Revisiting the big House pay raise vote

Sun Herald reader Karen Lott of Sumrall put the question to me today and I decided I might as well stick the answer up here for others who might be curious, as I have had other inquiries. Lott wanted a list of how her local members of the state House of Representatives voted a few weeks back on pay raises for statewide elected officials. The day after the vote, we listed how South Mississippi reps voted, but didn't list how inlanders voted. The bill has not been taken up in the Senate, and if it does most political watchers don't give it much of a chance of passing.

According to the Legislature's Web site, House Bill 859 passed by the
following 61-60 vote:

Yeas--Akins, Arinder, Bailey, Baker (74th), Banks, Blackmon,Broomfield, Brown, Buck, Burnett, Calhoun, Campbell (72nd), Clark, Clarke, Cockerham,Coleman (29th), Coleman (65th), Compretta, Dickson, DuVall, Eaton, Ellis,Espy, Evans (91st), Evans (70th), Flaggs, Fredericks, Gardner, Gibbs, Harrison, Hines, Huddleston (30th), Ishee, Johnson, Lane, Malone, Mayo, Middleton, Moak, Myers, Norquist, Patterson, Peranich, Perkins, Puckett, Reynolds, Robinson, Rogers (61st), Scott, Smith (27th), Straughter, Stringer, Thomas, Upshaw, Warren, Watson, Weathersby, Whittington, Wooten, Young, Mr. Speaker (Billy McCoy). Total--61.

Nays--Aldridge, Baker (8th), Barker, Beckett, Bell, Bennett, Bondurant, Bounds, Byrd, Campbell (84th), Carpenter, Chism, Currie, Dedeaux, Denny, Ellington, Fillingane, Formby, Frierson, Gadd, Gipson, Guice, Gunn, Hamilton (6th), Hamilton (109th), Holland, Horne, Howell, Huddleston (15th), Janus, Jennings, Jones, Martinson, Mayhall, McBride, McGee, Mims, Monsour, Moore, Morgan, Moss, Nicholson, Nowell, Palazzo, Parker, Pigott, Read, Reed, Rogers (14th), Shows, Smith (39th), Snowden, Staples, Stevens, Sullivan, Turner, Walley, Ward, Woods, Zuber. Total--60.

Absent or those not voting--None.
Present--Holloway. Total--1.

Here's how the Coast voted:

For the pay raises: Billy Broomfield, D-Moss Point; J.P. Compretta, D-Bay St. Louis; Frances Fredericks, D-Gulfport; Roger Ishee, R-Gulfport; Randall Patterson, D-Biloxi; Diane Peranich, D-Pass Christian; Jessica Upshaw, R-Diamondhead.

Against: Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach; Dirk Dedeaux, D-Sellers; Mark Formby, R-Picayune; Herb Frierson, R-Poplarville; Danny Guice, R-Ocean Springs; Frank Hamilton, R-Hurley; Michael Janus, R-Biloxi; Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula; Steven Palazzo, R-Biloxi; Deryk Parker, D-Lucedale; John Read, R-Gautier; J. Shaun Walley, D-Leakesville; Hank Zuber III, R-Ocean Springs.

McCoy says expect to work late

House Speaker Billy McCoy told lawmakers Tuesday they had better expect to work late this week and added representatives are behind schedule getting legislation passed.

McCoy, D-Rienzi, told the House they needed to get through a list of “non-controversial” bills sooner. McCoy's words came just before the House adjourned for a two-hour lunch break, as one observer noted. The speaker said legislators are paid to work seven days a week and also work longer hours than a traditional job sometimes. He said it’s clear from watching Congress live on C-Span that they don’t keep traditional hours.

“Many times late at night they are working,” McCoy said.

The reason for working late this week is to meet a Thursday deadline. After Thursday, legislators will see bills that originated in their house dead if they don't act on them.

Another big deadline this week...

