According to sources, lawmakers are also considering reconvening in Jackson next week in order to override some of Reeves’ five vetoes that he issued in July, including his partial-veto of the K-12 education funding budget. Another clash between Republican legislative leaders, and the Republican governor is likely with the looming lawsuit and the return to Jackson. Reeves fought with Philip Gunn, the House Speaker, and Lt. Governor earlier this year. Delbert Hosemann is the Senate’s President. He is deciding who should be given spending authority for $1.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief fund funds. The Legislature won. Reeves’ will was also ignored by lawmakers when they voted in June to take down the state flag. Reeves’ office didn’t immediately respond to a Wednesday request for comment. Reeves has been calling legislators back to special session to address Reeves’ partial vote against the education budget, and to pass a budget bill to fund the Department of Marine Resources. DMR was not funded after the Legislature left July 1. This was due to a dispute between the Senate and the House over Reeves’ authority for millions of dollars in Gulf restoration funds. A special session can only be called by the governor under the Constitution. However, this year, legislators passed a resolution granting Gunn and Hosemann the power to reconvene the Legislature in order to address COVID-19 issues. If approved by at least two-thirds of members, legislators can take up any issue once they are in session. To override a veto, a two-thirds vote is required. It has been questioned whether Reeves partial veto over a bill that appropriated federal funds to hospitals, and other healthcare providers, is constitutional. Although the state Constitution grants a governor some line-item power, the parameters of that power have been subject to legal challenges for many years. The state Supreme Court ruled that these line-item power veto powers were limited. “I would like to further research it… but when reading the bill with this in mind, it seemed that the veto wasn’t constitutional based on the most recent precedent in the Leflore County Private Prisons case,” stated Sen. Hob Bryan (D-Amory). Bryan was referring back to an early 2000s case in which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a partial decision by the then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove spoke out against money being sent to private prisons. Bryan, the chair of the Senate Public Health Committee was one of the key architects of the June end. After legislators had finished their work, they adjourned to pass the bill to allocate $130 million to health care providers (hospitals, food pantries) to support their fight against the coronavirus. This money was part the $1.25 billion that the state received under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Reeves vetoed the $2 million allocated by lawmakers to the closed North Oak Regional Medical Center in Senatobia, and the $6 million earmarked for the MAGnet community health center to study and combat health disparities such as the impact COVID-19 has had on the African American community. This spending was included in a $130million bill that directed CARES Act money towards Mississippi hospitals and health care. Reeves claimed that the hospital shouldn’t be given the money as it is closed and does not deal with coronavirus cases. Reeves also stated that he wasn’t familiar with the group receiving funds to reduce health disparities. The Senatobia hospital will only be able to receive the money if it is reopened before the year ends. The hospital is in the district of Trey Lamar (Republican House Ways and Means Chair), who has been at odds over many issues over the years with Reeves dating back to Reeves’ terms as lieutenant governor. Musgrove vetoed in the 2000s a section of the Department of Corrections appropriations bill that would have provided money for the operation of a private prison in Leflore County. In a 5-2 ruling, the court ruled that Musgrove could not veto restrictions regarding how these funds were used. The Court issued a complex legal opinion and ruled that Musgrove must veto the entire section of legislation providing funds for Greenville prison. Bryan was a plaintiff during the 1990s, when the Supreme Court ruled that the then-Gov. Kirk Foridice, who unconstitutionally vetoed a portion of both appropriations as well as bond bills, issuing state long-term debt. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to us today as we celebrate our Spring Member Drive.