Before deals could be reached, the two most important legislative goals of Republicans this session — infrastructure funding and public education funding reform — were lost. Their leaders took a moment to reflect on the legislation that was rejected by lawmakers as they returned home Wednesday afternoon. “We did what we set out, and we clearly hit the ground running on both our ends. Both of these measures were killed at the other end,” House Speaker Philip Gunn stated, referring specifically to the deaths of the education formula reform and road funding plans. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves responded: “Other folks in the building want their money spent on walking trails, and other things, so somebody has to be willing and stand there and say no.” Reeves said that “The House usually wants to spend significantly more than what I am willing to pay.” “The House wants to borrow substantially more than I am willing and able to pay the taxpayers for.” “That’s not what my chamber was elected to do.” Gunn repeatedly stated that his chamber passed its legislative priorities. Reeves, however, argued that his chamber did all they could to reach agreements. “Passing legislation can be difficult. Reeves stated that it’s not supposed to be easy to amend the law. “If you look at 95 per cent of Republicans’ agendas over the past few years, it’s been difficult to get it passed,” Reeves stated. “On education funding this was the very initial year that a bill had ever been introduced.” “It is rare that major policy initiatives get implemented the first year they are brought up. Does this mean that I am less disappointed that it wasn’t passed this year? Gunn said in an email that he was disappointed that the Senate failed to pass the education bill. Senators who opposed the legislation did not do the best for students. They allowed the politics of public education to get in the way for our students.” The rank-and-file members also used finger-pointing as a way of examining the session. Few members of the public interviewed Wednesday said the session was successful, except for the top leadership. “Overall, it wasn’t disappointing, I believe, that we didn’t accomplish more than this session,” stated Rep. Dan Eubanks (R-Walls). “It was disappointing that we didn’t get any progress on infrastructure or education funding. The House was doing its bit. We did our best right out of the chute. The Senate failed to deliver for whatever reason,” stated Sen. Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg). “I believe we accomplished some positive things. That’s how it is each session. Hopson said that it is difficult to get everything to work in one direction when there are 174 different agencies and personalities. “Despite the perceptions about the legislative process, it is just as important that bad legislation is prevented from becoming law.” Rep. Steve Hopkins (R-Southaven) said, “I don’t know if you would call it a success. “The Medicaid bill was passed. The 15-week abortion bill passed. There were some good things and some worrisome laws that we were able keep from happening.” Senator Terry Burton, R. Newton, referred to funding the Capitol Complex that was created by the Legislature in 2017. However, he also acknowledged several missed opportunities. “We didn’t get an education funding formula passed so that still needs attention. Burton, the Senate pro tempore president, stated that we could not reach an agreement on infrastructure bills. However, I believe a lot of work still needs to done on this. The BP settlement funds were a disappointment. Mick Jagger said it best: “You don’t always get what your want but you can try. Gunn stated Wednesday that the House will continue to discuss how to spend $1Billion in BP settlement funds after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil leak. Reeves reiterated that he believes that the Gulf Coast should receive the vast majority of the money. Gunn stated that if there is an agreement, Gunn will call a special session and it can be done in half a year. Republicans applauded passage of the 15 week abortion ban. However, it was blocked immediately by federal courts as a lawsuit is pending. Reeves, echoing a phrase Gov. Phil Bryant. Phil Bryant. After intense negotiations between Senate and House leaders, an agreement was reached. They did not. Education funding The House presented a new formula for funding education in January. The bill’s 354 pages were dropped by the House leadership on Thursday night. This was based on EdBuild recommendations from 2017. Six days later, the full House approved the bill. The “Mississippi Uniform Per Student Funding Formula Act of 2018” was a weighted formula with a base cost of $4800 per student. Additional categorical funds would be granted to districts based on the type of student, such as English language learners or low-income students. The Senate bill was defeated by a bipartisan group. Gunn stated that the House must “think through” the events surrounding formula in order to understand why eight Republican senators opposed it. This will help them to determine if they can address those issues. Reeves was asked if he thought the House might push for education reform again during an election year. He replied, “I don’t really know.” Gunn stated that he hopes to meet Gunn in the next few days to discuss education funding. Reeves stated that he has not spoken to many (Senate) members on the issue over the past few hours because they have been focusing on other issues. However, as we enter the offseason, we will definitely talk to members about the things they are looking for. Infrastructure funding. The House passed several road bills within the first three weeks to emphasize that members were the top priority. Reeves announced in February a 300-page plan for infrastructure funding. The House and Senate fought over details of education funding and road repair, and things quickly stalled. While the bond bill approved $50 million for Local System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, some lawmakers expressed dismay that no larger infrastructure plan was passed. Some pointed out that last year’s bond bill failed to pass, putting local governments in an awkward position. Rep. Cory Wilson (Republican from Madison) called the infrastructure packages passed by the House significant but said that work must continue next year in order to reach a deal that both chambers can pass. “I would like to see more money in local counties and cities for their roads.” Wilson stated that the House version of BRIDGE Act used tax diversion to push more funds to cities and towns. Many House plans proposed that 35 percent of the state’s use tax collection, which amounts to about $100 million per year, be diverted to cities and counties for roads or bridges. Reeves opposed the idea, arguing that use taxes, which are voluntary payments by companies, are unconstitutional. Gunn stated that the BRIDGE Act did not provide any real assistance to cities or counties. Gunn also pointed out a Senate requirement that local governments pay a dollar for every dollar of state funding. “It doesn’t result in real dollars going to the towns,” Rep. John Faulkner (D-Holly Springs) said that lawmakers will likely be asked by constituents why they didn’t secure more infrastructure funding. Faulkner, however, saw one failed legislative attempt as a victory. It’s been a positive session, in general. We were able do good things for our state’s people and we also prevented some terrible things from happening. One example is House Bill 957, which rewrites the MAEP formula. Faulkner stated that we were able stop it. He stated that he believed it would have had an impact on hundreds of thousands of children in the state. “That’s probably our biggest victory in the whole session because to change how we do public education would be a catastrophe for the state,” Sen. Hob Bryan (D-Amory), who was one of the most vocal opponents of efforts to reform the education system he helped to create, agreed with Faulkner. Bryan stated that “Our state needs roads and schools, it also needs infrastructure, public services, and infrastructure.” “We didn’t do anything to improve our roads and our public water systems. We didn’t provide adequate funding for schools. We didn’t follow the existing law and our budgets were so tight that state agencies couldn’t afford to hire vital employees.” Bryan stated, “This session’s failure because these problems still exist without any solution.” There was legislation that would have made the problems worse. They all died so it’s a relief that the Legislature didn’t cause too much damage.” Click Here to read Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves’ 2018 session summary. Click here to see the 2018 session recap by House Speaker Philip Gunn. To support this work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today. This will allow us to continue important work such as this story. 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