Reeves had on Wednesday telegraphed that he would veto education budget. He said it would lead to teacher pay cuts of thousands. Reeves stated that the criminal justice reform proposals were “too far” and would lead to dangerous criminals living on the streets. Reeves posted on social media that his vetoes had stopped “efforts by the Legislature to cut teacher salaries and let violent criminals get out of prison earlier.” It is not clear when the Legislature will return to address the vetoes, which can either be sustained or overridden – as well as other unfinished business due to a COVID-19 epidemic at the Capitol. The state health officer stated Wednesday that at least 26 legislators and 10 staffers had tested positive. Reeves stated Wednesday that it would take at least 14 days before the Legislature could meet remotely safely… and that’s only remotely possible. Highlights of Reeves vetoes Education budget: Reeves stated that he vetoed the majority of $2.6 billion in state education budget. This was because $26 million was transferred from a teacher incentive program to the main operating budget for school districts. Reeves stated that this means that “23,157 Mississippi teachers will get money taken out of their pockets”. The incentive program, which Reeves fought for as lieutenant governor in 2014, gives merit pay to teachers who perform well in high-performing schools or those who improve a letter grade. Some critics have criticized the system, saying that it makes it harder to recruit teachers from struggling districts. House Education Chairman Richard Bennett (R-Long Beach) said Wednesday that lawmakers had promised Reeves that the program would continue without his veto or the Legislature having the power to amend the budget. Reeves stated that the veto was necessary in order to stop teachers from being paid a cut. Reeves stated that public education is a constitutionally mandated responsibility of the state and will continue to function and be funded after his veto. “The bulk” of the agency will operate in the short-term by a letter from him, backed up with an AG opinion, until the Legislature addresses the issue. Criminal justice reform: Due to Mississippi’s harsh sentencing laws, and the lack of reentry programmes, the state is facing a crisis in prisons. A series of reform bills were passed by lawmakers to reduce prison population and address other issues. Two of the reform bills were vetoed by Reeves. Reeves stated that Senate Bill 2123 would have granted parole eligibility to thousands of inmates. He claimed the measure would have allowed parole for those convicted of crimes that could have them receive the death penalty, if they were sentenced to life. Reeves stated that parole would have been available to violent offenders 60 years old or older. This would remove restrictions currently in place for violent offenders and habitual offenders. House Bill 658 is aimed at helping convicts return to society and the workforce. It would allow for more felony expungements after they have completed their sentences. Reeves stated that allowing people to erase multiple felonies would lead to “career criminals” walking around with no record. “We were dealing with a lot of issues that the DOJ has. It’s the governor’s right to veto. In his message, he mentioned that he wanted to talk to us about this. I hope that he does so. Skills training: Reeves stated that he had to veto House Bill 1387 because it would allow for skills training in place of traditional education. Reeves stated that it goes a bit too far and conflicts with federal law. Reeves stated that the bill put federal funds for skills training at risk because it went too far by conflicting with federal law. Reeves vetoed $6million earmarked to the MAGnet Community Health Disparity Program. He called it “an earmark for $6 million of CARES Act funds, to a cherry-picked company to address disparity.” Reeves said that there is no reason to give it to handpicked individuals and let them dole out the money to others for a vague purpose. Reeves also vetoed $2,000,000 in health CARES spending for Tate County to “North Regional Medical Center” or “its successor.” Reeves asked: “How does this have anything to do COVID-19?” They have been closed for 2 years.