NEWSLETTER

Mississippi Senate Report, March 11, 2011

In one of the most contentious weeks of my almost 4 years in the legislature, we passed the remainder of the Appropriation bills, killed the House redistricting plan and passed the Senate’s redistricting map. As you probably know, we have to go through the redistricting process once every ten years when the federal census numbers come back. Jackson County’s population merits roughly 2.5 Senate seats. Senator Moffatt’s and my districts are currently in Jackson County and we have a third Senator that covers the Northwest corner of the county and parts
of Moss Point and Pascagoula. The proposed Senate plan removes the third Senate district from both Moss Point and Pascagoula, and moves it to the Western edge of the County. Though we have passed our plan, we are a long way from completing the process. Stay tuned for more updates.

The only Appropriation bill we will discuss in this update is HB 1494 covering the K-12 education funding. This bill added roughly $81 million more than the Senate’s original position. As usual, the House sends an inflated number over to the Senate to claim the “political victory” in education funding. They propose funding options that are unsustainable and they know it. We have been forced to reduce the amount every year in an effort to form a balanced budget, as is mandated by law. Just to give you a quick example of where the additional money in the House’s plan came from, the state is currently involved in some pharmaceutical litigation. The House is including $15 million from this lawsuit in their overall revenue stream. No settlement has been agreed to in the case, yet the House includes it as if it was already the bank.

They also take $45 million more out of our savings than our plan. Had we accepted the House’s version of the budget the past 3 years, we would be out of savings and would have to face the current $700 million budget shortfall with no cushion. I do not know about your personal finances, but Lauren and I understand the principle of having savings for emergencies and a $700 million dollar budget shortfall is an emergency in my book. If the Senate plan is accepted, we should have about $175 million more in reserves for next year’s budget. Keep in mind, February’s revenue numbers were less than expected, so we are not out of the recessionary woods yet.

Education and education funding is and always will be a priority of mine. Of the Senate’s half of the Appropriation bills, 70% of the departments/agencies took cuts. Two that didn’t were IHL (universities and colleges) and junior/community colleges. We also agreed to level fund K-12 and had a clear plan to do so. In a year when a super majority of the agencies/departments take
cuts, but none of the education branches do, I would call those priorities. Tough calls have to be made when we are $700 million in the red, but I am proud that we were able to balance the budget without cutting education funding. Now, it is up to each district to decide how to spend their money. If you are concerned about teacher pay, or money going directly into the classroom, I would encourage you to hold your districts accountable for trimming the fat from their budgets. Some districts in the state are so top-heavy, that the educators in the trenches are being forced to make sacrifices that are not always necessary.

The only general bill we will take a look at is HB 620 which authorized several state agencies to develop a strategy that will eventually force all drivers to show proof of liability insurance coverage, giving tax assessors and collectors the ability to deny tags to those whose names don’t show up in an electronic database. It also adds various punishments for non-compliance. Far too many times, the person who chooses to be responsible and purchases insurance is found on the short side of the stick in an auto accident due to the number of uninsured motorists. We hope HB 620 is a step in the right direction to eradicate that issue.

The majority of the bills introduced in January are now dead. Those remaining are either on their way to the Governor’s desk for his signature or veto, or are headed back to their chamber of origination to see if that body agrees with the changes made in the other chamber. If so, they can concur and send those bills to the Governor. If they do not, they can either kill the bill, or invite conference to see if we can work out the differences between the House and Senate versions. If those differences are worked out, those bills will be sent to the Governor, if not, they will die.

Thank you for taking the time to read my legislative update. I look forward to seeing each of you in the district as the session begins to wind down. We have three weeks left to solve the budget and redistricting. Though the tasks are tough, I am confident that we will be able to pass plans that are fair and beneficial to our constituents. Thank you for allowing me to serve. Get ready to greet Lauren and me (and occasionally our baby girl) at your door as I begin a long Spring and Summer of campaigning! God bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, Friday, March 4, 2011

Last week the Senate passed legislation dealing with the new drug epidemic, “bath salts.” HB 1205 was adopted as a means of covering a larger variety of possible chemical combinations used to make the synthetic street drug. It is a companion bill several Senate Bills which seek to outlaw the sale or possession of the substance that currently is sold at convenience stores. I would like to publicly thank Lt. Curtis Spiers for his help with the bill I drafted to combat
this rapidly growing drug problem.

The Senate also passed House Bill 641 which creates harsher criminal penalties for teachers who engage in sexual misconduct with students. It also provides for suspension or revocation of the teacher's or administrator’s license for inappropriate behavior, and forces school superintendents to report the misconduct to the local district attorney.

Another bill we passed was HB 999 mandating school districts adopt sex education policies in hopes that it reduces teenage pregnancy and the rise of sexually transmitted diseases. Local districts already have the option to introduce sex education programs, but many have chosen not to do so. They can teach abstinence or abstinence plus. If abstinence plus is the choice, they cannot demonstrate how to apply contraceptives, and they must discuss the risks and failures of contraceptives. More importantly, abortion cannot be taught.

We made several changes to the bill to make it better before it made it out of the Senate. First, parents must now opt their child in, versus the original policy that made them opt out. Additionally, boys and girls must be in different class rooms when the course is taught.

Next week, we will see the remainder of the Appropriations bills and the redistricting resolutions. I hope you find these updates informational as we work through the session. We have roughly a month left, so please keep us in your prayers as we come to the most important part of the legislative calendar. As always, it is a pleasure to serve you in the legislature. Please let me know if I can ever be of service. God bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 25, 2011

We experienced a dose of hurry up and wait this week in the Senate.   A few bills were sent to the Governor for his signature or veto message.   One of the most important was SB 2289 that will increase from $100 to $500 the minimum fine for a first violation of the Open Meetings Act, with the second violation carrying a fine of $1,000.   Each member of a governmental body who votes to illegally close a meeting will be subject to the fine.   Current law allows for the fines to be paid by the violator with taxpayer funds, while the new law makes the official personally responsible.  Additionally, it assesses a $100 fine for anyone who denies access to public records.   We all understand the need for and desire transparency in our government and SB 2289 helps to bring us even closer to that goal.   Thankfully, the bill was signed by the Governor when it reached his desk.

Another bill that caught a good bit of attention and heat this week was SB 3100, the Senate’s version of the bond bill.   There were multiple amendments made to this bill in committee and on the floor, as it ballooned to a total of more than $400 million.   It contains close to $90 million for repairs and upgrades at the state’s universities, plus money for repairs and upgrades of state property, $25 million for repairs and upgrades at our Junior and Community colleges and $30 million for the construction of a Department of Public Safety building on state property in Rankin County.   Our state currently has a total bond indebtedness (compare this to your credit card debt at home) of roughly $3.8 billion.   We will retire approximately $270 million this year, and if we must pass a bond bill, I trust it will be much less than $270 million so we can make progress in paying off our debts.

We also passed SB 2515 that will eliminate the inventory tax on our businesses.   Under the proposed bill, the inventory tax will be gradually eliminated over the next five years.   The first year will result in a 20% reduction, with each of the next four years leading to an additional 20%.   The cities and counties will continue to collect the taxes and the business will receive a tax credit on the back end to ensure our cities and counties are made whole.   We are one of only 9 states that still collect an inventory tax, so this could become an additional recruitment tool for the state.

SB 2413 will create a Blue Alert system that will help in the apprehension of criminal suspects who either hurt or kill a law enforcement officer.   This will work very similarly to the Amber Alert system used to help find lost children.   I am thankful for the protections given to us by our law enforcement officers and pledge to continue supporting them as I serve in the Senate.

This week brings us the deadline for committee action on bills originating in the other chamber, so we will have some very busy days in our committees.   Next week will bring the deadline for floor action on bills originating in the other chamber, so we have two extremely busy weeks of work in front of us.   Additionally, redistricting efforts are coming to a close and the budget process is heating up.   Everyone can feel the tension rising in Jackson, so keep us in your prayers as we complete our session.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve.   Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns as the session begins to wind down.   God bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 18, 2011

I wanted to start this week’s update with an overview of a few more bills we passed two weeks ago.  SB 2742 will allow cities and counties to save money by being able to keep well maintained fire trucks in service for a longer time than the 10-15 years that they are normally kept before being traded for newer models.

SB 2127 will make the malicious mistreatment or torture of an animal a felony crime, and a companion measure, SB 2821, which is a little broader, makes it a felony to mistreat, hurt or kill in a malicious manner, any dog or cat.

SB 2053, a measure that is long overdue, will require drivers to show proof of liability insurance before being able to purchase tags.   While this will put more of a burden on the tax collectors around the state, it is well worth it if we can cut down on uninsured motorists.

If adopted, SB 2032 will make MS law mirror a federal provision that will require registered sex offenders to register their vehicles with law enforcement.   SB 2196 seeks to increases safety standards for ATV operators.   One of the provisions requires users to have a drivers license or a certificate from the Cooperative Extension Service proving they have completed a safety training course.

SB 2631 will establish a taskforce to find ways of increasing teacher salaries as a means of recruiting more talented and dedicated classroom instructors.   The average starting salary for Mississippi teachers is $30,900.   We must find a way to make our teachers some of the highest paid individuals in our state.   We entrust the minds of our children to them and expect great results. In return, we should make sure they are equally rewarded.

We will now take a look at this week’s action.   The Senate passed 54 appropriation measures covering some 75 agencies and/or divisions.   52 of the 75 divisions will see a decrease in funding if the Senate’s version of these bills passes the House. Among those seeing a slight increase, or level funding, are our Universities and colleges (IHL) and our junior and community colleges.   We have and will continue to try our best to maintain our commitment to providing the best education possible to our students.   We will also plan to level fund the K-12 education budget when it reaches our end of the hall.   Our appropriation bills will now go to the House for their consideration and will likely be discussed in conference.

Thanks for taking the time to read my latest update.   I think it is very important to make sure you have a good idea of what is taking place in your Capitol.   Please let me know if you ever have any questions or concerns about any legislation that is coming before the Senate.   Thanks again for allowing me to serve. God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 11, 2011

This week included the deadline for floor action on general bills originating in the Senate.   The weeks that have any type of deadline raise the intensity and pace of life in the legislature.   Last week’s and this week’s deadlines are the two most demanding of the entire session because of the number of bills that have to be sifted.   Now, all of the bills passed by the House will flood the Senate committees, and the process will start all over.   Of all the bills we passed this week, I want to focus on one that I believe is extremely important in my efforts to reform our public education system.   I will cover several other bills that garnered as much attention as SB 2774 in my update next week.

