BOBBY HARRISON: Like father, like son

 

JACKSON – House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, turned over the duties of presiding over the House for a period Friday to Rep. Bryant Clark, D-Pickens.

The move was historic because it represents the first time anyone can remember that a father and son have presided over the House.

Clark is the son of Robert Clark, who served as pro tem of the House in the 1990s and presided on a regular basis.

The Clark family is used to making history. Robert Clark of Holmes County was the first African American member of the Mississippi Legislature of the 20th century. He served from 1968-2000 and was succeeded by his son, Bryant, who currently is vice chair of the Rules Committee.

Read Bobby Harrison’s coverage of the Capitol in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

BOBBY HARRISON: The Rules …

JACKSON – Some have said that the House rule that mandates a two-thirds vote to pull a bill from committee is not democratic.

At one point, it required only a simple majority vote to pull a bill from committee. In 2004, the House Democratic leadership led a successful effort to change the requirement to two-thirds to pull a bill from committee.
       
Earlier this session a majority of the House decided that the two-thirds majority should remain place.
       
It seems legitimate to argue about the merits of what size vote is needed to pull a bill from a committee chair. Reasonable minds can disagree on that issue. But by the same token, it seems disingenuous to say it is an attack on democracy to require the two-thirds vote.
       
After all, a majority voted to put the two-thirds requirement in place. A lot of votes require more than a simple majority, including to raise or cut taxes or to suspend the rules to consider a bill in the legislative process. It takes a two-thirds  vote of the Legislature to amend the state Constitution.
       
A majority decided removing a bill from committee is a serious enough issue to require a super majority.
       
An an aside, House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, could have opted to leaves in place the rules from the last four years. Those rules required the two-thirds vote to remove a bill.

That way he could have avoided a fight. But McCoy thought there was enough interest in the issue that it should be debated and the House members should have a fresh opportunity to speak on the two-thirds requirement.

Thus, his leadership team brought out a new set of rules to give the members the opportunity to remove the two-thirds requirement if they saw fit. A majority did not.

News from Jackson …

Miss. Senate approves public review of AG’s outside contracts
By SHELIA BYRD
The Associated Press

JACKSON – The Mississippi Senate voted in favor of a bill that would force the state’s attorney general to go through a public review process before entering contracts with private attorneys.

The bill, which passed 29-18, was supported by critics of Democrat Attorney General Jim Hood, who say he has given lucrative state contracts to private attorneys, some of whom have donated to his political campaigns.

But Hood said the legislation would put Mississippi in a vulnerable position in cases against big corporations, which would be tipped off about possible lawsuits.

“If you make it public, then the company may go sue you in New York or somewhere,” Hood said Friday after the Senate vote. “They want control to prevent us from recouping the taxpayers’ money from corporate wrongdoers.”

When Mississippi files a lawsuit, the attorney general’s office often has to seek private attorneys to assist in the litigation. The bill debated Friday would require Hood to notify the agency if a lawsuit was about to be filed on its behalf and to seek bids on the contract. The contract would then undergo a review by the state Personnel Board.

The bill moves to the House for more work. Similar bills have died there in the past.

***

The bill is Senate Bill 2188.

Also …

Democrat Jones sworn in as senator after election dispute ends

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Democrat Kenny Wayne Jones of Canton was sworn in as a Mississippi state senator Friday after a two-week hearing over an election dispute.

The Senate voted to seat Jones over the objections of former Sen. Joseph Thomas of Yazoo City, who lost to Jones in the Democratic primary last August.

Thomas contested the race, claiming Jones had not lived in Senate District 21 for two years before he qualified for the race, as required by state law. The district includes parts of Attala, Holmes, Madison and Yazoo counties.

A Senate panel led by Republican Terry Burton of Newton heard evidence in the case before recommending Thursday that Jones be seated. After taking the oath, Jones said he is thankful the process has ended.

“The Mississippi Senate still has integrity and I’m proud to be a member,” he said.

The 51 other senators were sworn in on Jan. 8, the first day of the 2008 session. State lawmakers serve four-year terms.