Who was for it, Who was against it?

Vote of NeMiss House members on 5 percent pay raise for teachers

FOR

- Brian Aldridge, R-Tupelo; Donnie Bell, D-Fulton; Lester “Bubba” Carpenter, R-Burnsville; Gary Chism R-Columbus; Mark DuVall, D-Mantachie; Jack Gadd, D-Hickory Flat; Steve Holland, D-Plantersville; Mac Huddleston, R-Pontotoc; Warner McBride, D-Courtland; Harvey Moss, D-Corinth; Jimmy Puckett, DAmory; Dannie Reed, R-Ackerman; Tommy Reynolds, D-Water Valley; Margaret Ellis Rogers, D-New Albany; Preston Sullivan, D-Okolona; Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn; Greg Ward, D-Ripley; Tommy Woods, R-Byhalia.

AGAINST

Jim Beckett, R-Bruce; Sid Bondurant, D-Grenada; Kelvin Buck, D-Holly Springs; Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville; David Gibbs, D-West Point; Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi.

DID NOT VOTE

Noal Akins, R-Oxford.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Northeast Mississippi members who voted against 3 percent pay raise, but voted for 5 percent increase Thursday: Aldridge;Carpenter; Chism; Huddleston;Reed; Turner; Woods.

A glance at action by the Mississippi Legislature …

JACKSON (The Associated Press) – Here’s a glance at some action Thursday by the Mississippi Legislature:

Bills that passed the Senate and move to the House for more work:

DATABASE: Senate Bill 2148 would require the names of people convicted of crimes against law officers and public officials to be kept in a public registry. The proposal was inspired by the death of Officer Robert Langley, who was killed by a University of Mississippi student during a 2006 traffic stop.

PRISON: Senate Bill 2642 would authorize the Mississippi Department of Corrections to enter into a contract to build a regional jail of up to 3,600 beds in Claiborne County.

COPPER THEFT: Senate Bill 2929 would put restrictions on how metal recyclers handle the purchase of metals, particularly copper. The bill would require recyclers to keep records of the sales and in some cases report the sales to law enforcement. The bill is in response to the rash of copper thefts in Mississippi. The House passed a similar bill Thursday. House Bill 1136 moves to the Senate.

Bills that passed the House and move to the Senate for more work:

UNEMPLOYMENT — House Bill 909 would increase the weekly unemployment benefit. The maximum rate has been $200 a week since 2002. Under the House bill, it would go to $244 a week this July 1; starting July 1, 2009, the rate would go up according to a cost of living index.

ELECTIONS — House Bill 703 would authorize election officials to remove dead candidates’ names from ballots.

PORNOGRAPHY — House Bill 598 would prohibit the reproduction of child pornography during a law enforcement investigation. The Senate has passed a similar bill.

CLOSED MEETINGS — House Bill 972 would allow municipal or regional airport authority commissioners to meet privately to an airline, cargo, commercial or industrial prospect for business development at the airport.

Bills killed by the House:

ACUPUNCTURE — House Bill 724 would have established a state board to regulate the practice of acupuncture. House Public Health Committee Chairman Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, said the state medical association opposed the plan.

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On the Net:

Mississippi Legislature: http://www.billstatus.ls.state.ms.us

A glance at Wednesday’s action by Legislature …

JACKSON (Associated Press) – Here’s a glance at some action Wednesday by the Mississippi Legislature:

Bills that passed the Senate and move to the House for more work:

TEEN DRIVERS — Senate Bill 2105 would restrict the number of passengers in a vehicle driven by someone 17 or younger.

SCHOOL OFFICIALS — Senate Bill 2149 would change the way school superintendents and school boards are selected. Elected superintendent positions would become appointed in districts with two consecutive years of low performance, a ranking of Level 2 or below. All school board positions will become elected beginning June 2009.

DEATH PENALTY — Senate Bill 2596 would make the death penalty an option in cases involving the rape or sexual battery of a child age 13 and under.

FILM TOURISM — Senate Bill 2892 creates the Mississippi Tourism and Film Task Force. Under the bill, the task force will implement a plan to promote Mississippi tourism and film and create jobs.

Bills that passed the House and move to the Senate for more work:

CITIES — House Bill 685 would create a Mississippi Municipality Beautification Fund, and people could make voluntary contributions when they pay their state income taxes.

WOMEN’S HEALTH — House Bill 730 would create a task force to study ways to eliminate cervical cancer.

CHILDREN’S HEALTH — House Bill 1250 would create a task force to identify and treat people with sickle cell disease.