SB 2774 is a bill I authored that will allow the creation of public Charter schools in our state.   The basic idea behind a public Charter school is that they are given ultimate flexibility in return for ultimate accountability.   As to the ultimate flexibility component, they are freed from most policies and regulations handed down by the state board of education and local school districts including freedom to adjust curriculums, teaching methods and length of school days and years to boost student academic performance.

In return for this flexibility, public Charter schools are held to a higher standard than regular public schools.   If the public Charter school does not outperform other schools in the surrounding district, the Charter school is put on probation and/or its contract is revoked.   Additionally, the charter school’s administration can hire and fire all staff without having to go through all the bureaucracy in place in regular public schools. If the administrator or teacher is not performing to the standards set in his/her contract, he/she is fired.   Not slapped on the wrist, not given a 10 step appeals process, but fired.   This keeps people accountable for their performance.

Most school district superintendents do not like Charter schools.   The first point of contention they always raise is that charter schools will hurt other public schools because they take away funding from other schools within the district.   While charters receive the state funding amount allocated per each student under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (roughly $4,500), they do not receive any local dollars.  

Superintendents also argue that the Charter schools that outperform regular public schools do so because they cherry pick the best and brightest students.   My legislation expressly prohibits this from happening.   Any parent that is interested in sending his/her student to the Charter school can sign them up and is assured a spot as long as the school hasn’t reached full capacity.   If more students are signed up than the school can serve, a lottery system is used to field the initial class.   When room becomes available in subsequent years, additional students are accepted in the same manner.

Another argument often proffered by superintendents is that Charter schools are able to outperform public schools because they are not subject to the same regulations under which regular public schools must operate.   However, regular public schools have more flexibility than they care to discuss.   Moving the start date of school, how long the school year lasts, structure of the school day and several other options are at their disposal, but, in general, they choose to maintain the status quo.   Charter schools would start with that flexibility from day one.   They could then lend their best practices to the other public schools in the district, which leads to the last “fear” amongst superintendents - competition.

I am a firm believer that competition not only pulls the best out of top performing schools, but it pulls everyone up along with them.   You can find research in support of and against Charter schools.   The following factors lead to great Charter schools and can be found in my bill: strong, enabling legislation; a rigorous authorization process; and a close eye on Charter school results.   With those in place, Charter schools become an essential piece of the puzzle in moving our state’s education ranking up the ladder.   As a matter of fact, eight of the top ten states in education rankings have Charter schools.

If you are interested in learning more about Charter school, www.mississippifirst.org and www.edreform.com are two great sources of information.   Mississippi First has links to research organizations that support Charter schools and to those that oppose Charter schools.

The schools in my district are strong, but this is not so in all other parts of the state.   Bettering our education system is one of the reasons I ran for office and continues to drive my legislative goals.   There are no limits for a child who receives a great education.   It is my goal to open that door for as many Mississippi children as possible.   I look forward to discussing this and other legislation with you when I see you around the district.   Thanks again for allowing me to serve. God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 4, 2011

Following a hectic Tuesday filled with committee action, we spent all day Wednesday and Thursday debating bills on the Senate floor.   We passed some great bills this week, with the headliner, in my opinion, being SB 2301, The Mississippi Strategic Planning and Performance Budget System Act of 2011.

If you have ever taken the time to try to learn the current budget process, chances are, you got confused at some point; I know I did.   Not only will this bill streamline the process, but it will bring a key word to the budget table- accountability.   Under this bill, along with their portion of state funds, all agencies will be given clear goals, including benchmarks, to measure their performance.   If they meet expectations, their budget will not be cut the next year, unless we again find ourselves in a bad economy, but even then, not as bad as an underperforming agency.   Should they not meet expectations, their budget number will shrink.   This bill will help us to run the state government more like an efficient, productive business and less like a sluggish, money hungry bureaucracy.

A number of education bills cleared the floor, including SB 2392 that sets out stiff administrative consequences for teachers and other school personnel who engage in inappropriate behavior with students, and SB 2511 that allows school boards to auction 16th Section hunting leases, rather than taking bids, in an effort to raise more funds.

I appreciated and enjoyed all of your input of Facebook regarding SB 2793. This measure, if passed by the House and signed by the Governor, will ban text messaging by all drivers and include fines of up to $1,000. Under current law, those 16 and under are prohibited from texting while driving. I expect the bill to undergo multiple changes as it works its way through the legislative process.

One of the bills I drafted this session is SB 2516.   After stumbling across some information on Mississippi’s laws dealing with an injury to or the murder of an unborn child, I found that if a pregnant woman is assaulted, harm to the fetus is only a misdemeanor.   If the attack was fatal to the unborn child, capital murder was listed as a possible crime, but not murder.   As many of you are aware, we live in a society that embraces plea bargains, so only in the most gruesome cases would one be tried for capital murder.   SB 2516 gives our district attorneys more firepower in these cases by including murder as a possible charge, and by raising the punishment from a misdemeanor to a felony when a fetus is seriously injured.   Additionally, this bill further stresses the value and sanctity of life.   It passed the Senate on a unanimous vote and now has 28 additional co-authors.

Other bills passed include:
• SB 2469 will increase the areas in which concealed weapons can be carried by holders of concealed carry permits.   This was one of the NRA’s most important bills this session.
• SB 2530 will allow deer-breeding farms to be established throughout the state as a means of increasing revenue for landowners.   After discussing this bill with many of my hunting friends across the district, I voted against it, twice.
• SB 3289 will require homeschooled students to be tested for grade assignment before being placed into the public school system.
• SB 2152 would ensure that anyone receiving public assistance must be a legal citizen of the United States.   I drafted a similar bill that also included drug testing of every adult receiving certain public benefits, but the Chairman brought SB 2152 up instead.

Congratulations to our friends at Chevron on the big announcement Monday.   They received the go-ahead on the $1.4 Billion dollar Base Oil Project that has been rumored for quite some time now.   This will be the largest base oil operation in the world.  Not only was this great news for Chevron, but it is great news for Pascagoula, Jackson County and the entire state!

On a final note, we received the Census numbers this week, so the redistricting process will now kick into high gear.   The only thing I know for sure regarding District 51 is that we grew by almost 6,000 people.   I am sad in a way, as I know that means I will have to give up some of my district to another district that lost population.   I will keep you posted as I learn more.  We have definitely picked up steam in Jackson, so be on the lookout for plenty more legislative updates on my Facebook page.   As always, it is a pleasure to represent and serve such a great district. Thank you for placing your confidence in me.   It is something I do not take lightly.   God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, January 28, 2011

It was an incredibly busy week with multiple committee meetings taking place every day.   As I have mentioned a couple of times now, next Tuesday is the deadline for committee action on bills originating in the Senate.

As for floor action, the Senate passed SB 2498, known as the “Child Protection Act”.   It requires any suspected abuse of a child or minor be reported to authorities. Included are any providers in health care professions, members of the clergy, teachers, child care providers, law enforcement officials, film processors and video technicians.   These individuals have 48-hours in which to report the suspected abuse to law enforcement or the Department of Human Services.   Additionally, the law also requires DNA evidence to be retained by any physician who performs an abortion on a child under 14, and turned over to the Department of Public Safety.

Another bill sent to the House was SB 2617 that will require every physician who performs abortions to have privileges at local hospitals.  Currently, only one physician operating in a clinic where several perform the procedure is required to have that privilege.   This bill is just another road block trying to make it more difficult to perform abortions, while also ensuring that only qualified physicians can perform them.

One of the most pressing bills we will pass this session is SB 2226.   It will outlaw the sale of a synthetic drug legally sold at convenience stores under the name of “bath salts.”   If approved by the House and signed into law by the Governor, Senate Bill 2226 would set stiff penalties for anyone who sells, uses or possesses the substance, which contains toxic ingredients.   I encourage you to take a look at http://video.foxnews.com/v/4509624/are-bath-salts-americas-new-drug-problem.   It is an eye-opening look at the dangers of synthetic “bath salts.”

Monday and Tuesday of next week promise to be rather hectic with the committee deadline approaching.   We will then begin spending much more time on the floor debating the bills that came out of the committees.   I look forward to some vigorous floor fights in an effort to continue moving Mississippi forward.   Please email or call me if you see any legislation on which you have a strong opinion.   I’ve enjoyed seeing you around the district over the last few weeks and hope to continue throughout the session.   I truly appreciate your confidence in allowing me to serve. God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, January 21, 2011

We passed several pieces of legislation out of the Senate this week, including a comprehensive bill dealing with the lingering problem of illegal immigration.   As you may recall, we passed and the Governor signed into law SB 2988 in 2008.   It was the first piece of illegal immigration aiming to punish not only the illegal immigrants, but also the businesses that were trying to exploit cheap labor.   The new measure is an attempt to further protect Mississippi jobs and save state resources.

SB 2179, dubbed, “Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” among other things will require law enforcement to check the immigration status of people they suspect of being in the country illegally if, and only if, they stop the person for another reason.   An important provision found throughout SB 2179 expressly prohibits racial profiling.   The bill passed the Senate by a 34-15 vote.

In an effort to strengthen our ethics laws, the Senate approved SB 2596 that increased from $10 to $100 the daily penalty that elected officials face for failure to file a Statement of Economic Interest in a timely manner.   Officials have a 45-day grace period if they miss the May 1, deadline.  Records showed that 1,200 of 6,000 officials, who filed the report in 2010, missed the deadline.  Any money collected through the fines will be deposited into the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.  The bill also establishes a $100 fine for anyone who denies citizens access to public records.

SB 2289, The “Meetings Accountability Act,” raises the fine for knowingly and recklessly violating the Open Meetings Act to a maximum of $1,000 in an effort to promote more open and accountable government.   More importantly, the bill recommends that fine be paid by the persons who committed the violations instead of being paid from public funds.

