JACKSON -- After several days of meeting primarily behind closed doors, House and Senate budget negotiators since Friday have been doing business in open session.

The difference appears to be that on Friday morning, House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, sent out a news release announcing the budget leaders were meeting and  news organizations were welcomed to cover the session.

Since that news release, all the meetings have been open to the media. The meetings, though, have been held in the cramped office of Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, though, instead of the many spacious and unused committee rooms at the state Capitol.

On Friday, just the news media ventured into the meetings. But on Monday, lobbyists also began coming in or standing in the doorway trying to  ascertain what was being said.

McCoy has long been an advocate of open conference meetings where  negotiations are conducted  to iron out the differences in legislation between the two chambers. Even back in the mid 1990s, when there was no legislative rule requiring the conference committees to meet in the open, as there is now, McCoy as chair of the House Education Committee, and then-Senate Education Committee Chair Ronnie Musgrove conducted their  conference committee meetings in the open.

If McCoy had not put his foot down Friday, no doubt, the negotiations still would be ongoing in closed session on trying to agree on a budget to fund state government starting July 1, which is rapidly approaching.

JACKSON -- When taking questions on the Senate floor late at night last week  before the 2009 session ended without a budget agreement, Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, would not say whether he would rather stay in regular session to work on a budget or go into special session.

Nunnelee did not have to say. Most House Republicans voted not to suspend the rules to continue the regular session.

Since the rules suspension did not get the required two-thirds majority in the House, Nunnelee and his Senate colleagues were never forced to vote on the issue. Resolutions to extend the session must originate in the House.

In special session, members receive an extra $75 per day. Multiply $75 by 174 members and it is obvious special sessions cost about  $13,000 per day more than a regular session.

Republicans in the House were willing to charge taxpayers an extra $13,000 per day to go into special where Gov. Haley Barbour will be able to set the agenda.

House Republicans were willing to do that. Senate Republicans never had to take a stand, thanks to their House brethren.

JACKSON -- It could be a long night at the Mississippi Capitol.

The 2009 legislative session is scheduled to end at midnight Wednesday. It is certain that by midnight there will not be a budget passed to fund state government for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

There could be a budget agreement hashed out by the leadership by midnight. After not talking for two days, House and Senate budget leaders started negotiating again, starting Wednesday afternoon.

Early on Wednesday, the House leadership tried to garner the two-thirds majority to extend the session. They got 71 votes, but needed 78. Most Republicans voted against extending the session.

If the session is not extended, that means the work done earlier this year to provide money to local governments to hold down the cost of car tags will die. It would have to be taken up again in special session.

If a budget agreement is reached, the House leaders could try again to extend the session. If the session is not extended, and the Legislature goes into special session, the 174 members will receive an extra $75 per day from the taxpayers.

JACKSON -- At midnight Wednesday, it is likely that the Mississippi Legislature will by not extending the 2009 session get an additional $20,000 or so per day from the taxpayers.

More than likely the 2009 session will end Wednesday night without the Legislature passing a budget to fund state government. Gov. Haley Barbour will have to call a special session where legislators hopefully will reach a budget agreement before the new fiscal year begins July 1.

A special session costs roughly $20,000 more per day -- almost double what it is costing taxpayers for legislators to remain in regular session. By a two-thirds vote of both chambers, the Legislature could remain in regular session.

But it is likely some key Republicans will block  that effort because they believe a special session will give their fellow Republican governor more control of the process. Perhaps it will, but ultimately it will be up to the Legislature to pass a budget, and the governor has limited control of that -- even in special session. Yes, Barbour can demand they take up legislation to increase a tax on hospitals before they take up the budget.

But if they don't pass the tax increase he wants, would he be willing to let the clock run out and state government go unfunded?.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, one of the negotiators, says he probably will favor going into special session. He also said the Senate members might vote not to accept their special session pay in an effort to save taxpayer money.

Some might. But all won't. Plus, there are  expenses other than direct legislative pay that make the special session more expensive.There is the simple fact that in special session legislators will have to start the budgeting process from scratch. That will take more time. Time means money. Members are paid for each day they are in Jackson during special session.

But don't worry. We are only talking about thousands of dollars in taxpayer money.

No big deal.

Right?

JACKSON -- After Gov. Haley Barbour gave his opening remarks and before taking questions at a Wednesday news conference, he looked at me and said, "congratulations, Bobby."

"For what," I asked. The governor said he understood I had accepted a new job.

"Not true," I told him.

He apologized, and did so again after the news conference where he explained he had heard the information from three  sources. It was obvious to me the governor was only repeating what he believed to be true and had no intent of making my life difficult.

After all, the rumor that I had accepted the post of state House information officer spread like wildfire through the ornate halls of the Capitol.

It is true that Mac Gordon, the long-time House information officer and a good friend, is retiring -- in October.

The rumor that I had accepted the post as public relations officer for the entire 122-member House was spread by people with no concept of simple journalistic precepts of fact-checking. 

