MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEEKLY SUMMARY REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 16, 2001

JACKSON, Miss. - The state's $3.5 billion General Fund budget for fiscal year 2002 was a major focus of attention during the 8th week of the 2001 legislative session in the Mississippi House of Representatives. House members also approved bond issues for capital improvements and repairs to higher education facilities and state-owned buildings.

Feb. 21 was the deadline for the full House of Representatives to act on appropriations and revenue bills that originated in the House. The Senate faced the same deadline for appropriation and revenue bills that originated in that chamber.

The House was responsible for initial action on one half of the state agency appropriation bills for the next fiscal year (FY 2002) that begins July 1, 2001. The appropriation committees in the House and Senate will now consider the bills approved in the opposite chamber, with March 13 the deadline for original floor action on those bills.

A major deadline in the week ahead is Feb. 27 for House committees to act on general bills and constitutional amendments that originated in the Senate. House committees spent much of the past week mulling over those measures. March 7 is the deadline for the full House to act on the Senate bills surviving House committee action.

A very special guest of the House this week was Emmy-award winning actress Sela Ward, a Meridian native, who was honored by the Legislature for her outstanding film career and her dedication to “Hope for Children,” an organization dedicated to children who have been abused. Ms. Ward was presented to the House by Speaker Ford, and accompanied into the Chamber by the Lauderdale County delegation.  Rules Committee chairman Tommy Horne (I—Meridian) presented the House resolution honoring Ms. Ward, which was adopted unanimously.  Ms. Ward charmed the House with her beauty and her grace, and spoke passionately about several key projects important to Mississippi:  the Mississippi Grand Opera House in Meridian which now is in the process of a $26 Million restoration, the Southern Arts and Entertainment Center proposed for Meridian’s Bonita Lakes, and, of course, “Hope For Children,” to be housed at the old Masonic Home property on 23^rd Avenue in Meridian.  Members of the Senate also honored Ms. Ward with a resolution of their own.

State Future Farmers of America leaders were also honored during the week.

Most of the state agency appropriation bills approved by the full House this week were in an amount recommended by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, with funding added to cover the costs of employees' health insurance. Under the spending plan approved in the House, the state's General Fund budget for FY02 would be for $3,568,281,810. With general funds available of $3,569,044,521, that would leave a cash-ending balance on June 30, 2002 of $762,711. It was pointed out during passage of the spending bills that by design all of the appropriation measures involving the General Fund will go to conference committee sessions between the House and Senate later in the session.  The purpose for this is to wait as long as possible so as to have available the latest and most complete revenue figures before finalization of the budget.

Putting together the next fiscal year's budget has been particularly difficult this session due to sagging state revenues in the current fiscal year. Tax collections have been far below projections, requiring the governor to make budget cuts across state government.
Budget leaders in both chambers have scrambled since the session began to locate every dollar available, particularly for public education use. There was some seeming good news with a declaration in the House chamber this week that the deficits that had been facing individual school districts apparently won't be as large as earlier feared. The House Appropriations Committee and the full House this week passed SB 2680 which would divert $17 million in oil and gas severance taxes to K-12 public schools this fiscal year and $22 million for the following three years.

Overall, the state budget for FY02 will amount to more than $10 billion, of which the General Fund will account for only about a third ($3.5 billion). The remaining budgetary funds will come from federal sources and from fees and revenues known as special funds that are generated by the state agencies themselves.  For example, a large “special fund” agency is the Mississippi Department of Transportation, which is funded by gasoline taxes.

The largest single budget for any single state agency is the $2.17 billion budget for the Governor's Office Division of Medicaid, which funds health insurance and a wide variety of medical programs for the needy. Almost one-fourth of Mississippi's population receives benefits under the Medicaid program. For every dollar of state money put into the program, the federal government adds $4 to fund Medicaid.

Public K-12 education programs would command another large portion of the FY02 General Fund budget, under the House plan. The Minimum Foundation Program, which is the chief funding mechanism for the public schools, would receive $1.276 billion, while general education programs would draw another $844,135,611.

Other agency appropriation bills passed in the House this week were: Department of Health, $202.6 million; Department of Environmental Quality, $15.1 million of General Funds and $93.5 million of Special Funds; Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, $13.2 million of General Funds and $33.1 million of Special Funds; Department of Human Services, $82.5 million of General Funds and $319.1 of Special Funds; Department of Transportation, $849.4 million of Special Funds; and Attorney General's Office, $6.4 million of General Funds and $10.8 million of Special Funds.

Several measures also passed the House Ways and Means Committee and the full House. HB 1648 would increase by $8 million the total amount of bonds that could be issued under the Mississippi Major Economic Impact Act, an economic development program administered by the Mississippi Development Authority. The additional bonds would be utilized to help lure an economic project that could bring more than 1,000 new jobs to the state. The identity of the project is unknown at this time.

HB 1642 would provide $38.5 million in bond money to improve several state-owned buildings and facilities, while HB 1641 would provide about $65 million for capital improvements and repairs to facilities on university and community college campuses.  HB 622 would provide bonds to aid in the construction of a new National Guard Armory in Oxford. The federal and local governments would also be involved.

Ways and Means and the full House also approved HB 1630 to provide funds for the possible acquisition and upgrading of a rail line between Hattiesburg and the Port of Gulfport. The line could help the state port take business away from ports at New Orleans and Mobile, backers of the bill said, and would give more state products access to the port. The rail line in question needs renovation to accommodate "double stacks" of cargo headed to the ports. The state would conduct a feasibility study of the proposed rail line purchase before it is consummated.

The Appropriations Committee approved several other Senate bills, including SB 2666 to establish the Southern Arts and Entertainment Center in Meridian, SB 2778 to help keep tighter controls on the number of vehicles bought and used by state agencies and SB 2422 to expand electronic government services, including allowing some licenses and services to be available at all times.  These bills are now on the House calendar and should be considered by the full House next week.

A bill that died in the House Public Health and Welfare Committee this week would have allowed optometrists to prescribe certain drugs in connection with eye care procedures. Opponents of the bill said only medical doctors know the risks involved with taking certain drugs. Proponents said the plan would have provided more access to health care in rural areas of the state. State optometrists were approved to use some topical drugs in their procedures under a bill that passed in 1995. A bill to expand their authority to administer drugs has been presented to the Legislature for more than 20 years.

That same House committee and the full House approved SB 2501 which would enhance penalties up to $1,000 for persons who abuse "vulnerable adults," defined as those 18 and older who cannot live or provide his or her own care due to a mental, emotional or physical disability.  The bill would also require background checks for employees of adult day-care facilities. The bill would authorize a court to allow a qualified third party to evaluate a vulnerable adult upon showing of probable cause of abuse.  The Department of Human Services would establish a program to educate the public of its duty to report abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults.

Improved local roads is the goal of SB 2318 which passed the House Transportation Committee. It is designed to improve roads that are not on the designated state highway system or on the state aid road system.

The House passed SB 2733 which would name the Bureau of Plant Industry Building on the Mississippi State University campus in the memory of Robert H. McCarty, who died last year. He was the longtime state entomologist.

The text and history of any bill may be accessed and read online by following the "Bill Tracking" link at www.gregsnowden.com.

To contact House members, call the Capitol at 601-359-3770. 
State government's Internet address is http://www.ls.state.ms.us
Representative Snowden's cell number (no long distance to Jackson) is 527-5350
Greg  Snowden's e-mail address is greg@gregsnowden.com