JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi’s taxpayers, private-pay nursing home residents, and sportsmen all took it on the chin in the House of Representatives during the fifth week of the 2005 Regular session. Reversing course from previous floor action taken during the session’s very first week, the House membership voted 78-37 to support the leadership’s determination to pass HB 410, which would increase by fifty cents ($0.50) the tax on every pack of cigarettes sold in the state, ostensibly to help bail out the hemorrhaging Medicaid program, though the $0.50 tax itself would not generate nearly enough new revenue to cover the Medicaid deficit. Although HB 410 is almost certain to die in the Senate, where there is strong opposition to raising anyone’s taxes, the House leadership by the end of the week was making preparation to bring to a floor vote yet another major proposed revenue hike in the form of HB 1409, which would substantially raise the fees a wide range of state agencies charge to citizens by as much as $55 million. Because like HB 410 it is a revenue measure, HB 1409 would require a 3/5 vote (72 members) for passage. HB 1409 could be taken up and considered by the full House as early as Monday afternoon, February 7.

Also narrowly passing the House this week was HB 1104, designed to contain some costs in the Medicaid program by doing a variety of things such as cutting reimbursements to health-care providers, including physicians and hospitals. The bill also reduces the annual number of emergency room visits and hospital in-patient days allowed to Medicaid recipients, and reduces some pharmacy and home-health benefits. Even though HB 1104 embodies relatively modest spending and benefit reductions, its major component includes the drastic increase of the Medicaid nursing home bed assessment (i.e., "bed tax") from the current $6.00 per day to the floating maximum amount allowed under Federal law (presently $9.13 per day). The original version of HB 1104 also would have raised the hospital bed tax from the current $1.50 per day to the maximum allowed Federal amount, but the bill was amended on the floor so as "only" to double the hospital bed tax from $1.50 to $3.00. The final vote on HB 1004, another revenue bill for which a 3/5 vote is required for passage, was 72-39.

Sportsmen also had a disappointing week at the Capitol. Rep. Sid Bondurant (D–Grenada) introduced HC 8, which if enacted and then approved by Mississippi’s voters in 2007, would amend the 1890 Constitution to provide that "[a]ll persons shall have the right to hunt and fish in this state in accordance with law and regulations." Making hunting and fishing a constitutional right proved very popular among most House members, but the final vote nevertheless fell two short of the two-thirds (2/3) majority vote needed to pass a proposed Constitutional amendment. HC 8 has been held on a motion to reconsider, however, and may well be brought back up for another vote before the February 11 deadline for doing so.

The "Alabama-Mississippi Joint Economic Development Act" passed the full House this week – by any standard a development promising great potential for the citizens of East Mississippi and West Alabama. The Act is set forth in HB 1488, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Charles Young (D–Meridian), Rep. Eric Robinson (R–Quitman), and Rep. Greg Snowden (R–Meridian). Assuming that the Alabama Legislature passes similar legislation, as is expected, HB 1488 would create the Alabama-Mississippi Joint Economic Development Authority by which both states would actively cooperate in the recruitment of major economic development enterprises to locate in the border counties such as Lauderdale and Clarke. The Act is another outgrowth of the ongoing cooperative negotiations between Governor Haley Barbour and Alabama Governor Bob Riley designed to improve economic conditions in both East Mississippi and West Alabama. Also of some interest to Lauderdale countians is HB 835, which the House passed this week to transfer and convey the former Sam Dale State Park to the Daleville United Methodist Church. This church, along with another, now-dissolved church, had originally donated the land for the now-closed state park in 1965.

Hundreds of bills died this week as they were not favorably reported out by the respective committees to which they were assigned before the February 1 deadline for doing so. This is far from unusual, since many more bills die each year for various reasons than pass the committees and the full floor. Of the more than 3,000 bills introduced in the House and Senate this session, less than 1,000 were still alive at week’s end. Some of the issues apparently dead for the session include creation of a state lottery, the proposed overhaul of the health-care certificate of need process, the imposition of a primary seat-belt law, and the authorization of toll roads. The old adage still holds true, however: no bill ever is truly "dead, dead, dead" until the Legislature adjourns sine die.  Click on the following link to see a complete listing of all legislative deadlines applying to the 2005 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature.

HB 1247 to provide new rules for economic development programs, with both federal tax returns and financial statements to be required when applying for these incentive programs; HB 1000 to adjust certain fund categories to deliver more money to the General Fund; HB 195 to prevent, however, transfer to the General Fund of State Aid Road funds; HB 319 to intercept gaming winnings of "dead-beat parents" who are behind on child support payments; and HB 1317 to require health insurance reimbursement for services of marriage and family therapists.

Also, HB 1132 to permit state inspections of sorority and fraternity houses on college campuses, in the wake of a disastrous fraternity house fire at Ole Miss last year; HB 280 to require state universities to cooperate with federal agencies in terrorism investigations; and HB 1510 requiring drug tests for participants in youth court work programs.

The full House this week also passed two bills authored by Rep. Greg Snowden (R–Meridian). The first, HB 1058, would make it a crime of felony child abuse for an adult to manufacture or distribute illegal drugs in the presence of a minor. The second bill, HB 1057, would increase the penalties and fines imposed upon persons who practice real estate brokerage without the required license therefor.

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 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.