Next week will kick the pressure up as it is the week before the deadline for committee action on bills originating in the Senate.   I’ve decided to wait until the committee deadline passes to outline the bills I have that make it onto the Senate floor.   I look forward to seeing you around Jackson County. Thanks again for allowing me to serve.   God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, January 14, 2011

We had another busy week in the Senate, as the deadline to request legislation passed Wednesday.   After Wednesday’s deadline, we were pressed to make sure all of our bills were fine tuned as Monday, January 17th is the deadline to introduce general legislation.   Several committees took up bills that were pre-filed and other committees had hearings on some ideas that were coming down the pike.

On Friday, we passed SB 2472, “Nathan’s Law,” that would increase penalties for unlawfully passing a stopped school bus.  This bill is an effort to increase the level of safety for children, following the death of five year old Nathan Key of Jones County who was killed after stepping off his school bus by an impatient driver in December of 2009.   We passed a similar version last year, but the House watered it down and actually weakened current law.   We hoped Chairman Blackmon would change his position this year, but he recently passed the same weak bill out of his committee that he offered last year.   It’s disappointing when the safety of our children cannot transcend politics.

Since the deadline to file bills is next week, I will hold off on my bill summaries until then.   In the meantime, for those who are technologically advanced, please take a look at my Facebook page as I will try to post a “Bill for the Day” starting on Tuesday, January 18th until we have discussed each of my proposed bills.   Thanks again for allowing me to serve. I look forward to seeing you in the district! Take care, and God bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, January 7, 2011

The Mississippi Senate was welcomed back to the Capitol with a whirlwind week.  I'm not sure if it is due to this being an election year, or because redistricting is upon us, but this was the craziest first week of my time in the Senate. 

For our first measure of business, we joined the House in passing HB 403 that will secure California-based Stion's new manufacturing facility in Hattiesburg.  The leading manufacturer of high efficiency, thin-film solar panels will hire up to 1,000 workers within six years, with salaries averaging $43,000 per year.  Additionally, Stion will invest $500 million in the state and will be located in the old Sunbeam building.  In return, HB 403 authorizes a $75 million, low-interest loan.

In an historic act, The Senate approved a resolution that allowed Lt. Governor Bryant to appoint the Reverend Ben James of Prentiss Baptist Church as the first Chaplain of the Mississippi Senate.  Rev. James will serve on a voluntary basis to provide spiritual counseling and prayers to members and staff and will attend at least one day per week during the regular session.  In these tough times, I am thankful we will have a spiritual adviser around the Capitol on a regular basis, as tensions will rise at times.

We also received petitions for three ballot initiatives you will be voting on in the November 8, general election.  One item, commonly known as Personhood Mississippi, seeks to ban abortion by stating that life begins at conception, not birth.  Another seeks to limit government’s power of eminent domain for economic development purposes.  The third initiative, Voter ID, has gained the most attention.  This measure would allow citizens to decide whether photo identification should be required before a person can vote.

General bills must be filed by January 17th, so the pace will pick up even more with the addition of committee meetings following that deadline.  The remainder of the session projects to be rather difficult as we try to hammer out the budget and redraw the legislative districts.  Those two subjects will obviously dominate the majority of our time and attention. 

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve.  It has been a great honor and I look forward to doing my best for you this year!  I look forward to seeing you around the district on the weekends during session. Keep us in your prayers, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, March 19, 2010

This week we agreed with HB 1566 that will allow processed food products grown by Mississippi farmers to be sold without tax from any farmers markets that have been certified by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Currently, most agriculture products exempt from tax must be sold in their original condition. The exceptions allowed under this bill should allow growers to expand their markets by entering the prepared foods arena, possibly creating larger business opportunities. I hope part of what results from this bill is the sale of much more healthy foods, so Mississippi’s own can help fight the obesity problem we are witnessing.

We received the House’s approval on SB 2651 that will limit the information printed on credit and debit card receipts as a means of decreasing the chances of fraud. This is a common sense bill that will make a difference in the lives of every Mississippian.

Additionally, we secured House approval of SB 2642, the Armed Forces Absentee Voting Law to make our law comply with federal statutes. This will make it easier for our soldiers to cast their votes, one of the many rights they are fighting so hard for each of us to keep.

We amended HB 1715 that authorizes the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health each to borrow up to $80 million, then cities and counties could in turn borrow from to finance certain water and sewer related projects at a reduced interest rate.

Senate conferees are currently engaged in discussions with members of the House to try and craft a Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Additionally, we will go to conference with the House and negotiate the Senate’s position on the following bills:

* SB 2293 promotes creation of open-enrollment public charter schools, an alternative education choice that more closely involves parents in the process and sets higher learning standards for students. They offer ultimately flexibility to meet our children where they are, in exchange for ultimate accountability. If they do not get the job done, public charter schools can be closed down.

* SB 2923 that seeks to classify domestic violence as assault and provide a mandatory 24-hour cooling off period in which the aggressor would have to stay away from the victim.

* SB 2989 would allow certain school boards to turn buildings that are no longer needed or being used over to worthy non-profit agencies.

* HB 1716 that would provide a $4 per acre tax credit to landowners willing to convert or dedicate portions of land for use as a natural area preserve, a wildlife refuge or habitat area, a wildlife management area, or for the purpose of providing public outdoor recreational opportunities.

* SB 2393 that will allow asthmatic children to administer their own medications at school, should they need it.

Thank you for allowing me to serve. I look forward to seeing many of you this weekend at the Mule Pull and Baseball Opening Ceremonies in Vancleave, and at the Old Fashion Day festivities in Hurley. Keep us in your prayers. God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, March 5, 2010

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my reasoning behind voting against SB 2688 and sustaining the Governor’s veto two weeks ago (If you missed it, take a look at www.senatorwatson.com, click on the newsletter tab and read the February 26th report). Those were two of the toughest votes I have had to make during my three years, but I truly believed they were the right votes, especially knowing that SB 2495 was already in conference and was a much sounder bill. I made a commitment to you to be fiscally responsible when I came to Jackson, and that was one of the biggest reasons for those votes. I was also very concerned with MGCCC and its funding, as well as literally thousands of prisoners being released. Let me repeat, it was NOT a vote against education, and anyone that painted it as such was terribly mistaken.

I am extremely excited to report to you this week that SB 2495 was passed by both chambers and is awaiting the Governor’s signature! SB 2495 has more than $37 million of restoration funding for K-12 education, including more money for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and the National Board Certified Teachers than SB 2688 included. MGCCC will also receive a larger portion of funding and corrections will be made whole. To cap it off, we did all of this without dipping into our reserves more than we allotted for this year.

Many teachers and other educators were very upset with my votes on SB 2688. I know it is easier said than done, but please trust that I have your best interest in mind. I have always supported public education and always will. Without mine, I would not have made it here representing you in Jackson. If you have questions about a vote I make in the future, please feel free to email or call me and ask why, as there are always two sides to the story.

Another measure dealing with education was HB 1170 that will allow school districts to furlough personnel across the board for up to five non-instructional days. Two of those days are mandatory and include all employees. It also gives districts the choice of reducing the number of school days from 180 to 175, as a budgetary option in light of continually declining state revenues, which have caused the Governor to trim $458.5 million from the budget. Ten states currently have school years shorter than 180 days. The 180 day standard includes 990 hours of instruction time per year (roughly 27.5 hours per week). If HB 1170 reaches the Governor’s desk in its current form and the required number of days is reduced to 175, but we retain the 990 hours of instruction time per year (increase the hours per week to 28.3), we would only have to add 9.6 minutes of instruction time per day. Simply put, if we add a mere ten minutes of instruction time to our school day, we would more than make up the instructional time lost by cutting out five instructional days. The economy is forcing us to “think outside of the box”. This is another creative cost saving measure.

A few more bills we passed include HB 607 that will extend to six years the time in which timber theft can be prosecuted. Many times, distant property owners don’t discover they have been victimized until years after the timber is stolen. HB 1157 seeks an additional $100 fee charged to convicted sex offenders to help offset the cost of maintaining a DNA database. It will establish an additional $300 fee to be charged to persons convicted of felonies or enrolled in pretrial intervention programs in which the state Crime Lab provided laboratory analysis or forensic services.

Other bills passed included:

* HB 1456 will require any pathologist performing autopsies to be certified by the American Board of Pathology and deemed qualified by the Department of Public Safety.

* HB 1070 will allow the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to issue a special hunting permit to children under the age of 18, who are suffering life threatening illnesses.

* HB 1047 will create a task force to seek solutions to teacher shortages.

* HB 113 seeks to have governmental agencies charge only actual costs for reproduction of public records requested by citizens. It also seeks to reduce the waiting period for such information from 14 to 7 working days.

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve. Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward and tackle the FY 2011 budget. I have a feeling it will be much tougher than this year. I look forward to seeing you around the district, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 26, 2010

After talking to several teachers and reading many emails from concerned teachers across the state, it has come to my attention that there are some misconceptions regarding Senate Bill 2688. I want to take a few minutes to explain the bill and then let you know about Senate Bill 2495, which is a better alternative for restoring some of the cuts to education and other state agencies.

As many of you may remember, education was a strong part of my campaign platform, and my voting record has been consistent with that position. I believe education must remain a top priority and I will continue to support education and teachers. I understand that you do not get to see all of the information that we see, so let's examine the facts surrounding SB 2688.

The bill would have restored $79 million to the budget cuts that the Governor has been forced to make because of the economic downturn, but it was an irresponsible piece of legislation. Though we all desire immediate restorations, our eagerness must be tempered with dutiful consideration of the future.

Following the House amendments, SB 2688 became a flawed bill that dipped too deeply into reserves we will require for years to come.

Even worse, in effect, it would have reduced funding for Community and Junior Colleges. With MGCCC representing an indispensable part of our community, the legislature must find ways to adequately fund the institution. If not, MGCCC would have suffered a significant tuition increase of roughly 40% according to Dr. Lott, coupled with staff reductions. In an effort to assist Community and Junior Colleges, the Governor agreed to earmark $19.6 million of his discretionary funds to restore part of their cuts. But the passage of SB 2688 would have forced the Governor to reallocate his earmark to Corrections, since SB 2688 only appropriated a miserly $1 Million for restorations. The commissioner had previously warned that without additional restorations, corrections would be forced to release thousands of prisoners, resulting in a clear threat to public safety.

