Trey Lamar (R-Senatobia), a nonprofit Mississippi News representative, is proposing to amend the Mississippi Constitution in order to limit the governor’s sole power to appoint trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning. This amendment is in direct response to the controversial chancellor search that the IHL board conducted last fall at the University of Mississippi. Lamar, an Ole Miss alumnus, filed two bills this session to split the IHL appointment powers equally between the governor, lieutenant Governor, and speaker of the House. Lamar, who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and close confidant to House Speaker Philip Gunn makes him one of the most powerful legislators in Jackson. Lamar said this week that it was not the best policy for all 12 board seats to be appointed by the same person. “Especially after last year’s events at Ole Miss, I believe it’s worth some discussion and debate.” IHL board member are appointed by governors, according to the state Constitution and confirmed by Senate. Former Gov. Phil Bryant was the first governor to appoint all members of the board in state history in 2018. Lamar’s proposal for changing the way IHL board members get appointed is more complicated than a simple bill. A concurrent resolution is required in order to amend the Constitution. To pass concurrent resolutions, they must be approved by both the Senate and the House with a two-thirds majority. If these vote requirements are met the resolution will not be sent to the governor’s office like a regular bill. Instead, the proposed amendment will be placed on the statewide ballot for the voters who would have the final say. Lamar filed a separate regular law to address this situation. However, the state code had to be modified in order for Lamar’s plan to be implemented. The bill changes state law language to split the IHL appointment authority. It must be approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate with a simple majority. The bill will be sent to the governor for consideration if it is passed by both chambers. The bill could be vetoed by the governor, which is a possibility given the nature and scope of the proposal. To override that veto, a two-thirds majority would be required in both the House or Senate to allow the bill to become law. The bill and the resolution must be passed for the IHL changes to be implemented. In October 2019, the IHL board was subject to intense public scrutiny after they skipped many steps in their search process for Glenn Boyce, the former IHL Commissioner with whom many board members have worked closely over the years. Boyce is the chancellor of the University of Mississippi, which is the largest of eight state public universities. Many critics of the IHL search process believed Boyce was less qualified that the other applicants who traveled to Jackson to interview with the IHL board. They signed petitions calling for comprehensive IHL reforms. The university’s faculty reacted furiously and decided to censure IHL board. Some alumni from seven other state universities, including Mississippi State University and Jackson State University, questioned the viability IHL board following the Boyce appointment. According to several sources, IHL reform was so popular that lobbyists from eight universities met in fall 2019 to discuss strategy for if the Legislature decided to make a serious push for reform in 2020. Lamar stated that he received numerous messages and calls from people asking about Boyce’s appointment. Lamar stated his support for Boyce in the interview and said that his measures this session had nothing to do with his mother’s role on the board. Lamar stated, “Just after watching the process and listening to people’s perceptions about how it unfolded in that (Boyce), hire and other hires made by the board, I thought filing the bill and starting a discussion about what, or if any, should be changed was appropriate.” The deadline for both the resolution and bill to be passed out of respective committees is March 3. The House will have until March 12th to pass the bills from the floor, before they can be sent to the Senate. Ann Lamar, Shane Hooper, Ford Dye and Shane Hooper, all members of IHL board Hal Parker, Ford Dye and Shane Hooper, expire May 7, 2021. The current constitution states that Gov. To replace them, Tate Reeves will appoint 4 new members. In 2024, four more IHL board members are expected to retire.