CATFISH — House Bill 728 would require more detailed labeling about the origins of catfish sold in the state.

HONEY — House Bill 103 says people who sell fewer than 500 gallons of honey a year would not have to abide by Health Department requirements for food establishments.

Bills that were killed in the House:

SCHOOL AGE — House Bill 732 said children who are at least 6 years old on Oct. 1 could start first grade. State law now sets a Sept. 1 cutoff date for children to be 6 to start first grade.

YOUTH CRIME — House Bill 347 would have prohibited prosecutors from using the confession of any child under 17 unless the confession were recorded on video or audio. After the bill was killed, it was held on a procedural motion that could allow it to be revived for more debate.

GAMING — House Bill 370 would have allowed some public universities or community colleges to teach courses such as casino hospitality and slot machine maintenance.

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On the Net:

Mississippi Legislature: http://www.billstatus.ls.state.ms.us

Read more about the Legislature action each day from Bobby Harrison in the Daily Journal newspaper and on djournal.com. 

A glance at action by the Mississippi Legislature …

JACKSON (AP) - Here’s a glance at some action Tuesday by the Mississippi Legislature:

Bills that passed the Senate and move to the House for more work:

FARMER’S MARKET — Senate Bill 2887 would allow the University of Mississippi Medical Center to take over land near its campus that is now occupied by an old farmer’s market. Only a few vendors have continued to work at the site since the Department of Agriculture and Commerce opened a newer farmer’s market near the State Fairgrounds. The House has passed a similar measure, which goes to the Senate.

BUREAU FLEET — Senate Bill 2699 would authorize a pilot program for the state Department of Finance and Administration to track some of the state’s fleet of vehicles.

CHILD PROTECTION — Senate Bill 2549 would require people in authority, including teachers and police officers, to report to suspected cases of child abuse with 48 hours of discovering the abuse. The officials would have to report the name and address of the child to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety or the Department of Human Services. Failure to do so would be a misdemeanor.

Bills that passed the House and move to the Senate for more work:

DNA — House Bills 389 and 391 would require DNA testing in death-penalty cases.

MILITARY FAMILIES — House Bill 664 would waive community college or university tuition and fees for the children of military personnel killed in the line of duty.

OPEN MEETINGS — House Bill 792 would allow the state Ethics Commission to handle disputes over public meetings that are closed. Under current law, a person challenging a closed meeting of a city council or other public body must file a lawsuit. A comprehensive bill with a similar Open Meetings provision passed the Senate earlier this month.

TOYS — House Bill 1240 would require the state attorney general’s office to create and maintain a list of children’s products that have been recalled or have otherwise been found unsafe. The list would be available free to the public.

BURIAL — House Bill 608 would establish procedures for close relatives to move a body from one grave site to another. The state Department of Health would have to issue a certificate before the remains could be moved.

INMATES — House Bill 747 would make it illegal for inmates to possess any component of a cell phone or for a person to provide any of those phone parts to an inmate.

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On the Net:

Mississippi Legislature: http://www.billstatus.ls.state.ms.us

BOBBY HARRISON: Woman presides over House

JACKSON — Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, has been calling on more members to take turns presiding over the Mississippi House.

Recently, Rep. Linda Coleman, D-Mound Bayou, presided over the 122-member chamber. Long-term observers say it is probably the first time a woman has presided over the House of Representatives.

Ironically, Coleman, one of 38 African American members of the House, was one of three black members voting on the side of Jeff Smith, D-Columbus, on the opening day of the session for speaker.

In preliminary voting on the speaker’s race, it was deadlocked at 61 votes each. On the third preliminary vote, Coleman switched to the McCoy side, making the vote 62-60. Coleman remained on the McCoy side through the remaining tension-filled votes.

Read Bobby Harrison’s coverage of state government in the Daily Journal newspaper.

BOBBY HARRISON: Pay raise …

JACKSON – The House’s passage of a bill providing a  long list of public officials pay  raises -  from the governor to legislators to county supervisors – is an example of how the contentious speaker’s race settled earlier this session will not impact every single piece of legislation.

The pay raise legislation passed by a narrow 61-60 margin Thursday.

Eight members who voted for the re-election of Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, opposed the legislation while eight members who opposed McCoy supported the legislation.

There are some lingering effects of the speaker’s race, but in reality coalitions are built or destroyed from issue to issue. Members who are allied on some issues are in  conflict on others.

That is the nature of politics.

Read more from Bobby Harrison on state government each day in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal newspaper. 