Since corrections had already been cut $29.5 million during FY10, the passage of SB 2688 would have resulted in the Governor spending $19.6 million of his discretionary funds, originally earmarked for Community and Junior Colleges, on the Department of Corrections. Sadly, the bill did not adequately fund community colleges or corrections, and its practical application would have potentially harmed one of our region's most important institutions. Moreover, spending a large percentage of the Governor’s discretionary money on corrections in this fiscal year alone is both short-sighted and fiscally reckless.

We must keep in mind that our budgetary crises is in its infancy; so reserves must be spent wisely. For FY10, the projected General Fund shortfall is $458.5 million. Loss of federal stimulus money and expected unavoidable increases will result in a $795 million structural shortfall in FY11 and a $1.3 billion structural shortfall in FY12. A responsible use of the Health Care Trust Fund will therefore be required to support declining state revenues for up to four years.

There is $218 million currently in the Health Care Trust Fund. Accounting for earnings and interest, the $58 million figure suggested by the Governor will allow it to be spent in FY10, FY11, FY12, and FY13; thereby cushioning our economic downfall. Had the Senate overridden the veto and adopted the reckless House plan to spend almost $70 million from the HCTF for what remains of FY10, the fund would be depleted far too quickly, leaving us without reserves for future lean years. Regarding our other reserves, one-third of the rainy day fund ($115 million) has already been spent in FY10. By now, I hope you are getting a realistic understanding of the realities our state economy is facing right now, and the need to make sure our reserves are not depleted too quickly. We will need the reserves even more in 2011 and 2012.

Responsible long-term planning is necessary, since revenue shortfalls will continue in FY11, FY12 and beyond. The non-partisan National Governor’s Association told Congress last year that the states’ fiscal picture will continue to deteriorate over the next two years. Studies on past recessions also indicate that the next few years are going to be very tight for all of us. According to a joint report of the NGA and the National Association of State Budget Officers, state revenue will not return to FY08 levels until 2014 or 2015.

Spending down our financial reserves in less than four years amounts to feasting today knowing we will starve tomorrow. For example, every dollar SB 2688 dedicates to FY10 (which ends June 30) would come directly out of the FY11 appropriation. If we do not carefully utilize reserves, cuts would be potentially devastating in subsequent years.

Lastly, though SB 2688 is dead, it was not the only vehicle by which education restorations could be realized, and here is where the good news starts. Senate Bill 2495 is already in conference and could come out to the floor of each Chamber within the week. Had the House been committed to more than playing political games, they would have proceeded to conference on SB 2495 before using SB 2688 as a vehicle for reckless raids on much-needed reserves and an eventual justification for future tax increases. I believe we are all on the same page in not desiring any tax increases.

My votes were not votes against funding education. They were votes against reckless spending because I knew SB 2495 was a sounder piece of legislation during these tough economic times. Additionally, under SB 2495, K-12 education stands to receive a larger portion of restoration funding, including a bigger portion for NBCTs. You have my word on this, I will continue my quest to properly fund public education, as well as maintain a financially solvent state for our future.

Thank you for allowing me to explain my position. I hope I have alleviated some of your concerns and trust you will forward this to your faculty and staff for the same purpose. I would be happy to meet with you and your faculty to further hear your concerns and answer any questions you may have. I welcome your participation as we work to weather this economic downturn together.

God bless,

Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 19, 2010

Though we studied and voted on numerous measures this week, I wanted to focus on one bill that I think led to the most significant vote we have cast this year. In a split vote, 26-22, SB 2688 was approved as amended by the House of Representatives to increase to $79 million the amount of money that would be used to partially restore some agency budgets.

SB 2495, the Senate’s original position had been to restore $58 million (and has since been moved to $68 million as we found an additional $10 million), but that bill is stuck in the conference process. Although SB 2688 restores more money to MAEP, it takes that money from Junior Colleges, Corrections, and other critical areas. It will also force us to further dip into our reserve funds, a move that I believe will prove very costly if the Governor's veto is overridden. We are currently $458 million behind projected revenue for Fiscal Year 2010. That estimate grows to roughly $800 million in FY 2011 and 1.3 billion in FY 2012. Should we use a disproportionate share of our reserve funds this year, we will have less money to soften an even harder blow next year. I think it is easier to digest gradual cuts than it is to fall off of a cliff.

Make no mistake, education is extremely important to me and I have shown it to be a priority with my voting record. However, I also believe having a solvent state is just as important to our children's futures. Some may try to paint my vote on SB 2688 as anti-education, but those same people choose not to look at the entire picture of our state's budget. You sent me to Jackson to be fiscally responsible, and that is exactly what I intend to do. We will do our very best to make sure our children's futures are on steady footing. Keep us in your prayers.

Appropriation and Revenue bills will be discussed next week.

Thank you for allowing me to serve. I look forward to seeing you around the district. Please feel free to call and/or email me if I can ever be of service.   Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 12, 2010

With this past Thursday being the deadline for floor action on bills originating in the Senate, we spent many long hours on the floor debating the merits of all the bills that made it out of the committee process. Of the many bills we sent to the House for their consideration was SB 2506, which will lower legislative pay by 10% during the state’s economic downturn. With all of the cuts being made to various agencies across the State, we felt like it was important for all State employees to know that we were not immune to tough times they are facing. It was definitely the right thing to do in light of the fact that January revenue collections were $40.5 million below FY 2010 estimates, marking the seventh straight month of declines.

Another cost-saving measure, SB 2904, seeks to add $5 to the $50 monthly fee charged to former inmates who are either on probation, parole or earned-release supervision.

SB 2521 was passed in the hopes of creating a “Silver Alert,” system that will allow law enforcement to begin an immediate search for missing elderly persons who suffer from the debilitating conditions faced by those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. It would also help to secure the public’s assistance with those searches, much like the Amber Alert program.

SB 2961 would revise anti-stalking laws, giving law enforcement greater powers to combat the crime and allow citizens more latitude in securing peace bonds or restraining orders. It also seeks authority to have sex offenders who are accused of stalking charged with aggravated stalking. SB 2238, the “Mississippi Child Protection Act of 2010," will expand the list of persons who must report to authorities suspected child sexual abuse to include members of the clergy, teachers, care providers and others. As you have heard me say before, one of the most important parts of my job as a Senator is to help protect those who cannot protect themselves.

SB 2432 would require motorists to show proof of liability insurance when they purchase their automobile tag. I have heard from far too many constituents who have been in accidents with people who did not have car insurance. That is an unfair practice and SB 2432 is aimed at ending those situations.

Another measure, Senate Bill 2859, seeks to ban the sale of novelty cigarette lighters that are designed to look like toys and have a history of being dangerous to children. Recalls on these items go back as far as 1994, when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C., began receiving complaints from states where children had been hurt while using them. Several of these lighters were passed out in the Jud B committee meeting when we considered this measure. I was shocked that very few them, if any, had safety devices. Had I not been told they were lighters, I wouldn't have known until I accidently triggered a flame.

SB 2293 would create both conversion and open-enrollment public Charter Schools where parents could opt to place their children. As many of you know, this is an idea I have been advocationg for a couple of years now. The flexibility granted to public Charter schools allows them to get away form the "one size fits all" mentality found in most of our current public schools. Additionally, the ultimate accountability demands results or the school is shutdown. That would never happen in our current public schools, as we would just continue pouring money on the problem without trying to figure out how to properly address the issue. Having said that, the Children's First Act we passed last year is a step in the right direction as it will better hold public school leadership's feet to the fire.

I have heard time and time again from Superintendent's across the State that we don't need Charter schools, we just need to fix what we have. I have one problem with that. It sounds great, but nothing is happening. Our education system is consistently ranked at or near the bottom by every single study I have read. Research has proven when public Charter schools are done right, they offer a much better education than their surrounding schools. It also shows an element of competition between regular public schools and public Charter schools, which ultimately raises the level of education for both.

Lastly, there is vast amount of federal funding for the startup of these schools, which would continue to exist only if their students surpassed the academic standards of existing public schools. The "Race to the Top" fund would make Mississippi eligible for up to $175 million in Federal funds for education. We all know the importance of education, and we all know our current budget situation.

Other items passed by the Senate included:

SB 2595 that seeks to ban text messaging by all motorists while the vehicle is in motion. It would also require drivers under the age of 18 to use hands free devices while driving.

SB 2923 would place domestic violence under the code section of assault, toughening penalties. t provides a 24-hour cooling off period in which the aggressor would have to stay away from the victim. This measure is important when considering the fact that the U.S. Center for Disease Control reported in 2009 that 4.8 million women each year are assaulted by a male acquaintance.

SB 2911, the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program, will finance new fire trucks for cities and counties.

SB 2408 would stop the hunting of deer with dogs in the Homochitto National Forest by nonresident hunters. For the record, after hearing from many of my hunting constituents, I voted against this measure. In my opinion, this is a problem local law enforcement should crack down on.

SB 2802 would require that election managers be registered voters in the districts where they oversee elections.

Our next deadline will be for committee action on bills originating from the House. We will fire up the committee process on Monday and will continue to work through the bills as quickly as possible. Thank you for allowing me to serve. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or opinions on the bills we will be debating in the weeks to come. I look forward to seeing you around the District, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 5, 2010

This week was packed with long committee meetings and several long days on the floor. Tuesday was the deadline for committee action.   This coming Thursday is the deadline for action on the floor for bills originating in our chamber, so Wednesday started what looks to be 7 long days of floor debates and votes.

One of the first bills we passed was HB 512, which will require a prescription for the purchase of certain over-the-counter medications containing pseudoephedrine, a key component in the illegal production of methamphetamine.   There were great arguments on both sides of the issue, with the strongest coming from the law enforcement side.   They have been overwhelmed in recent months arresting those manufacturing crystal meth inside their homes.   The number of stories we heard about children being exposed to the harmful chemicals used to make the drug, children being abandoned and abused, and about parents trading sex with their children for the drug were quite compelling in support of the legislation.   Additionally, cleanup of a meth lab costs between $4,500 and $7,000, not including the damage done to families.   Even though most argue the more than 24 substitute medicines that will remain on the shelves do not work as effectively as those with pseudoephedrine, the number of lives we hope this legislation will save and or change is worth the inconvenience.   If it does not work, I will lead the charge to repeal the law should the Governor sign it.

