Committees of the House of Representatives completed work this week on dozens of proposed bills that originated in the Senate as the legislative session moved into the homestretch. Bills that originated in the House also met their destiny in Senate committees this week under the Tuesday, March 4 deadline. Another major deadline looms in the week ahead on Wednesday, March 12 -- for floor action by each respective chamber on the bills of the other body that survived committee action. Click here to see a listing of major legislative deadlines applicable to the 2003 regular session.

Between now and its scheduled Sunday, April 6 sine die adjournment, the Legislature will be considering final versions of both general bills and appropriations and revenue-generating measures. Many will be negotiated in a "conference committee" composed of three representatives and three senators. Then, the full membership of both chambers will vote on each conference report near session's end. Numerous Senate proposals that passed the full House this week had earlier passed the full Senate in slightly different forms, and the Senate this week also altered many House measures before enactment in that chamber. Differences between House and Senate versions will be worked out in conference committee meetings before final votes. Any such measures which cannot be worked out through compromise in a conference committee will die just as surely as if they had been killed earlier in the legislative process either in committee or by defeat on a floor vote. Click here to see a chart of how a bill becomes law in Mississippi.

It was the Voter I.D. debate, however, that captured headlines at the Capitol this week. Last month the Senate passed SB 2821, by which Mississippi would come into compliance with the "Help America Vote Act," designed by Congress to help curb election problems such as some of those experienced in Florida during the 2000 Federal elections. Passage of the bill would qualify the state for $34 million in Federal monies to help counties upgrade voting machinery and procedures. But, in addition to the bill’s basic Federal minimum requirements, the Senate included sensible Voter I.D. provisions designed to deter election fraud. The House Apportionment and Elections Committee, chaired by Rep. Tommy Reynolds (D–Charleston), rejected the Senate’s Voter I.D. language, and brought to the House floor for consideration a gutted version of SB 2821 which contained no Voter I.D. provisions (except the Federal bare minimum requirement for first-time voters who originally registered by mail).

Rep. Bill Denny (R–Jackson), a senior Republican leader and himself a former chairman of the Apportionment and Elections Committee, allied himself with Rep. George Flaggs, Jr. (D–Vicksburg), a prominent leader in the Legislative Black Caucus, to offer a compromise Voter I.D. amendment acceptable to most members of the House. Under the compromise amendment, which also contains language criminalizing voter harassment, a person may present 19 forms of common identification to a poll worker as a prerequisite to being allowed to vote. And, if the person has no identification whatsoever, he or she will still be allowed to vote by simply signing a statement swearing that he or she really is the person claimed to be.

The Denny/Flaggs Voter I.D. amendment was debated vigorously on the House floor for nearly two hours. Although generally favored by Republicans and conservatives, the amendment also was eloquently supported by Rep. Ed Blackmon (D–Canton), a foremost leader of the Black Caucus and one of the most able orators in the House. In the end, the Denny/Flaggs amendment to the bill passed by a solid vote of 67-51, and the amended bill passed the full House by an even more impressive 85-33. Rep. Denny hailed the vote as "extremely significant," and predicted U.S. Justice Department approval for the measure, noting that "of the nine Southern states subject to the Voting Rights Act, seven states already have Voter I.D. laws approved by the Justice Department which are as tough or tougher than what Mississippi now will have." Rep. Greg Snowden (R–Meridian) agreed, expressing gratification that attainment of the "elusive" long-time Republican goal of common sense Voter I.D. seems now to be near at hand. "Conservatives in the House worked closely with our Senate counterparts to force a floor vote on the issue in spite of procedural obstacles intended to frustrate us," Snowden said. "We knew that we could win if we could simply force a floor vote, because the majority of Mississippians strongly support sensible Voter I.D."

SB 2821, as amended, was held on a motion for reconsideration, but in the absence of a significant change in the attitudes of many members, it is expected that the motion will be tabled and the bill sent back to the Senate for concurrence or nonconcurrence sometime next week. The Senate may choose to concur (accept the House version), or to not concur, in which case the bill will be assigned to a conference committee composed of three senators and three representatives who will hammer out a compromise. Since both chambers are now solidly on record in support of Voter I.D., it is very likely that any conference compromise will contain similar if not identical Voter I.D. provisions as those already voted upon by both houses. Some form of compromise seems virtually assured, as the $34 million in Federal funds hinge upon final passage of the bill, and no one wants to see the state lose that money.