I'm back in Jackson today, after a very solid weekend, for what promises to be a busy week. By the end of Thursday, Legislators will have to act on all the bills that originated in their own house or those bills will be considered dead. Some will have to get creative to keep their legislation from dying.

We are moving closer to April 19, which is scheduled to be the last day of the session, but between now and then, hundreds of bills must be handled and the budget must be set. Some have said they expect the scheduled 103 calendar day session to run longer. I guess the current rules would have to be waived for that to happen.

Stay tuned.

I will leave you with an entertaining story, not at all related to politics or the Legislature, that I found on Fark.com, the best "non-news" news Web site out there. A bar owner got tired of folks loitering outside, and decided to do something about it, but his methods haven't been entirely popular. Here it is, the story of the day from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A little more about the McCain story

I found this story from New Republic via Drudge Report that gives the back story on the front page New York Times story published today. After all the talk about the McCain story on cable news today, it's nice to see somebody decided it might be worth pursuing how the story made it from the notebook to the pages of the Times. Click on the last word of the previous sentence to get the link.

Deadlines are near

I got a few inquiries over the weekend about the fate of insurance bills and other measures that haven't been passed out of committee. Here's what I know, well, most of it anyway. 

The Legislature only has a little over 24 more hours to get bills out of committee so they could be eligible for a vote this session. There is a lot of last minute work going on behind the scenes, as legislators beg committee chairmen to take up their bills before the ax falls Tuesday night. 

Just a few minutes ago, the Senate Insurance Committee passed a bill that would create a health insurance exchange in hopes of making coverage more affordable for those who work for small businesses as part of a plan touted by Gov. Haley Barbour. There was some opposition, but the bill was passed in the committee, as some Senators reasoned they could make changes to the bill before it comes up for final vote.

The Senate Insurance Committee also chose again today not to act on several Hurricane Katrina related insurance measures. Those bills, seven of which Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, authored were not on the committee's planned agenda for Monday. Baria told the Sun Herald last week he was disappointed his bills haven't been allowed out of committee for the full Senate to consider. 

But the Senate's Katrina insurance reform bills aren't officially dead yet, but as of now, they face long, long odds. So far, the Senate Insurance Committee has set no meeting for Tuesday, the last day they could vote to keep the bills alive. 

The House of Representatives Insurance Committee passed a "Policyholder's Bill of Rights" last week, which would put the burden of proof on the insurance company to prove that a claim is excluded from a policy. The bill is eligible for a vote on the House floor now.

Most of the Legislature's post-Katrina insurance reforms aimed at coverage offered through the private sector have not passed. The Legislature last year approved a bailout for the state wind pool, which is the insurance of last resort for those who can't get wind coverage. 

I'll be in the thick of it again tomorrow and there should be plenty of action inside the Capitol on deadline day. 

Ethics reform passes the Senate, House to meet momentarily

The Senate passed an ethics reform bill late this morning, which is designed to create a more open and honest government, by a 46-0 vote.  Mississippi has consistently ranked low in reports from ethical government watchdog groups, but Senators and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said Thursday at a press conference that they believe our rankings will climb if the new bill is enacted. The bill heads to the House of Representatives, which could make some changes to it. Bryant said he is positive about the bill's chances in the House.

The House of Representatives will convene at 2 p.m. today and they could take up a bill that would give legislators and other elected officials pay raises. The bill has already cleared House committees, but legislators tell me that the issue has been brought up in the past, but no pay bumps have been enacted in recent memory.  

Blues in the Senate...

 

Bluesman Bobby Rush was honored in the Senate this morning, and he jammed with Sen. Billy Hewes, R-Gulfport, who plays a mean blues harmonica. Hewes provided accompaniment while Rush belted out the words of slow blues numbers with traditional themes- lost love, bad love, etc., on Valentine's Day. 

After the fun, the Senate could take up a bill aimed at a more open government, and there's the possibility that the House of Representatives could act on a bill to give themselves pay raises. 