On Friday, we restored roughly $25.6 million to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program with hopes that our teachers will not face layoffs.   We also restored some funding for our Assistant District Attorneys, our National Board Certified teachers and a few other critical areas like Corrections.   In an attempt to head these types of budgeting issues off in the future, we passed SB 2816, a performance based budgeting plan.   If signed into law, it will require agencies to become more efficient and maximize their performance.   It will save money beginning in 2012, by making agencies further justify the budgets they seek from the Legislature.  The PEER Committee will then conduct annual audits to gauge each agency’s efficiency.

Other bills that passed the Senate this week include:

SB 2393 that will allow the self-administration of prescription asthma/anaphylaxis medication by students who suffer from asthma, which would amount to some children being able to attend school on a more regular basis. A plan signed by a physician for administering the medicines will be on file at the school and administrators would be trained at administering the medicines at the expense of the American Lung Association of Mississippi.

SB 2623 will make the charge of animal cruelty a felony as it relates to the gross mistreatment of dogs and cats.

SB 2213 will allow parents to invest in college savings plans in states other than Mississippi.

SB 2753 would allow citizens to enter into payment plans with the Mississippi Tax Commission for up to 60 months.

SB 2383 would lower from .10 to .08, the blood alcohol level of boat operators in an effort to keep the waterways safe.

SB 2058 would allow prosecutors to seek life without parole sentences for the rape or sexual battery of a child under the age of 12.

SB 2015, the anti-bullying bill, would encourage school districts by July 2011, to adopt tough policies that prohibit bullying.

SB 2215 would require persons under age 16, to wear a safety helmet and obtain a certificate to show they have undergone a safe driver course when using an ATV on public lands.

SB 2039 would raise the standard requirements for State Trooper applicants.

SB 2373 would strengthen the Open Meetings Law and increase the maximum fine to $1,000 for those found to be in violation of the law.

SB 2625 adds terrorism to the list of capital offenses.

SB 2297 would encourage school districts to have their students participate in the honoring of uniformed veterans or the families of fallen military personnel on Veterans Day, November 11th.

Over the coming weeks the Senate will continue to work through Senate and House bills as discussions continue over how best to fund government as revenue collections remain far below original projections. To date, we are roughly $437 million behind projections. We could be behind as much as $800 million by the end of this fiscal year. I trust each of you will understand our actions as we continue to cut expenses to stay within our means. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of service.

Thank you for allowing me to serve, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, January 29, 2010

We spent the majority of our time this week in committee meetings trying to weed through over a thousand bills. Though the majority of the bills will die in committee, those that will come out were carefully reviewed and will be before the entire Senate in early February. As in years past, a great number of bills were filed to modify laws already on the books in order to improve the quality of life for our constituents.

Among the matters that have been discussed were senate bills that would hold income tax preparers more responsible for ensuring their work is accurate, funding of state agencies, creation of charter schools, general education funding, toughening penalties for animal cruelty and legislation that would make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug in order to combat the production of methamphetamine. February 2nd marks the deadline for senate bills to make it out of their assigned committees. We will then spend the majority of our time hammering out the final details on the floor before the entire Senate. We then face a February 11th deadline for floor action on all general bills and Constitutional amendments originating in the Senate.

As always, thank you for placing me in a position to represent you in the Mississippi Senate. I consider it such an honor and will continue to do my best to make you proud. Please let me know if I can ever help. I will be in Vancleave for coffee this Saturday morning, February 6th at Hood's BP station from 6:30 until about 7:45, so feel free to stop by and visit. I look forward to seeing you around the district, Michael

Senate Weekly Report, January 22, 2010

This week we passed "Nathan's Law", which is legislation designed to further protect children as they enter and leave stopped school buses. Just before Christmas last year, little Nathan lost his life when he was struck by a vehicle driven by a 23 year-old young man who was passing a stopped school bus. Unfortunately, Nathan's mom was standing across the street awaiting his arrival. Among the new protections is a larger buffer zone around a stopped school bus with it's exit arms extended. The bill also prohibits those with an intermediary license from using there cell phone in school zones, as well as a few other restrictions. It also provides additional criminal penalties for negligently passing a school bus while children are loading or unloading.

We also passed SB 2775 that will allow agency heads to streamline their workforces as needed in order to operate with reduced funding. This bill is one of the most critical we will pass all year as it will greatly reduce the pressure on agency heads to cut spending, which is a must if we are going to make it through this recession.

Another measure, SCR 565, passed giving support to the state’s humanitarian efforts in assisting the residents of Haiti following the January 12, earthquake that devastated the country. It also urged the Governor and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to continue to assist in Haiti’s continued healing. Following our experience with Hurricane Katrina, we should be among the first to respond to others in need as we saw such an outpouring of support in our time of need.

They were 1,102 Senate bills filed for the 2010 Session , including SB 2350 that I filed to shrink the size of the Legislature. The House would be cut from 122 members to 70 members and the Senate from 52 to 30 members.

Other bills that were filed include:

* Senate Bill 2012 would require that hospitals report to police any cases of suspected domestic violence.

* Senate Bill 2007 seeks to provide a minute each day for quiet reflection by school children.

* Senate Bills 2024 and 2339 would make ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, drugs for which a prescription is required to obtain. The substances are found in cold and allergy medications and are used in the illegal production of methamphetamine.

* Senate Bill 2025 would require that realtors inform home buyers if methamphetamine was ever produced on the property.

We have a great task before us, but I trust we have the right leaders in place to guide us through these tough times. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I could be of further service.

Mississippi Senate Report, January 15, 2010

This week, we passed SB 2495 that will allow the governor to cut state agency budgets up to 10%, in light of a $400 million revenue shortfall. Proponents of the measure, which passed on a 29-19 vote, favored extending the governor’s budget cutting authority to minimize the chance of massive future cuts that would result in layoffs, job losses and the early release of 3,500 felons from the Department of Corrections, which would also have to reduce its staff. Those opposed to the bill wanted the governor to take money from other areas to cover the revenue shortage, including the Rainy Day Fund. This is a very risky proposal with the uncertainty of future revenues, which we expect to continue to lag behind our already conservative projections. To date, $225 million has been cut from the 2010 Fiscal budget, with future cuts of up to $175 million being possible.

There have been 570 bills filed at this point and budget discussions are underway. As many of you know, we left session following Thursday morning, due to the continued inconveniences created by broken water pipes throughout Jackson. Please contact your representatives and encourage them to support SB 2495. Thank you for allowing me to serve. Please contact me if I can ever be of service.

Mississippi Senate Report, May 8, 2009

As we returned to Jackson to try to finish up our 2010 budget this week, both Chambers overwhelmingly passed a 50-cents per pack cigarette tax increase that will ensure the cost of car tags do not increase because of inaction by the Legislature. The increase will replenish the Car Tag Reduction Fund, which has suffered lower than expected revenues because of a sluggish economy that has seen fewer new car sales. As some of you know, the Legislature created the Car Tag Reduction Fund in the early 1990's to try and give all tax payers some relief on their car tags. Unfortunately, we were being blamed for a problem we did not create, but I am glad we were able to offer a common sense solution. More importantly, I would like to applaud the Lt. Governor, Phil Bryant, for his suggestion of forming a joint committee to study the oft asked question of why our car tags are so high in the first place. I hope the Speaker of the House will join Gov. Bryant and help find the answer.

As to the cigarette tax increase, revenues generated are projected to be roughly $106 million in 2009, of which $25 million will be used to keep car tags at the current rate, if not a little bit lower. In the next fiscal year, the increase will allow $27 million to be placed into the Car Tag Reduction Fund, again keeping our citizens from paying higher rates. It marked the first time in more than 20 years that the tax on cigarettes was raised. Other than keeping Mississippi’s car tag prices stable, the increase on cigarettes should also help prevent children from smoking. Another great piece of information connected to the cigarette tax increase is the decrease in adults who smoke. We were given the following projections that strengthen the argument for the increase: 8.5% decrease in youth smoking which equates to roughly 16,000 children that will be kept from becoming adult smokers, 9,700 adult smokers in the state who would quit, 2,200 smoking affected births avoided over the next 5 years, 7,600 Mississippians saved from premature smoking-caused deaths and a long term health savings of close to $400 million. While I am totally against any tax increases, this is the only one that made sense to me when considering the long term results. Additionally, The Governor is expected to sign this bill.

The last thing I would like to say about the cigarette tax is that I am now encouraging my colleagues in both chambers to lower other taxes when the economy turns around. We have grown from a general fund revenue stream of just under $3.6 billion the year Governor Barbour took office to roughly $5 billion this year. The downturn has forced us past the stage of cutting the "fat" from our budget, as we are now getting into the "meat". However, it is allowing us to see what cuts we can and should sustain when we come out of this recession.

In the brief Special Session we passed House Bill 1 that will allow counties to transfer money from their general funds to finance road and bridge construction when needed.

Unfortunately, we were not able to finalize the budget with the passage of the cigarette tax increase. Our conferees remain in discussion with House members and I look forward to their speedy completion of the upcoming budget, which will include approximately $2.8 billion in federal stimulus money. We are scheduled to return at 1 p.m. on May 26, when we hope to adopt the budget.

I look forward to seeing you around the district. Let me say a big Congratulations to the East Central Lady Hornets for winning the State Championship in Softball this year. I am very proud of you! I understand one of my pages this year, Hailey Hudson, is a budding superstar on the team. I guess your time at the Capitol served you well. I also want to wish the East Central Hornets luck in this weekend's State baseball Championship. As most of you know, they are the defending Champs. I am very proud of you as well and look forward to your victory.

Thanks for allowing me to serve, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, March 27, 2009

During another hectic week at the Capitol, we approved SB 2280 that will ban text messaging by intermediate and beginning drivers. It will also add six months to the time required to obtain their permanent drivers licenses. A teenager will have to be 16-years-old to qualify for an intermediate license, which allows some unsupervised driving, instead of the current age of 15 ½. This gives them more time to learn from an experienced driver and develop safer driving skills. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that drivers between 15 and 24 years of age represent less than 15-percent of the driving population, but are responsible for roughly 30-percent of automobile related injuries at a cost of about $19 billion. They also reported the first year teenagers are eligible to drive is the riskiest. We hope the Governor will sign this bill and add another level of safety for our teenage drivers.

We approved House amendments to SB 2032 making it a felony for retail operators to misrepresent the grade of gasoline, diesel or other motor fuels. Anyone caught and convicted of selling a lower grade product than what they advertise it to be will be subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and prison sentence of up to five years.

