Summary of 2001 Regular Session     *** Census Data For Meridian & Mississippi *** Legislature Adjourns Sine Die

Shortly after the stroke of noon on Friday, March 30, 2001, Speaker Tim Ford recognized “the gentleman from Lauderdale,” Rules Committee Chairman Tommy Horne (I—Meridian), for the purpose of moving that the House of Representatives adjourn sine die; i.e., “without day.”  When the Speaker brought his gavel down on the raucous chorus of “ayes” which immediately followed, the House formally concluded the work of a confrontational yet productive 90-day session that had begun three months earlier on January 2. Lawmakers Secure Arts & Entertainment Center For Meridian From an East Mississippi perspective the session also marked the successful conclusion to the Lauderdale County legislative delegation’s unified efforts to have Meridian’s Bonita Lakes designated as the site for the new Southern Arts and Entertainment Center.  But that was not all -- the Legislature provided important funding for Meridian's new "Hope For Children" project spearheaded by actress Sela Ward and sited at the old Masonic Home property on 23rd Avenue, and substantial appropriations for the Mississippi Grand Opera House and Riley Performing Arts Center were included within the budget for Mississippi State University, which will own and operate that facility in downtown Meridian.  The Legislature also authorized a notable expansion of the adolescent psychiatric residential treatment facility located at the Laurelwood Center on Highway 39 North in Meridian.  All in all, the 2001 session was a very busy one for the members of the Lauderdale County legislative delegation and a very fruitful one for the citizens they are privileged to represent. Click here for a year-end summary of the highlights of the 2001 Regular Session.  You may access the regular weekly summaries published at the end of each week on this web site during the session by clicking here.  For a complete status of all bills and resolutions introduced by Rep. Greg Snowden (R--Meridian) during the 2001 Regular Session, click here. Well before the 2001 session began, pundits and pols alike predicted that two subjects – the state budget and the state flag - would garner most of the attention. That prediction was right on target. The Legislature addressed the issue of the state flag very early in the session and then spent much of the remainder of the 90-day session talking about and acting upon the state budget, not only for the 2002 fiscal year beginning July 1, but also for the current 2001 fiscal year that ends June 30. Current & Proposed Mississippi Flags The state flag controversy arose as a result of a Mississippi Supreme Court ruling in May 2000 which determined that because of an inadvertent legislative codification error in 1906, Mississippi has no “official” state flag; rather, the familiar 1894 state flag bearing the Confederate battle emblem enjoys only “unofficial” status through “custom and usage.”  Immediately there were calls from many citizens to re-establish the 1894 flag as the state’s “official” banner, countered by demands from many others to change the flag altogether and to adopt a new, “non-controversial” design.  Governor Ronnie Musgrove appointed a special commission to study the issue in detail during the summer and fall of 2000. The group, led by former Governor William Winter, held five public hearings across the state, and over and over the commission members heard that citizens on both sides of the debate wanted to voice their own opinion on the matter at the ballot box.  Members of the Legislature also were bombarded with demands to put the question to a public referendum.  Accordingly, shortly after convening in January, the Legislature mandated a special statewide election held Tuesday, April 17, which gave every Mississippi voter the right to choose between either the traditional 1894 flag, or a new flag proposed by the commission. Mississippians state-wide voted by an overwhelming two to one margin to keep the current 1894 flag. In Lauderdale County, the vote in favor of keeping the 1894 flag was 11,518 (64.34%), with only 6,385 (35.66%) voting in favor of the proposed new flag design. The voter turnout in Lauderdale County was a moderate 45.15%. For county by county totals click here. With the state flag issue resolved, temporarily at least, the status of the state’s finances dominated the remainder of the 2001 session.  In the final week the Legislature approved a total state budget for FY 2002 that amounts to more than $10 billion when one includes all general funds, federal funds and special funds generated by state agencies, boards and commissions. About $3.5 billion of the total comprises the general fund, which is generated by collections of sales taxes, individual and corporate income taxes, taxes on the gaming industry and several other categories of taxes and fees. The 2002 general fund budget is based upon a projected increase in state revenues next year of approximately 3.7% (expenditures are set at a level reflecting 98% of expected revenues – 2% is held back and deposited into the so-called "Rainy Day Fund” used for cash-flow stabilization).  The 3.7% growth projection is well below that of every year during the past decade, when revenue growth routinely averaged well above 5% annually.  Nevertheless, the actual revenue growth for the current fiscal year (through February, 2001) was just a little over 2.0%, and some of the gloomier forecasters predicted that the final year-end growth as of June 30 could be as low as 1.0%.  Obviously, fashioning a FY 2002 budget in the face of such discouraging numbers was a very daunting challenge. Unlike the Federal Government, which after all prints our money, the Mississippi government cannot and does not engage in deficit spending – the budget ultimately will balance, and the state will not spend more than it takes in.  What this means is that if actual revenues during FY 2002 do not meet budgetary projections, mid-year budget cuts will take place.  Mid-year cuts happened this year (FY 2001) across state government - mostly for travel and office expenses. Personnel layoffs thus far have been avoided, but state agencies already have had to be extremely cautious in their spending habits, and many vacant positions remain unfilled. If eventual 2002 revenues fall much below the estimated levels, public agencies may well be faced with mid-year cuts even more severe than those dealt to them in 2001, and employee layoffs may be a real possibility.  Fortunately, before finalizing the budget for 2002 the Legislature successfully managed to cushion some of the harshest proposed cuts in priority areas, particularly in the realm of public education, but some of this was accomplished by judicious use of “one time money” which cannot be expected in subsequent years. Governor Musgrove suggested a reduction in the 2002 revenue projections to 1.0% prior to finalization of the 2002 budget, but the Legislature declined to agree.  