/Today’s special session has limited scope

Today’s special session has limited scope

Bryant asked the Legislature to amend an existing state law that limits the governor’s ability to draw from the state’s reserve fund for rainy-day purposes at $50 million. Bryant stated Monday morning in a radio interview that he would need to draw between $50 million and 70 millions from the reserve fund in order to balance the budget for this fiscal year. Meg Annison spokeswoman for House Speaker Philip Gunn. According to legislative officials, Monday’s announcement stated that a single bill would be the first one introduced in the Senate. Once Lt. Governor. Tate Reeves givesls the session in at ten o’clock. The bill will then move to the Appropriations committee, where it will be voted upon by the body headed by Senator Buck Clarke, R.Hollandale. It will be up for a vote on the Senate floor if it is approved. After it has been approved by the Senate, it will be brought up for a vote in the House of Representatives. Both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees operate with a Republican majority. Rep. Herb Frierson (R-Poplarville) will continue to fulfill his duties as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Frierson will be retiring as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to head the state tax commission. Frierson stated that he wishes we didn’t have the need to, but Jackson is required to provide additional funding for fiscal 2016. This week, Republican leaders have made several comments about the length of the special session. Reeves spokeswoman Laura Hipp said that the $68,720 cost of a one-day session will be paid by taxpayers. The state will be charged an additional $47674 if the special session continues beyond the first day. Bryant stated that he would like to “get in” and “out” of the special session in one day. Reeves stated Monday that he expected the issue to be resolved quickly in the special session to reduce taxpayer costs. Democrats, who have been critical of Republicans’ handlings of both the current and next year budgets, will have the option to request a reading of bill. Each lawmaker has the right to offer amendments to the bill. This requires that additional time be set aside for questions from the floor. A motion to reconsider can be made by any member. This would allow legislative leadership to call the Legislature into session until Wednesday in order to conduct a procedural vote that reaffirms the earlier action. Any member can also request points of privilege or time to express concerns about the legislative process. House minority leader Rep. David Baria (D-Bay St. Louis) said Democrats would hold a press conference at the Capitol at 11 AM “to discuss Mississippi’s budget problems.” Several Republican elected officials have voiced concerns about the handling of budget issues during the legislative session. These include Treasurer Lynn Fitch and Secretary of State Delberthosemann. This isn’t going win me any friends but I’m sickened of it. “Someone has to speak up,” Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ellisville) wrote in a Facebook posting. It’s not the governor’s fault. He is simply reacting to madness in the Legislature. But this type of reckless spending is unacceptable with a Republican-controlled state government. It’s no different from Washington, D.C. Now it’s time for them to answer the hard questions. It’s only going get worse.” You can watch the live stream of the Senate and House floor action. To support this work, make a regular donation to us today as we celebrate our Spring Member Drive. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. Republish this Story You can freely republish our articles online or in print under a Creative Commons licence. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.