--  SB 2605 to eventually establish a system of drug courts statewide. Similar legislation has been pushed for years by Rep. Alyce Clarke (D–Jackson), and the House amended this particular bill (which has a Senate author) to name it in Rep. Clarke’s honor. Due to extremely tight budgetary constraints, no state funding was provided for the drug court program this year, but proposed courts can seek Federal funds and private grants for initial funding. The goal of drug courts is very laudable -- to reduce alcohol and drug dependencies among the state's population, and to provide an alternative to incarceration for eligible offenders who will be given access to drug treatment. Only persons accused of possession of a controlled substance and who have no prior felony convictions would be eligible.

-- SB 2756 to strengthen state laws for computer crimes, such as using a computer to exploit children under 18 years old by luring them into sexually explicit conduct. Penalties for first offenses could be a sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $50,000.00.

-- SB 2089 to allow the State Tax Commission to work with other states in deciding which internet sales would be taxed and how the taxes would be collected. The states currently are under an internet tax moratorium imposed by Congress, but the passage of a "streamlined sales tax collection" protocol, such as that contained in SB 2089, by Mississippi and numerous other states is seen as a predicate to eventual state taxation of internet sales.

--SB 2394 to require 5-year-old kindergarten students to actually attend the classes after enrollment. Parents who re-enroll their children in kindergarten (after having pulled them out once before) would become subject to the mandatory attendance law. The Chairman of the House Education Committee, Rep. Joe Warren (D–Mount Olive), explained that the goal of the legislation, as amended, is to prevent parents from abusing the system by treating kindergarten as some sort of voluntary day-care – the new law will eliminate multiple removal and re-enrollment at the mere whim of parents. Parents may still decide whether or not to send their children to kindergarten, but they no longer will be free to have the children attend only when convenient. The House defeated an amendment proposed to the bill by Rep. Jamie Franks (D–Mooreville) to make all kindergarten attendance truly mandatory.

-- SB 2636 directing the State Department of Education to assess early childhood education programs was named in honor of retiring Rep. Eloise Scott (D--Tupelo) who has long promoted early childhood programs. This particular bill (which has a Senate author) was reconsidered and amended by the House before final passage, with a particularly important amendment being added by the House at the urging of Rep. Mike Lott (R–Petal).

And, finally: SB 2531 allowing 53-foot trailers on state highways; SB 2410 to use proceeds from the auction of seized weapons to purchase bulletproof vests for law officers; and SB 2317 limiting donated medical leave time for state workers to 90 days and declaring the illness must be catastrophic or long-term in nature.  One controversial bill which was killed in committee and is now dead for the session is SB 2648, the "Mississippi Smoke Free Families Act" which, as originally proposed, would have broadly banned smoking in most places (even those privately owned) to which the public has access.  The measure passed the Senate, but ran into strong opposition in two House committees which ultimately proved fatal to the bill's prospects.

Representative Greg Snowden (R-Meridian) maintains a legislative web site to aid constituents and other interested persons in obtaining information about state government. The web site address is  www.gregsnowden.com.  Rep. Snowden may be reached by e-mail at any time greg@gregsnowden.com, or by telephone at 601-693-5700 (Meridian office) or 601-527-5350 (cell phone - a local call from anywhere within Mississippi).

EDITORIAL NOTE: Most of the facts and much of the organization of the above summary is due to the fine work of Mac Gordon, of the House Information Office. However, although Mr. Gordon provides this information weekly to all House members, each member has the privilege of using it however he or she sees fit. Rep. Snowden has taken the liberty to re-write much of the standard summary, and to include his own comments and expressions of opinion. Accordingly, while Rep. Snowden gratefully acknowledges the work of the House Information Office in organizing and supplying reliable and timely information as to the workings of the House, all comment and all opinion contained in this summary is that of Rep. Snowden alone, and not that of Mr. Gordon or any other staff employee of the House of Representatives.