BOBBY HARRISON: Pay raises

JACKSON – It is always easy to beat up on legislators – especially when they consider bills to give themselves pay raises.

There is a bill alive in the state House that would do just that – give the 174 members of the Mississippi Legislature a pay raise. Like stated earlier, it is easy to beat up on legislators , and no doubt, they often do things that warrant the beating they receive.

But members of the Mississippi Legislature have not had a pay raise since the 1990s during the administration of Kirk Fordice. The bill being considered would raise their base pay from $10,000 annually to $15,000 and their so-called out-of-session pay from $1,500 to $2,500 per month.

Of course, legislators also receive per diem when they are in session and limited per diem out of session for about two trips per month to Jackson.

When people complain about legislators making $50,000 or more, they are including the per diem in the total pay package. The per diem is based on the federal rate and is currently $109 per day.

But, remember, it does take money to live in Jackson during the session – for room and board and other expenses.

So do legislators deserve a pay raise?

Perhaps, but it is difficult to have to vote yourself a pay raise. From a political standpoint, it can be real difficult.

One thing legislators could do is enact a pay raise that would not start until the next term in 2012.

But many legislators believe if they are going to take the tough political vote of enacting a pay raise, they want it this term so they can benefit from it. They reason they could pass a pay raise that begins in 2012, still be hammered for it, lose their re-election effort and never take advantage of the extra money.

No doubt, the issue of considering a pay raise will be one of the most difficult legislators face.

Read Bobby Harrison’s coverage of the Capitol each day in the Daily Journal newspaper.

Curing Medicaid …

Jason Pollan, who studied the face-to-face process for the Mississippi Center for Justice, talked with djournal.com about Medicaid in Mississippi. Click video above for his interview.

Also here is more of Bobby Harrison’s Sunday stories on the situation …

Click here for story – Face-to-face requirement challenged

Click here for story – Curing Medicaid.

Senate proceedings live now

Mississippi Senate proceedings are being broadcast over the Internet right now Click here to view them at http://mpbonline.org

No food for the obese? Miss. lawmaker proposes no-serve rule

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
The Associated Press

JACKSON - A lawmaker in the fattest state in the nation says he wasn’t trying to offend anybody by filing a bill that would ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers.

He says he never even expected his plan to become law.

“I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi,” said Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier.

Mississippi is the first state where more than 30 percent of adults are considered obese, according to a 2007 study by the Trust for America’s Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.

The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland of Plantersville, said he is going to “shred” the bill filed by Read and two other House members, Republican Ted Mayhall of Southaven and Democrat Bobby Shows of Ellisville.

“It is too oppressive for government to require a restaurant owner to police another human being from their own indiscretions,” Holland said Monday.

Still, in a state where lunch buffets are laden with fried chicken and butter-soaked vegetables, Holland said he understands the intentions of the bill’s sponsors.

“Certainly, I can identify,” Holland said. “I’m obese myself.”

The Center for Consumer Freedom, a Washington-based nonprofit group supported by restaurants and food companies, blasted the no-serve bill in Mississippi.

“Give me a break,” J. Justin Wilson, a senior research analyst for the group, said Monday. “Bills like this strip personal responsibility out of the obesity equation. Frankly, that’s the only solution to the problem.”

Jackson restaurant owner Al Stamps said it is “absurd” for the state to consider telling him which customers he can’t serve. He and his wife, Kim, do a bustling lunch business at Cool Al’s, which serves big burgers — beef or veggie — and specialty foods like “Sassy Momma Sweet Potato Fries.”

“There is a better way to deal with health issues than to impose those kind of regulations,” Al Stamps said as reggae music played in the background. “I’m sorry — you can’t do it by treating adults like children and telling them what they can and cannot eat.”

Mississippi has not ignored its obesity problem. For more than a year, one of the state’s largest health insurance companies, BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi, has aired TV ads with Republican Gov. Haley Barbour urging people: “Let’s go walkin’.” And a 2007 state law requires at least 150 minutes of physical activity instruction and 45 minutes of health education instruction each week for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Until then, gym class had been optional.

Read, a pharmacist, acknowledges he would have a tough time at restaurants if his bill were to become law — he said he is 5-11 and about 230 pounds. Even though the bill will die, Read said he hopes he has created serious discussion about an expensive public health issue.

“Obesity is like an 800-pound or 1,000-pound or 2,000-pound elephant walking around,” Read said. “And everybody ignores it.”

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The bill is House Bill 282.