There's also a full slate of meetings today, as legislators try feverishly to get their bills out of committee before the deadline for them to be eligible for a vote this session, which is Tuesday. Many legislators will see their pet bills die in committee when the deadline passes. 

I'll keep you posted. 

It's early

I'm at the Capitol early today, as there is a full day of committee meetings. 

Some of the meetings today should affect South Mississippi pretty significantly, including the hearing on the Policyholder's Bill of Rights in the House Insurance Committee, which is today at 1 p.m. Also in the House, Tourism, Transportation and Gaming Committees also meet today. In the Senate, Ports and Marine Resources and Housing Committees also meet. It should be a full day.

Legislators are hustling to get their bills out of committee by Tuesday. After that, bills that weren't approved by a committee can't come up for vote this year. Out of the thousands of bills submitted each year, only 300 or so get final passage, so I'm told.

Senate debating "streamlining" bill today

The Senate is debating waving requirements for state agencies to go through the Personnel Board before they could fire workers.

The plan has been touted as a way to streamline agencies and in turn save costs. At a press conference this morning, Gov. Haley Barbour, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and several other statewide elected officials said they supported the plan.

"Senate Bill 2680 is common sense legislation that will rid our agencies of burdensome red-tape and enable us to have substantial cost savings, as we did in 2004 when I proposed the Legislature approve the plan that gave Commissioner Epps the authority he needed to reorganize the Department of Corrections," Barbour said at the press conference. "Since then, we've saved over $14 million within the agency. I urge lawmakers to adopt this proven, fiscally responsible legislation so we can reduce waste, streamline costs, and foster better government practices."

Senate Democrats have criticized the bill, saying the Board offers employees protection from wrongful dismissal. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said the plan could create an environment where good employees are dismissed in favor of those who are more politically connected. 

Stay tuned. 

The Sun Herald will blog from Jackson

This is the first post in a new Sun Herald blog about happenings in and around your state Capitol.

Political Editor Geoff Pender and I will update you here as often as possible with news nuggets, and sometimes useless, but hopefully entertaining info about “how the sausage is made” in Jackson, as Geoff says.

This is my first trip into the “Blogosphere” as the kids say, so bear with me.

It’s mostly quiet at the Capitol today.

Many legislators headed to South Mississippi this morning for funeral services for Bay St. Louis businessman and community leader Joseph P. “Jody” Compretta Jr., son of House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tem J.P. Compretta.

The Mississippi House and Senate both gaveled in at 9 a.m. to take care of a few small standing items, leaving enough time to make the three-hour drive for the funeral this afternoon. Many said they were shocked and saddened about the news of the 39-year-old Compretta’s death. Compretta died in an accident during a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans over the weekend.

Freshman Rep. Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, said this morning he wanted to sign on with six South Mississippi Legislative Democrats who came out Tuesday to oppose Gov. Haley Barbour’s plan to use $25 million in Hurricane Katrina reserve funds on upgrades to North Mississippi’s transportation system that would benefit a Toyota plant. The plan made headlines in Saturday’s Sun Herald and Coast legislators were mixed on the idea. No decision about the money has been made yet. The Legislature holds the purse strings.

The Mississippi Development Authority also announced today that March 15 would be the deadline to apply for the first two phases of the Homeowner Assistance Grant Program.

Legislators are expected to return to Jackson late this afternoon. A full slate of committee meetings are set for tomorrow. Each week should be a little busier from here until April 19, when the session is scheduled to end. Lawmakers adopted a shortened 103-day session this year, but it could run longer if all the business isn't handled.

Committees are currently fine-tuning bills, or casting them aside, as was the case with the much-publicized House bill that would prohibit restaurants from serving the obese, which was dumped by a Health committee yesterday. Countless others are sure to meet a similar fate.

We’ll have plenty of South Mississippi focused coverage here and on the home page. We’ll also keep the good old print edition well stocked. Stay tuned.