We also approved a bond bill that gives $12 million for the construction of a new, state of the art Crime Lab that our prosecutors and law enforcement officials have long asked for. Building this facility will allow them to save money by reducing their need to use privately run laboratories for DNA processing.

That same bond bill includes $35 million to pay for upgrades, repairs and existing projects at our colleges and universities and an additional $12.25 million for repairs and upgrades at our community and junior colleges.

As I mentioned last week, we are set to recess the session until sometime in May when we know more about the federal stimulus package and how that money can be spent. Please continue emailing and calling me with your concerns. I am truly enjoying serving as your Senator, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, March 20, 2009

The session is slowly winding down, and though it’s a tough budget year, we passed HB 1677 that will fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program for the third consecutive year. Additionally, it increases the amount of money we give teachers for classroom supplies from $6 million to $13 million. As I said during my campaign, we should fully fund MAEP every year and not just in election years. That was a promise I made and a promise I intend to keep. I believe education is the cornerstone of our future and we must continue to make it a priority. Unfortunately, the slowing economy is bearing down on Mississippi now. On Friday, we learned the state is $100 million behind our projected revenue for the 2009 budget year and we also lowered our 2010 projected revenue by an additional $400 million. With those numbers in mind, we may not be able to fully find MAEP in the next couple of years. Though it is a priority, when you don’t have the money, you can’t spend it.

In another education related issue, we amended HB 1722 that would provide bond money for $20 million in repairs, renovations and the completion of existing projects at our major colleges and universities. It also authorized $6 million for our junior and community colleges. Money for upgrades at other valuable facilities like the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi is included as well.

Of much interest to our district, HB 1697 puts an additional $20 million into the wind pool. This much needed bill will not only help keep insurance premiums from rising along the Gulf Coast, but it should also help to cut some current rates. This is the number one hurdle to rebuilding the Coast and we believe this legislation is the first step in the right direction.

In light of a tough economy that may not improve until 2011, we approved HB 1623 that creates incentives for cities and counties to grow their own revenue streams by forming entertainment districts to showcase the unique talents of their region. Branson, Missouri is a great example of what could happen through these incentives. HB 1623 and SB 2336, that would create a Country Music Trail, are tools we will use to attract more tourists.

SB 2709, which was recently signed into law, will require DNA evidence to be collected in felony criminal cases including rapes and homicides. This will give police and prosecutors greater latitude in solving crimes and will help build a future database that should speed up investigations.

Due to several questions related to the federal stimulus money and more possible budget cuts, the legislative session could be recessed later this week and resumed sometime in May when we have more information before us. I believe such a break is needed to make sure we make the right decisions in such tough economic times.

Thank you so much for allowing me to serve. I look forward to seeing you in the district in the next few weeks. God Bless, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, March 13, 2009

This week we learned that our $1 billion share of Federal Stimulus money will allow us to fund government at the same level of service that was projected prior to Governor Barbour’s $200 million cut early on because of declining revenue. However, I personally asked the Governor how many complaints his office has been receiving due to a decline in governmental services caused by the budget cuts. He told me he has not heard any such complaints and I suggested we use that money elsewhere. Government has grown too big. Anytime we can cut the size of government we should, especially when we are cutting pure fat.

At the moment, we’re in a budget shuffle due to the restrictions on how we can use some of the stimulus money. Medicaid is one of the biggest areas targeted by the stimulus. Even though the money coming down can get us through this year, we still have to find long-term funding for Medicaid. We have now dealt with this issue three years in a row. I believe it is past time to bring all parties to the table so we can discuss the issue as grown ups and find a solution. Our State deserves as much.

One of the smaller measures we passed was HB 856. This bill removes the sales tax from prepared meals sold to students at our colleges and universities. Though this doesn't sound like much, I remember how strapped for cash I was in college and how much every penny meant. I am sure our students and their parents will be delighted to hear this news.

Another piece of legislation that may not sound like much, but will have a huge impact is HB 379. If signed by the Governor, this bill would allow inmates at the Department of Corrections to help Habitat for Humanity or the Fuller Center for Housing Inc., both nonprofit organizations, to make repairs to the homes of needy persons. The inmates would have to meet two conditions: be low level offenders and volunteer to work. If this bill moves forward and becomes law, it could provide an excellent means of getting external home repairs done for some of our elderly people who are struggling to make ends meet with the sagging economy.

Our passage of HB 214 will require parents to give permission for teenagers under age 18 to use tanning booths. Children 14-years-old and under will have to be accompanied by a parent to use these facilities. We think that parents have a right to know if their dependent children are using tanning facilities. This legislation comes on the heals of the American Cancer Society's report that people under age 35 who use tanning beds are eight times more likely to develop skin cancer.

HB 883 will allow police officers to make arrests on the spot in domestic violence investigations if they believe an assault has occurred. The bill requires a judge to determine when and under what terms the arrested person is released. It also will give police officers immunity from lawsuits brought in the event a spouse or significant other changes their mind before the court date and refuses to testify against the person who assaulted them. According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice study, many assaults against women were committed by persons who were close acquaintances. We all have seen many stories in the media where a history of domestic violence often led to fatal incidents, so being pro-active in these cases should save lives.

Thanks for visiting the web site. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Mississippi Senate Summary, March 6, 2009

In a move that I believe many of you will appreciate, we passed HB 1568 that will stop cities and counties from using automated traffic cameras to ticket citizens who allegedly run stop signs and signal lights. We have heard from many constituents who felt their rights were being violated by these electronic devices. These cameras snap a picture of a car’s license plate during alleged traffic (red light) violations resulting in the issuance of a citation. Those receiving tickets seem to have little recourse in disposing of them other than paying the $75 fine. Research showed many flaws in the way these cameras operate , including instances of people traveling in funeral processions being ticketed. These are a couple of the many reasons we chose to require the cameras be removed by October 1 , 2009. This bill now goes back to the House of Representatives who hopefully will agree before sending it to the Governor for his approval.

We also passed HB 574 creating the Mississippi Delta Workforce Training Project. In an area suffering from high unemployment, this is a pilot program we hope will create a one-stop shop that matches employees with their ideal employer. The program will be funded by a mixture of money including some local funds from the areas in which it will operate. As you know, the Delta has typically lacked high salaried, non-farm related jobs, so we are making another attempt to bring long overdue economic relief. When you consider the relatively acceptable unemployment rates of 7.9 in Hinds County and 5.8 percent rate in neighboring Rankin County, it makes sense to try a program that could put more people to work in Holmes County where the unemployment rate stands at 19.4, and in Humphreys County which has a 14.7 percent rate.

HB 1362 will give the Attorney General authority to be the lead investigator of cyber crimes, which are crimes committed through the use of the Internet. Child pornography and child abuse are two of the areas in which the AG's cyber crime unit is doing a great job.

One of the most important issues we worked on this week was HB 105, a Medicaid measure that will be subject to further negotiations as we continue to discuss funding mechanisms. While we passed the bill, it will most likely go to conference where we will try to hamer out a comprehensive solution. The money coming down from the Stimulus package or a hospital tax are the two options to deal with the recurring $90 million shortfall.

A while back, we passed SB 2230 that limited eminent domain to cases where land could only be claimed for public use. Our bill removed all stipulations that would allow government to take private land for economic development. This week, we approved the house version, HB 803, that basically mirrors our bill. I hope the House chooses to send one of these measures to the Governor for final approval. Our citizens deserve as much.

As the session begins to wind down, we are crunching the numbers to make sure we can present the Governor with a balanced budget. We are still trying to fully understand the Federal Stimulus package. Seldom a day goes by that I do not learn something new that is in the package. Keep us in your prayers and please let me know when I can help, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 27, 2009

Once again, I have the pleasure of passing on some more good news.   We passed several pieces of pro-business legislation designed to create more jobs for Mississippians this week.   One of those was SB 3201 that will exempt a portion of Mississippi Power Company’s 582 megawatt, lignite burning power plant from certain taxes. This facility is planned to be built in Kemper County.   This legislation allowed us to secure the plant and help create 260 new jobs that will come on line when the plant is operational in 2013.  Construction will start in 2010, and at its peak will see about 1,000 workers involved in the process.   The $2.2 billion total investment should have tremendous spin-off effects including an increase in school taxes that will give local officials the option of lowering the millage rate, thus giving citizens some needed tax relief.

We also passed SB 3270 that will exempt carbon dioxide used by Denbury Resources Inc., in the injection recovery of crude oil from sales taxes.  This bill should help Denbury increase its field activity, resulting in more barrels of crude oil being gathered from old wells that were once thought empty.  The increase will mean millions of more dollars for the state.   The company employs about 400 people in Mississippi and contributes to the economies of Brandon, Laurel and McComb, the locations of its field offices.

Our Appropriations Committee agreed to support HB 724 that will allow the University Medical Center to use non-state money to recruit more doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.   We must continue to bring the most talented individuals to our state to provide top-notch medical care across Mississippi.

SB 3272, the inventory tax reduction act, is a measure that will help just about every business in the state. Once implemented, it will help businesses gradually reduce their share of this tax.   However, this authorizes the state to begin giving the deduction only after we have had three consecutive years of positive revenue growth of 5% or more, and it will be phased in over five years. We thought it important to put this clause in to make sure we were able to reimburse the county and municipal governments any money they will lose from the tax cut.  This pro-business measure can be a recruitment tool in the future, as businesses will be able to store greater inventories at a lower cost.

Additionally, we passed SB 3179 that increased the amount of money available for our rural and volunteer fire departments to purchase trucks. Firefighters will also be happy to learn of SB 3280 that tags $1.7 million to upgrade classrooms at the State Fire Academy, where they sharpen their skills to save lives and property. Another portion of that bill holds $20 million for bridge repairs across the state, which is vitally important in the public safety realm.

Thanks for checking in. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 20, 2009

After a torrid pace over the past couple of weeks, we were able to catch our breath this week, but still passed several important pieces of legislation. SB 3233 increased funding to the state Tax Commission in several categories, with the highest amount being $25 million that goes to the Ad Valorem Tag Reduction Fund that will help us to hold down the cost of car tags. Due to the decrease in car sales statewide, we are trying our best to save Mississippi car owners from a doubling of their car tag prices. We expect to earn this money in FY 2010 through a projected increase to the cigarette tax.

