Casino incentives pass the House

The House of Representatives has agreed this morning to a bill that would give incentives to casinos that invest in non-gambling attractions.

House Bill 1196, sponsored by Rep. Diane Peranich, D-Pass Christian, passed in a 79-40 vote, but it still must clear the Senate, which has killed attempts to extend the benefits to casinos in previous legislative sessions.

The bill covers theme parks, water parks, cultural or historical centers, motor speedways or other large tourist attractions. It would allow a casino to recoup up to 30 percent of the project's value over a 10-year period, by giving it access to a percentage of the sales tax the project creates.

Coast legislators said the incentives would likely bring much investment on attractions in the state from casino groups. Other businesses are allowed the incentives now.

“This infusion of capital is needed to jumpstart the economy in this state,” Peranich said.

House Bill 1196, is the only remaining major piece of legislation for South Mississippi. The casino incentives bill is part of a deal that would prevent casinos from expanding to counties where they aren't presently operating, with a few exceptions, through Senate Bill 2199, which was voted down in the Senate Wednesday, but kept alive through complicated procedural maneuvers. Senate Bill 2199 has not been addressed yet today.

There's been a lot of haggling going on over the two bills these last few days.

Late night Monday

Following negotiations that lasted until nearly midnight, lawmakers couldn’t agree on a controversial Medicaid bill and it died.

Today legislators will figure out where to go from here. The bill, which was to fund Medicaid’s budget, and some more controversial provisions, died under a midnight deadline. Lawmakers could suspend the rules to allow another bill to be entered.

“There’s always tomorrow,” House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, said just after the announcement the bill would die, which came about eight minutes before midnight.

McCoy expressed some optimism Tuesday morning that an agreement could be reached on the controversial provision to continue requiring beneficiaries to recertify for the program in person, which was the point of contention Monday.

Gov. Haley Barbour and other Republicans say the face-to-face requirement cuts down fraud cases. But Democrats, who oppose the rule, said often children are removed from the Medicaid rolls when their parents fail to take them to the office to be recertified.

“Why penalize the children?” asked Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg.

Democrats also said many counties also don’t have Medicaid offices with predictable hours and some have to drive to other counties to reenroll.

Barbour, in a statement released earlier this year, said the face-to-face eligibility determinations help ensure those who are receiving benefits are eligible, the paperwork is accurate and that all questions are answered.

The governor also said the requirements let workers see children are being taken care of.

“The face-to-face meetings that involve coverage of children allow Medicaid staff to assess whether a child appears to be well and healthy, and to explain to the parent any number of available benefits,” Barbour wrote.

The bill quickly lost steam Monday evening.

Sen. Billy Hewes, R-Gulfport, made a successful motion to recommit the bill to conference early Monday evening, which sent legislators back into discussions, and after press time Monday night, Holland announced there was still no agreement.

“It’s pretty grave,” Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, chairman of public health, told the House of Representatives not long after 10 p.m.

Legislators were hoping to reach an accord before midnight Tuesday, which would give them the five days before the end of the session that is required to pass money bills. But legislature could vote to extend the session-- if only on paper-- to comply with the rule.

Some 600,000 Mississippians, mostly of low income, depend on Medicaid to pay for medical services.

The appropriations bill legislators were haggling over into the night doesn’t address the nearly $100 million Medicaid deficit for this fiscal year, nor does it come up with a solution for the much larger deficits expected in years to come. A long-term solution to the reoccurring deficits could come in a special legislative session this year.

On Monday, legislators did pass the bulk of the 2009 budget, but a few items remain to be tackled before the end of the session, which is scheduled to conclude on Saturday.

Barbour officially vetoes deer baiting bill

Gov. Haley Barbour had said he would veto House Bill 1089, which allows deer hunting over bait, and Friday the message was delivered to the Legislature. My boss, Sun Herald Political Editor Geoff Pender, wrote a pretty solid piece on the issue in Sunday's paper.

Here is the text of Barbour's veto message:

To the Members of the House of Representatives:

Governor's Veto Message for House Bill 1089

I am returning House Bill 1089: "AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 49-7-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ALLOW THE BAITING
OF DEER ON PRIVATE LANDS AND ALLOW THE HUNTING OF DEER OVER BAIT UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS; TO
REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF BAITING AND REPORT
TO THE LEGISLATURE; TO AMEND SECTION 49-7-33.1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM; AND FOR RELATED
PURPOSES".

After full consideration, I am vetoing House Bill 1089, which requires the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to allow the killing of deer with the aid of bait.

I consider hunting deer over bait to be an issue of both science and ethics. My personal view is that hunting deer with the aid of bait is not consistent with the sportsman's hunting tradition of fair chase.

Nevertheless, one year ago, I signed into law a bill to put the decision about hunting deer with bait in the hands of the professionals instead of in the hands of the politicians. Last year's bill required the Wildlife Commission to regulate supplemental feeding of all wild animals and game birds. That legislation also authorized, but did not require, the Commission to study the issue of deer baiting and determine an outcome.

The Wildlife Commission has deliberated on this issue over the last year by consulting biologists, studying available science,
seeking hunter preference, and researching the result of policies adopted in other states. The proposed supplemental feeding
regulations released by the Commission this week satisfy the requirements of last year's bill. The next step is to invite comment and provide the public an opportunity to express concerns, voice support, and/or ask questions on the proposed regulations.

Due to the importance of this matter, I encourage all Mississippians who are interested in this decision to actively participate in the public comment process on the proposed supplemental feeding regulations. Following the public comment period, the Wildlife Commission will make a final decision.