Legislative budget leaders maintained that lowering the FY '02 revenue estimate was premature and ill-advised because several so-called "safety nets" are in place, plus the fact that the sluggish state and national economies could improve more quickly than expected.  Were further cuts to be made prior to the adoption of the budget, as the governor preferred, immediate employee layoffs in many agencies most likely could not be avoided. The disagreement between the governor and the Legislature came to a head when Musgrove vetoed a record number (over 40) of appropriations bills during the final week of the session, only to be summarily overridden by overwhelming votes in both the House and the Senate.  Greg welcomes Meridian's own Sela Ward to the Capitol! The FY 2002 budget includes up to $25 million for the first step in a planned five-year program to bring the average teachers' salary up to the Southeastern average. The Legislature fully funded the first year of the teacher pay raise despite the fact that last year’s legislation establishing the five-year plan explicitly was contingent upon state revenue growth exceeding 5.0% -- a target obviously not met this year.  Next year, when the FY 2003 is tackled, the second step in the plan will cost the state an additional $65 million more than for FY '02.  Unless revenue growth is then at or better than 5.0% (which only the most optimistic expect), the teacher’s raise will not be automatic, and indeed, may then be in jeopardy.  It remains to be seen whether the Legislature will continue to fund the teacher pay plan if revenues continue to disappoint, especially when doing so may lead to drastic under-funding of other state agencies and programs.  State employees who are not K-12 teachers are already calling attention to the fact that they have received no raises at all; rather, they may be facing layoffs instead. The Legislature relaxed the "truth in sentencing" law somewhat during the 2001 session.  A new law now provides that some (not all) first-time, non-violent offenders will be eligible for parole after serving only 25 percent of their sentence if they are model inmates. The current law requires all felony convicts to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence.  Some corrections officials believe that the change may affect as many as 3,000 of the estimated current inmate population of 18,000 prisoners, although judges and prosecutors testified before legislative committees that in reality there are very few truly “first-time, non-violent” offenders in prison – in most jurisdictions such offenders almost always get probation, and if they end up in prison, it is because they’ve broken probation.  Only time will tell if the change in the “truth in sentencing” law is anything of substance or rather is mere window dressing. One of the most important pieces of legislation passed during the session was the bill to increase the amount of homestead exemption. This affects all property owners in the state, but particularly those citizens who are disabled and also those who are 65 years old or older. Many of these citizens suddenly found themselves back on the tax rolls after reappraisal in their county revealed an increase in the value of their realty. The Legislature responded by raising the exemption, which will remove many of these senior citizens from the tax rolls altogether. Rep. Greg Snowden seeking recognition in floor debate. The Mississippi Department of Transportation largely dodged a bullet fired this session by the House. Last year a House of Representatives study committee determined that MDOT badly needed a major overhaul in administration, operations and financing. One suggested reform was to appoint, rather than continue to elect, the three transportation commissioners, and the House passed a bill to that effect. The Senate balked at that idea and eventually it was removed from the bill, but MDOT will be required to work more closely than ever with the Legislature and to do more reporting of its activities. Some of the more significant pieces of Legislation adopted during the 2001 Regular Session include measures which: Authorized the 5th round of the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Program, although the funding for the new round is not yet in place. Tightened regulations on who can work in facilities that care for the elderly. Assured integrity in primary elections by establishing a “safety net” procedure to make sure elections go forward as scheduled. Ordered that all public schools set aside time for a period of quiet reflection at the start of each school day and to post the national motto of the United States -- "In God We Trust" -- in classrooms and other school facilities.  Private organizations have volunteered to bear all costs of the motto posters. Extended the Children's Health Insurance Program and added some dental coverage. Also directed attending physicians to provide parents of newborns with information about additional medical tests. Settled a game and fish "licensing war" between Mississippi and Louisiana. Passed program that will allow counties to improve local roads that are not included in the 1987 four-laning or regular "State Aid" programs. Created the Mississippi School Safety Center to provide help to districts in dealing with unruly students and sets out procedures involving parents or guardians in charting a course of action for these students. Exempted from sales taxes goods stored in warehouses for shipment to other houses. This move will particularly help DeSoto County expand its warehousing industry, and has the potential of enhancing the attraction of other distribution centers in the state, including Lauderdale County. Continued to use only the interest in the Tobacco Trust Fund and only for health-care programs. Created a commission to study women's issues in Mississippi. Established a task force to study heart disease and stroke prevention in Mississippi, which is a national leader in the incidence of these diseases. Established funds to pay for improvements and repairs to state-owned property and facilities on university and two-year college campuses. Required certain health insurance plans to offer mental health insurance coverage. The adjournment of the Regular Session did not end the Legislature's work for 2001.  Sometime this summer, probably in July, the Legislature will reconvene at the Capitol for the purpose of redrawing the state's pre-2000 five congressional districts into the new post-2000 Census four districts.  Unfortunately, because the rate of Mississippi's population growth has lagged behind that of some other states, Mississippi will lose one of its Representatives in Congress.  Please do not hesitate to call me at my office in Meridian (601-693-5700) or at my cell phone which is toll-free throughout the state (601-527-5350).  Or, if you'd prefer, you may e-mail me at greg@gregsnowden.com.  Greg Snowden, State Representative District 83 (Lauderdale County)

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