In legislation long overdue, we appropriated money to help with upgrades to the Tax Commission’s computer system. This upgrade will pay for itself once completed through more efficient data gathering that will generate increased tax revenues. It has been many years since the Commission’s collecting systems have been improved and we believe this will help correct multiple deficiencies and close loopholes.

By amending HB 865, our Appropriations Committee restored $409,000 in funding to District Attorneys across the state as a way to prevent layoffs of key court personnel. Keeping our streets safe is vitally important to our quality of life; making sure we have enough investigators and prosecutors is part of the solution. We also found $1.1 million in the state treasury that allows the Division of Medicaid to continue providing transportation for end-stage renal disease patients enabling them to receive needed dialysis treatments. As I have mentioned several times before, our first job is to take care of those that are not able to care for themselves and those that are hurting the most

Though we have yet to get our arms around the details on what Mississippi will receive in federal economic stimulus incentives, we passed some preliminary budgets for state agencies in an attempt to move forward with the budget process. Those numbers could change drastically when we get to conference with these bills, as we will have the stimulus package numbers nailed down by then.

Our passage of SB 3197 will offer a job tax credit for employers who manufacture upholstered household furniture. This could be a very good incentive luring businesses since it gives employers a $2,000 per employee job tax credit for a 10 year period. In order for the furniture manufacturers to receive the credits, they must keep their jobs here. Additionally, we hope the credits will give them the money to hire more employees. Over the past decade our smaller communities have seen their textile industry and its spinoff trades disappear to areas where cheap labor existed.

SB 3188 will empower county boards of supervisors, mayors and city councils or boards of aldermen to give certain ad valorem tax exemptions to military service members who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. The amounts of the exemptions vary, but as with typical with tax breaks, local school district taxes will still have to be paid. We see this as a way of helping those who have given of themselves to serve our country and preserve our freedoms.

Next week we will begin to debate bills sent over from the House of Representatives. Thanks for your interest in our State’s government and how it affects you. Thanks again for letting me serve. I look forward to seeing you soon, Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 13, 2009

I am thrilled to report some very good news to you this week regarding the economy here at home. We passed HB 1628 that will allow us to assist with the creation of at least 275 full-time jobs by December 2011 that will grow to 800 by 2017. These high technology jobs, with an average salary of $53,000, will be at Alliant Techsystems Inc., (ATK) in Iuka, MS where composite aircraft components will be manufactured. ATK develops parts for the U.S. military and the commercial airline sector. Additionally, it is the largest manufacturer of military and police ammunition. While many companies have been forced to lay off or downsize staffs, our choice to assist ATK with incentives is a futuristic move. Though times are tough, we must continue to move forward with a hope of a better tomorrow. Effective immediately upon passage, we sent the bill to the Governor’s desk and have been informed it has already been signed into law.

Another piece of legislation that was crafted to help people in these tough times is SB 2746 that will allow large scale food preparers like the University of Mississippi Medical Center and restaurants to donate leftover food to charitable organizations. We believe this to be an honorable thing for organizations to do, as we see more services like Stewpot and others seek more help them keep up with the demands for hot meals for our needy and homeless.

A bill that was monitored very closely by a large portion of my district was SB 2230 that limits eminent domain to being used strictly as a means of benefiting the public, like the creation of a school, a needed roadway extension or some other project that benefits the community. Both chambers passed this bill with very strong votes. We passed this bill hoping our citizens would no longer have to worry about land grabs for commercial gains. Unfortunately, the Governor has made it clear to us that he plans to veto this measure. With both ends of the Capitol voting so strongly on this issue, I trust we will have the votes to override the veto.

SB 2631 was passed with the intent to increase the amount of prison time that persons convicted of accessory after the fact of a crime can be sentenced to from 5 to 20 years. This should help our law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and was one of several law enforcement friendly measures that we passed this week.

A move that may draw a little heat on the front end was the passage of SB 2978 that will allow the addition of $1 to certain traffic fines. The increase will go to the Attorney General’s office for increased enforcement of cyber crimes often aimed at molesting children. I attended a meeting with our current and immediate past Attorney General this week at the Capitol. During this meeting, the AG’s office shared some cutting edge technology with us that has already produced two large child pornography busts. A computer program that was designed to help track down child pornography viewers has been offered to our AG’s office and he was asking if we could somehow find a way to fund this new technology so it could be added to his office. We were excited to say yes. Children have already been saved from molestation in the two cases mentioned above. Those alone are well worth the additional funding, but knowing many more will be helped made this an easy decision.

Another interesting piece of legislation is SB 2616 that will for the first time create a law that makes it illegal to present a false ID at a liquor store. This should help prevent underage drinkers from trying to buy alcohol. SB 2867 will increase the fine from $500 to $1,000 for driving without proof of insurance. Hopefully, this legislation will drive those uninsured motorists to their local insurance agents. The bill maintains the current practice of allowing the person who purchases insurance after being stopped, but before his/her court date to pay only $100. If the person can show his/her insurance was in effect on the date of the citation, the fine will be waived.

Along the lines of seeking more accountability for our children, we passed SB 2628, “The Children’s First Act of 2009.” If signed into law, this will establish a process that allows the state to identify troubled or failing school districts. Once these districts are located, the state will then provide them with leadership, management oversight and a host of resources they need to be successful. SB 2628 also provides transparency to the community at large by allowing them to see how the district is doing in terms of educating children. This is one of the most important pieces of legislation we will ever see. It will put an end to the “good ole boy” system in public education. Far too many times, we fail to act because we don’t want to step on the toes of our “friends” at home even when they are not doing the best job possible, especially in our education systems, and that must end.

Thank you for your emails and calls this week. We were very busy with this being a week full of deadlines, but I was glad to hear from so many of you regarding many of the issues we were handling. I hope all is well with you and look forward to seeing you around the district from time to time. You will find me eating breakfast at the Food Tiger in Hurley, Hood’s BP in Vancleave and at Waffle House in St. Martin on occasion, so please feel free to say hello and let me know what I can help with. Michael

Mississippi Senate Report, February 6, 2009

We passed a number of voting related bills this week that were aimed at protecting the integrity of the process. Most importantly was the passage of Senate Bill 2548, the Voter ID bill. It passed by a vote of 32-17, and will require photo identification to be presented when voting. Several forms of identification are acceptable. Among them are: (1) a Mississippi driver’s license, (2) employee identification cards issued by state, federal or municipal governments, or (3) passports. Other legislation dealing with the voting process includes Senate Bill 3035 that requires persons who assist the elderly or disabled voters in casting a ballot to identify them in writing and Senate Bill 3041 that will empower the Secretary of State to revise or purge voter registration books.

We also passed several measures that will further protect our children. Senate Bill 2807 will give film processors and computer repair persons the right to alert authorities if they find child pornography while carrying out their jobs. Computer repair persons could come across child pornography in hard drives while repairing systems. Some people might use commercial film processors to develop images of children. This will give these occupations the right to step forward without threat of being sued since it would be a law that mandates them to reveal to police any violations they discovered. In recent years we have seen children victimized by adults who use the Internet. Savvy sexual predators often times use computers as a means of transferring illicit images of children.

Along the same lines, we adopted Senate Bill 2479 that makes it illegal to buy or sell children. It’s a sad day when we have to enact laws like this to protect our children, as one would think this would never be an issue in Mississippi. There have been reported cases where a parent has tried to sell a child or children, often in an exchange for drugs. This bill will allow the courts to issue up to a 10-year jail sentence and a $20,000 fine upon conviction of that specific offense.

On another note, Senate Bill 2032 makes it a felony for a retailer to misrepresent the grade of gasoline. There have been instances where 87 octane gasoline was deceptively sold as either 89 octane or 91 octane at a higher price. Unfortunately, this took place on the Coast following Hurricane Katrina. We see this bill as a means of properly punishing those who are caught defrauding the public.

In the business world, we passed Senate Bill 2360 to give employers the right to have drug and alcohol testing performed on employees who are injured on the job or involved in accidents while possibly under the influence. This will further help to ascertain the proper apportionment of damages. Many companies already have policies that give them the authority to order drug testing in those instances, but this bill spreads the ability of employers across the state to exercise this safety measure.

As to more safety for our citizens, we passed Senate Bill 2306 that will allow citizens who have obtained concealed weapons carry permits, to be able to exercise that right while in a public park.

Two transportation related bills took the safety of drivers into consideration. Senate Bill 2148 would require motorists to cut on their headlights when driving in the rain to increase visibility and cut down on accidents. The second measure, Senate Bill 3066, would force operators of dump trucks to cover the bed of their vehicles to prevent their cargo from falling onto the road where it could become a hazard or cause damage to trailing vehicles. This could reduce the number of broken and cracked windshields on our roads.

On the Drug Policy front, our passage of Senate Bill 2147 will make it a felony for persons sell a counterfeit controlled substance. Some persons have been arrested for selling what they claimed was an illegal drug, but turned out to be counterfeit. Now if caught, those persons would face up five years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

Finally, I wanted to touch on Senate Bill 2144 that I authored. This bill will increase the penalties for illegal immigrants who manufacture, use or help others illegal gain false identification cards or drivers' licenses. There have been several rings busted for the mass production of false identification cards and drivers' licenses to be used by illegal immigrants. The bill also allows the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to contract with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to ascertain training for our local law enforcement officers to handle illegal immigration issues. This training is federally funded, so it is vital that we encourage the Commissioner to enter into such an agreement. Additionally, the bill makes it illegal to transport, harbor, conceal or shelter from detection illegal immigrants knowing or with reckless disregard that they are in the United States in violation of law.

Thanks again for allowing me to serve. I look forward to hearing from you and learning how I can help. God Bless, Michael

Weekly Senate Summary, January 30, 2009

We had an incredibly busy this week in the Senate. One of the most important issues we handled was HB 364 to increase the tax on cigarettes to $0.49 per pack, bringing it in line with surrounding states. The bill in its current form increases the state’s $0.18 per pack tax by $0.31. $25 million dollars of that revenue will be directed back to the counties to help lower the cost of car tags. Due to the slowing economy and decline in car sales, tags are projected to go up over the next couple of years. If the House of Representatives agrees with our action, the bill will go to the Governor. If they do not agree with our action, we could soon begin negotiations in committee to reach a compromise. The Chairman of Finance settled on a $0.31 increase because he felt it was the best compromise with a pending federal increase in the price of cigarettes on the horizon. If we raise the tax too high we run a risk of encouraging citizens to buy cigarettes on the black market, over the internet, across state lines or on reservation properties, which would deprive both the state and legitimate businesses of revenues.