I have no intention of going anywhere. Essentially, I have worked for the Daily Journal my entire adult life. Through the years people have approached me about  possible  job changes. I tell them I like what I do and work for and with a great group of people.

JACKSON -- Gov. Haley Barbour recently made some opening comments at a forum that brought together business and government leaders from Changzhou, China, with Mississippi business leaders and economic developers.

The forum, sponsored by the city of Changzhou and the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce, was designed to try to develop trade and business ties.

It is not unusual for a politician to attend such an event and make a speech. Politicians like to do that. But Barbour stayed for the entire program.

And he wasn't there to shake hands and politick. He was there to listen and learn. At one point, he got up from the head table and went out in the audience where he could get a better view of the presentations. He did take a break to go to the food table where he stood for a few minutes sampling the offerings, but even then he was paying attention to the speakers.

Barbour has a healthy curiosity -- a real quest for knowledge. He can assimilate a lot of information and communicate it to the public in an easy-to-understand manner.

That is his great strength as a politician.

When Barbour first ran for governor in 2003, I was amazed at his depth of understanding of state government. Here was this guy who spent the bulk of his time working in Washington, but he had a knowledge of state government that would rival most any politician who was involved in the complexities of state government on a daily basis.

        JACKSON -- Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, is flexing his muscle in his second year as chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
        In conference committee meetings where House and Senate leaders are trying to reach a budget agreement, Nunnelee has felt secure enough to take positions not adopted by the full Senate.
        For instance, the full Senate approved language to prevent the Division of Medicaid from enacting through a private contractor a type of managed care system. Nunnelee has supported the managed care system in negotiations with his House counterparts even though the full Senate voted to prevent it.
        Nunnelee also has said he supports a hospital tax increase as close to the $90-million hike proposed by him and Gov. Haley Barbour as he can get. The full Senate essentially voted for no tax increase on hospitals.
        And Nunnelee, using his power as Appropriations Committee chair, killed a bill that would have re-authorized the Division of Medicaid. Some contend, and it is questionable what other reason there could be, that Nunnelee wanted to block the re-authorization of the health care agency for the purpose of using it as a bargaining chip.
        Normally, when committee chairs go to conference they say they will represent the will of their chamber. That is not always how it works, but generally is how it works. Now there is nothing illegal or unethical about what Nunnelee is doing.
        He is playing within the rules. And he is using those often complex legislative rules in areas dealing with Medicaid to represent the positions supported by him and the governor -- not those supported by a majority of his Senate colleagues.
        The question is what is the position of Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, who presides over the Senate and who appointed Nunnelee to his current position?

JACKSON -- Haley Barbour, who has spent much of his tenure as governor blocking efforts to increase Mississippi's cigarette tax, is expected to sign the 50-cent-per-pack increase approved last week by the Legislature.

But now, surprise, surprise, the Republican governor says that is not enough. He wants additional taxes on tobacco products.

Barbour has been advocating this session an additional tax on the companies that did not participate in the settlement of a lawsuit the state filed against some tobacco companies in the 1990s. These smaller companies can sell cigarettes cheaper, Barbour says, because they are not making annual payments to the state as part of the lawsuit settlement.

He also wants smokeless tobacco to be taxed by weight instead of a percentage of its price.

In both instances, Barbour says it is a matter of tax fairness. And both proposals will provided additional revenue to the state.

In both cases, Barbour has points. As a matter of fact, in the past, the House Democratic leadership has tried to increase the tax on the smaller, non-participating cigarette companies and that effort was blocked by Barbour's Republican allies in the Legislature.

Now Barbour is for it, but the House Democratic leadership is against it.

It doesn't help Barbour's cause that the big tobacco companies favor both of his proposals and that they would be helped financially if the governor's proposals passed.

It is not forgotten that Barbour for years lobbied for big tobacco companies and that the Washington, D.C., lobbying firms he still receives payments from continues to  lobby for big tobacco.

In essence, some legislators believe the governor is for the additional taxes only to help big tobacco companies.

But another alternative may be that Barbour  has come to the conclusion the additional tobacco taxes are good public policy whether big tobacco is for them or not.

JACKSON -- Count Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant as those not fond of Gov. Haley Barbour's special session within the regular session.

Last week when the Legislature was in regular session to work on adopting a state budget, the Republican Barbour called a special session for some items he was interested in to be considered.

Throughout last week, the Legislature would jump  from regular session to special session and vice versa. On more than one occasion, the Legislature's presiding officers, Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, in the House, and Bryant in the Senate, would have to adjourn one session and begin another to stay within the often complex parliamentary rules.

At one point, the Senate was debating an issue, and Bryant had to stop in the middle of the debate and convene the special session because the Senate had moved earlier to re-convene the special session at that particular time.

Bryant said having a special session within a regular session caused undue confusion.

"I hope we don't do that again," Bryant said recently.

Barbour had called a special session within a regular session once before in his first term. But it had not been done previously in recent memory.

And Barbour's previous special session within a regular session was called on the weekend of a regular session so the item on the special session agenda essentially had legislators'  full attention. Last week the two chambers were jumping back and forth.