.

This came to us courtesy of Governing Magazine.

Ag Commissioner Spell Announces He Won't Run Again

2010-06-17T17:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell (R-Richland) announced he would not seek a fifth term. With that, the speculation now begins on who will run to replace him. Rumors already center on Senator Perry Lee, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representative Danny Reed.

While it may seem premature to start campaigning for a position over a year before the 2011 general election, many statewide candidates make up their mind to run, form campaign organizations and start raising money years ahead of time. While any open seat in a political office is bound to bring a spirited race, I doubt the race for Mississippi's Ag chief won't be quite as intense (or entertaining) as the 2010 race for Alabama's Agriculture Commissioner. Of course, I reference Republican Dale Peterson's viral YouTube commercial, which launched his campaign into national headlines. Of course, national headlines won't win a local race for you, and Peterson came in a distant third during the 2010 Republican primary.

Either way, jockeying for next year's Ag race will pick up momentum for the remainder of this year.

The Losing Streak Is Over

2010-03-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

So for the first time in 18 months, Mississippi has met its revenue projection. Signs looked good a couple of weeks ago when state economist Dr. Phil Pepper noted that we were 15% above 2009's revenue halfway thru March. This was confirmed by the State Tax Commission today when Mississippi met its revenue projection. We're even expected to go .3% above the projection.

Hopefully, this will start a trend and show that we've bottomed out and are coming out of this recession, albeit ever so slowly.

Hattiesburg Residents Visit Capitol

2010-03-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Senator Billy Hudson and I were honored to host several ladies from the Hattiesburg area for a visit to the Capitol. Mrs. Lillian Breland, Mrs. Barbara Curry and Mrs. Gay Hanberry were among the guests.

Revenue Agreement Reached - and the love fest ensues...

2010-03-25T09:24:00.001-07:00

Today, the standoff in the House on the first major part of the budget (the revenue part), ended in an agreement between House Republicans, House Democrats and the Senate. We will recess the session until April 20, but an agreement has been reached on how much money we're going to spend for fiscal year.

The only reason we're waiting on April 20 now is to see if the Medicaid portion of the stimulus plan is passed on the federal level. This would create up to an addition $187 million.

It's funny when an agreement is reached. After days of sharp disagreement and sometimes harsh debate, once an agreement is reached, all of that is forgotten and legislators laud each other over and over again.

Budget Committee Lowers FY 10, FY 11 Budget Estimate

2010-03-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Based on the recommendations of state economist Dr. Phil Pepper, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee adjusted its revenue projections for both FY 2010 and FY 2011.

FY 2010's revenue estimate was adjusted down $119.4 million to $4.432 billion.

FY 2011's revenue estimate was adjusted down $112.9 million to $4.45 billion.

Adjusting FY 2010's revenue estimate down means the Governor will be forced to make further cuts to balance the rest of this year's budget.

However, Pepper did report a glimmer of good news. March's revenue collections thus far are 15% above where they were at this point in March last year.

House Commends The University of Southern Mississippi On 100 Years

2010-03-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

100 years ago today, the Mississippi House of Representatives passed HB 204, which established Mississippi Normal College. The bill passed the Senate a week later and on March 30, 1910, Governor Edmond F. Noel signed the new college into law (with no appropriation- it seems we were doing unfunded mandates back then as well).

Today, the Mississippi House of Representatives passed HR 67, a resolution commending The University of Southern Mississippi on its first century of existence. Out of the several resolutions I've written over my my first three years in the Legislature, this proved to be the most enjoyable. Many thanks to Rules Committee Chairman Joe Warren (D-Mount Olive) for working with me on the timing of taking up the bill, as well as the McCain Library Archives for much of the information that went into the resolution. To read HR 67, you can click here.

Pictured above are all of the Mississippi House members (and one of our clerks) who either graduated or attended Southern Miss (except the Speaker, whose parents both attended when the university was known as the State Teachers College).

New Revenue Estimate Due Out Tomorrow

2010-03-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at 9 a.m., a new revenue estimate will be released for FY 2011. This is one of the last reports House and Senate budget conferees wait for before beginning final budget negotiations. However, based on how "projections" have played out in the last couple of years, it might be wise to base revenue estimates on something more realistic and proven.

I've spoken to one of the House budget conferees, and they expect the revenue estimate to be pretty dismal, projecting even less money than originally thought.

Welcome Back Bobby

2010-03-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

While we were in session Thursday, the doors opened on one side of the Chamber and a site arose that caused the entire House to stand to its feet and applaud for several minutes. Rep. Bobby Shows (D-Jones County) arrived back at the Capitol Thursday morning after a long lay-off following heart surgery in late January. Bobby sits on the next aisle over from me but on the same row. When debates get long-winded, we can always count on Bobby to press for a vote from his desk.

It shows once again, that despite seemingly endless rancor and discord, that the House is still one big fraternity. Even though we have differences, folks still care about each other. And in the kind of season we're in, it helps take out some of the tension.