This policy decision is best made by wildlife professionals and scientists, not by politicians. Therefore, the authority to legalize hunting with the aid of bait should remain with the Commission.

For these reasons, I urge the members to reject House Bill 1089 and to sustain my veto.

Respectfully submitted,

HALEY BARBOUR
GOVERNOR

Coast judge could be headed to Jackson

A press release from Gov. Haley Barbour's office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 11, 2008

GOVERNOR BARBOUR NAMES SIMPSON TO HEAD DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

(JACKSON, Mississippi) – Governor Haley Barbour today announced his
appointment of Circuit Court Judge Stephen B. Simpson of Gulfport as
Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

“Judge Simpson has an impressive blend of prosecutorial, judicial and
correctional experience that will serve him well as Commissioner of
Public Safety. He is an outstanding Mississippian. I appreciate his
willingness to accept this new challenge and lead dedicated men and
women whose service is so vital to the people of our state,” Governor
Barbour said.

The Department of Public Safety includes the Mississippi Highway
Patrol, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Mississippi Bureau of
Investigation, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, the state Crime
Lab, Criminal Information Center, Law Enforcement Officers Training
Academy, Mississippi Medical Examiner, and Public Safety Planning. The
department has a total of about 1,150 employees.

Simpson, 49, has served as a Circuit Court Judge in Mississippi’s
Second Circuit Court District serving Harrison, Hancock and Stone
counties since 2000. A graduate of Gulf Coast Community College, he
holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree
in education from Delta State University; he earned his juris doctorate
from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1988.

He has worked as a probation and parole officer for the Mississippi
Department of Corrections, in private law practice and was an assistant
district attorney in the Second Circuit Court District for seven years
before his elevation to the bench in December 2002.

Simpson and his wife, Elizabeth Bost Simpson, have three daughters,
Erin, Kameron and Britton; the family lives in Gulfport.

Governor Barbour said he would submit Simpson’s name to the
Mississippi Senate in hopes of confirmation before the current
legislative session ends.

# # #

Toy bill veto's survival is the news of the day

An attempt by the Mississippi House of Representatives to override Gov. Haley Barbour's veto of a dangerous toys bill failed this morning.

Last week, the Republican governor vetoed House Bill 1240, sponsored by Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville. The bill would allow claims to be filed under the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act, which has different legal standards than Mississippi's product-liability statutes. Those laws give greater protection from lawsuits to companies.

In a news release, Barbour said the bill would "negate Mississippi's fair and just legal system by setting up a separate, poorly defined scheme for alleged defective children's products without indicating what, if any, of the provisions of our state's existing products liability laws would apply."

It takes a three-fifths majority vote of the Legislature to override a veto, and Wednesday morning, Rep. Edward Blackmon Jr., D-Canton, a lawyer who has handled both personal injury cases and defended companies from lawsuits, led a Democratic charge to override the veto. But after some debate, Blackmon got 72 votes, which is eight short of what he needed to override the veto.

Out of the 122-member House, 47 are Republicans. There were 48 votes against overriding the veto.

House Speaker Billy McCoy, and other reps, will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. today to blast the veto.

Observing King's contributions

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in Memphis. I’m thinking back to last year, when I stood at the preserved Lorraine Motel, where King was assassinated. I was very moved and profoundly sad.

The motel room is furnished just as it was at the moment King was shot, right down to room service dishes with food left on them. I wasn’t alive when King died, but I heard Tom Brokaw say this morning that he believes King is bigger now than he was in 1968 because of the incredible legacy he left to us all. What King was fighting for is now written in law, upheld by the courts and accepted as a part of everyday life, but when he died, his vision, his dream, had not been fully realized. If you haven’t seen the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which is on the site of the Lorraine Motel, I would encourage you to do so, especially those of you, like me, who aren’t old enough to have lived through the civil rights movement, but are thankful for those who did.

I’ve been getting e-mails from both Republicans and Democratic Campaigns with remarks in observance of the anniversary of King’s death. Here’s what the Republican National Committee, and presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama had to say today:

Obama spoke today in Fort Wayne, Ind., he asked Americans to ‘continue King’s lifelong pursuit of social and economic justice’ according to an Obama news release. Here is some of what he said:

“That is why the great need of this hour is much the same as it was when Dr. King delivered his sermon in Memphis. We have to recognize that while we each have a different past, we all share the same hopes for the future – that we’ll be able to find a job that pays a decent wage, that there will be affordable health care when we get sick, that we’ll be able to send our kids to college, and that after a lifetime of hard work, we’ll be able to retire with security. They’re common hopes, modest dreams. And they’re at the heart of the struggle for freedom, dignity, and humanity that Dr. King began, and that it is our task to complete.”

RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan:

“Today, we mark the 40th anniversary of the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by honoring his life’s work and his inspirational legacy of faith, freedom, and hope. Dr. King’s vision for America was one of equality and prosperity – the very essence of the American Dream.

“We honor Dr. King’s tireless efforts for a united nation and the pursuit of the American Dream for its people, regardless of race or creed. We believe that every American can realize their God-given potential if provided the opportunities and tools to do so. Access to a quality education, meaningful employment, and a place to call home are the building blocks of this dream, and faith is the mortar.

“Dr. King’s dream is a promise that remains true today and will continue to pave the way to a brighter future for our country.”

McCain on Letterman Tuesday night

I caught some of this last night, thought it was pretty funny. In case you missed it, Yahoo News has an Associated Press account of the Republican presidential hopeful's appearance on David Letterman's show. Here's the video link from Youtube if you'd rather see that. Enjoy.