Additionally, we passed SB 2664 that re-authorizes and overhauls our current Charter School law. This gives the state board of education the right to establish public Charter schools that are free from the rules of local districts in order to try different curriculums or training techniques that could boost student achievement. The beauty of public Charter schools is their flexibility on the front end with maximum accountability on the back end. They are working wonders in cities like Memphis, Chicago, Phoenix, Boston, New York, Atlanta and many other places across our country. We have determined that one size fits all does not work in the world of education, so we have to try something new and public charter schools offer a wonderful solution. It has been said that when public schools fail, we put more money into them, but when charter schools fail, they are closed. This is the ultimate means of accountability.

We also passed SB 2353 that would provide protection from lawsuits to restaurateurs and others who donated food to the needy. Our hopes are instead of throwing away food that did not sell during their business hours, restaurants will be encouraged to make special efforts to donate that food to those in need, especially in these tough economic times.

SB 2472, the Child Protection Act , would mandate the reporting of any sexual crime against a minor and the retention of DNA evidence to aid in the prosecution of suspects who either assault a minor or commit statutory rape that results in the pregnancy of a child.

In coming weeks we could have before us SB 3189 that will seek the authority for cities and counties to create entertainment districts as a means of drawing in tourists and creating other revenue sources. We could also debate the likes of SB 2490 that seeks to have county and municipal prisoners pick up their own medical expenses for non-emergency care. There could also be items like SB 2673, which would empower City Councils to audit their local Crime Stoppers programs.

Again, thanks for allowing me to serve as your Senator. I look forward to hearing from you in the future and I hope I will have the opportunity to help each of you in some way. Michael

Mississippi Senate Weekly Report, January 23, 2009

We had a slower week than expected as we observed a very historic occasion. Several Senators chose to attend the Inauguration of our new President and their absence slowed our progress. With that being said, we had a very active week in a few of our committees, most importantly, the Education Committee. We met for roughly 3 hours digging through SB 2664, which is my Charter School legislation. I believe the committee process served this bill well as it emerged as a better all around bill. We should take this bill up on the floor early this week and hopefully send it to the House for their approval. I encourage you to contact your Senators and Representatives to support this very important issue.

As times change we have become more pro-active in the way we approach some legislation. Our passage of Senate Bill 2316 will make it a felony for anyone to commit acts of violence in our schools. This bill should provide a greater sense of security to our educators and administrators since it will seek increased fines and jail time against any person who strikes an educator, bus driver, school board member or others involved in the education process. As we so often state, education is the most important key to our future and we want to make sure we take care of those who are delivering a future to our children in the classrooms.

We also passed Senate Bill 2145 that would establish a recall process by referendum for school board members. This bill gives the majority of voters within a district a means by which to hold school board members accountable. Again, if our children are not progressing, we want to have very means possible to fix the problem, including the removal of school board members if that is what it takes.

On another topic, we passed Senate Bill 2480 that would allow curbside voting only on election days. Again, protecting the integrity of our voting process is extremely important and this is another way to help in that area.

We had two bills filed that aim to eliminate financial waste by prohibiting state agencies, colleges and universities from hiring contract lobbyists with taxpayer money. They are Senate Bills 2731 and 2030. At our Ethics Committee hearings last November, we learned that well over $1 million had been spent by state agencies that lobbied the Legislature.

Senate Bill 2731 will make the lobbying process more transparent by requiring the Personal Services Contract Review Board to pre-approve money that agencies plan to spend for lobbyists and will put other rules in place to regulate who can participate in the process of lobbying.

Stay tuned to the following issues that we plan to address during the remainder of this session: a increase in the cigarette tax, Medicaid, eminent domain, voter identification and charter schools. Please feel free to give me a call or shoot an email with further concerns that you may have.

Thanks for letting me serve, Michael

WEEKLY SENATE SUMMARY, January 16, 2009

We had another busy week at the Capitol where we held discussions on some very important legislation including Senate bill 2095 that would mandate a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for those convicted of rape or sexual battery of a child.  In my opinion, we can never do enough to protect our children.  The bill was held for further discussion, but will be going over to the House later this session.

We also discussed and passed Senate Bill 2605 that will allow the Mississippi Development Authority to offer $13 million in incentives to Cooper Tire in Tupelo to facilitate their expansion and the retention of 1,200 jobs that pay an average of $45,000 a year.  In choosing to expand its Tupelo operation, Cooper Tire will close its plant in Gainesville, Ga., which could mean a potential gain of up to 500 jobs for Mississippi.  Cooper Tire will be able to borrow $6 million over 10 years with no interest and the state will retain ownership of a $7 million dollar facility Cooper will build using part of the $13 million.  In summary, the state will not lose any money, we keep 1,200 jobs that pay well above average wages and the company itself will invest another $25 million into their facility in Mississippi.  The bill was held for further debate, but we feel confident that it will eventually make it over to the House so Mississippi can retain this valuable business in the midst of a struggling national economy.

Senate Bill 2606 moves the sales tax for tractors and supplies and the labor on same to 1.5% in hopes of keeping our farmers from crossing state lines to buy their parts and have repairs done on their equipment.  We felt we could generate more revenue for the state by cutting these taxes to encourage our farmers to keep their money in Mississippi.  The bill was held for further consideration, but is another we feel that will eventually make it down the hall to our counterparts.

Unfortunately, we learned through the Governor’s State of the State address there will be a $158 million budget cut that includes a more than $87 million shortfall in funding for public schools, which we had hoped could be avoided.  We are trying our best to somehow get around this cut in the education budget, but it may be inevitable.  By law, the Governor must make a series of cuts in order to balance the budget with our declining revenues. 

After much debate, we also passed Senate Bill 2548, a Voter ID bill that would require persons voting in Mississippi to show an approved form of identification before casting a ballot.  An Amendment was offered and passed that allows those born on or before December 31, 1965 to vote without showing the same identification as required by others.  This was a heated issue and sadly enough, some of the Senators wanted to keep this issue tied to our ugly past.  Our right to vote is one of the most sacred rights we have as Mississippians and Americans and we must do all that we can to protect the integrity of the voting process while moving forward as the new Mississippi.  The bill was held on a Motion to Reconsider, but we will have the votes to defeat that tactic and move the legislation along.

In committee meetings we have started sorting through the issues we will address in the coming weeks.  I will be bringing my Public Charter School bill up in the Education Committee this week.  After many hours of hard work, I think we have crafted a bill that will open the doors of a better education to many of our children.  I look forward to a spirited debate over this incredibly important legislation.

While most state agencies have trimmed their budgets by 5% as the Governor has asked, some are still asking for increased funding.  These request will most likely be declined as the Governor has said revenues could be $310 short of projections by June.  Other things being considered in committee include whether to increase weight limits for loggers and certain others who drive heavy trucks across our county roads and interstates.  Our Public Health and Welfare Committee is trying to determine how best to handle a possible increase to the tobacco tax, which is being considered to fill a funding gap left in Medicaid.

As always, I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve.  I received a large number of emails this week expressing your views on some pending legislation.  I really appreciate you taking an active role in moving our great state forward.

WEEKLY SENATE SUMMARY, January 9, 2009

In a whirlwind week at the Old and New Capitols, we entered the 2009 Legislative session passing a strong bill that will provide enhanced homestead exemption for senior citizens and those who are totally disabled. Under current law, the homestead exemption for persons over 65 or totally disabled is exempt from all ad valorem taxes on the first $75,000 of the true value. Senate Bill 2300 will raise the amount of this exemption to $100,000. The bill also revises the way that ad valorem tax increases are calculated after a county or municipality has had an increase in the value of property after reappraisal. The bill provides that if, because of reappraisal, the existing millage of the county or municipality will generate an increase in revenue for the next year, then for purposes of determining whether the levy for the next year is an increase or whether the increase falls within the statutory 10% revenue increase limitation, the county or municipality must reduce the proposed millage rate to an amount that will produce the amount of ad valorem tax revenue that the county collected in the year before the reappraisal is implemented, and use that reduced millage rate as the basis for determining if an increase has occurred that needs to be advertised as required by law or whether the 10% revenue growth limitation has been exceeded. The county or municipality may increase taxes within the cap limitation using the lowered millage rate as a starting point. Senate Bill 2300 now goes to the House of Representatives for approval.

During this sessions, our priorities will clearly revolve around doing more with less. Though meetings were informal this week, we know that state revenues are more than $65 million below our early estimates, and it remains uncertain how low revenues will continue to drop. As a result, we await word from the Governor in coming days on what additional cuts he plans to make. There have already been more than 4,500 open job positions frozen in order to save the state over $79 million.

A main issue the Legislature still faces is fully funding Medicaid, which will require an increased source of revenue. Many believe this funding will come from an increased cigarette tax, additional funding from hospitals or a combination of both. We also expect to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program like we have for the past two years. We must stick to our priorities. Along the lines of education, we expect there to be discussions on extending current legislation that allows creation of charter schools for those parents who consider it an alternative to public education. I have been handed the task of revamping our public charter school legislation and am excited about the endless possibilities. I have discussed public charter schools with experts from around the country and have put together a bill that I hope the legislature will help me pass into law.

This week we approved creation of a Senate Drug Policy Committee that will develop legislation intended to help strengthen laws where needed and to bolster the state’s efforts at getting control of the drug problems that fuel crimes in our communities and destroy families of those who are affected by the use of substances. The Lieutenant Governor placed me on this committee and I believe it will be one of my most important assignments. It's important to face this difficult, growing problem, but even more important to face it as a state.

The week was kicked off as we convened in the Old Capitol on Tuesday, January 6. It was an historic day for our state as it marked only the second time that the Legislature convened in the historic structure, with the first being for the inauguration of former Governor William Winter on January 22, 1980. The building was constructed in 1839 and housed all branches of government until 1903. The Old Capitol suffered significant damage in 2005 from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and was repaired with $16.5 million appropriated by the Legislature in 2006.

As the Senate moves forward throughout the session, be assured that all will be done to give our constituents better service with fewer tax dollars. As a matter of fact, we should do this more often.