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Capitol Blog by bobbyharrison
Daily Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Bobby Harrison reports on Mississippi state government

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Barbour wants agreement before vote
by bobbyharrison

 

JACKSON -- "Let the House vote" was the clarion call in 2004 during the special session Gov. Haley Barbour called to give businesses more protection from lawsuits.

Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, was criticized because his leadership team was bottling up legislation  in committee because it knew that on the floor of the House it did not have the votes to block the lawsuit protection Barbour and the business community wanted. The House leadership wanted an agreement worked out with the governor and the Senate before the full House voted on the issue.

The shoe is on the other foot. Now it appears Barbour is preventing a vote on a state budget  because he knows he does not have the votes to pass the Medicaid portion of the budget like he wants it. Barbour wants to increase the tax on hospitals by $90 million, but that was rejected by both chambers of the Legislature earlier this year. Earlier this year both chambers also passed language to prevent hospital cuts that many believe Barbour wants.

Since he does not have the votes for his positions to prevail, it appears he is insisting a deal be made -- closer to his liking -- before he will call a special session. He has said the Medicaid issue should be worked out by the leadership instead of the 174 members of the Legislature. That was essentially the same argument the House leadership was criticized for making in the 2004 lawsuit protection special session.

The only difference is in this case the shutdown of many state services will come about if a special session is not called and if a budget is not approved by Tuesday night.

By delaying the calling of the special session, the governor also is making it difficult for the full Legislature to debate and try to change any aspects of a deal. At this point, if a special session is called, there will be an urgency to get a budget passed by midnight Tuesday to keep state government from shutting down, and legislators who delay that by  asking questions and trying to change bills -- as are their rights -- will run the risk of being criticized for delaying a budget agreement.



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Myviewat62
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June 26, 2009
Just a little while longer.......He want be the Guv anymore.....Hope he runs for Pres....that's when the shoe will really be on the other foot.....He can't get along with the state lawmaker's.....try "States"

Special session near?
by bobbyharrison


JACKSON -- Many people at the state Capitol believe there will be a special session starting as early as Friday for the Legislature to vote on a budget agreement worked out by House and Senate leaders and Gov. Haley Barbour.
Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said this is one time where he wants to work on a weekend to get a budget passed before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday.
Early Thursday afternoon, House negotiators were waiting for Barbour's office to send them his proposal to solve issues surrounding Medicaid. House and Senate leaders met Thursday morning  with Barbour, who is back in the state in between trips to New Hampshire and Iowa to raise money for Republicans.
Barbour has said he will not call a special session until those issues -- revolving around a hospital tax increase and the governor's ability to make cuts to hospitals if there is a Medicaid deficit -- are resolved.
While as of mid-afternoon Thursday nothing has been agreed to, many people still believe a special session call by Barbour is near.
Under the best circumstances, it probably will take at least two days to pass a budget once the special session begins.


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Budget now in governor's court
by bobbyharrison




JACKSON -- Now it's up to  Republican Gov. Haley Barbour.
Late on a Father's Day, House and Senate negotiators reached a deal on a budget to fund the rapidly approaching new fiscal year, which begins July 1.
But only the governor can call the Legislature back in special session to vote on the deal. Barbour said last week he would call a special session when there is a deal he liked.
Will Barbour refuse to call the Legislature back because  the budget deal includes a $60-million hospital tax increase instead of the $90 million he supports? He was unavailable to answer questions on that Sunday night.
If a budget is not passed by July 1, no one knows exactly what will happen, but there is a general consensus that there will be chaos.
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Nunnelee most likely GOP's man, article says
by bobbyharrison

JACKSON -- State Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee's name  been in the news here in Mississippi as one of the negotiators unable to reach an agreement on a budget for the new fiscal year that begins in less than two weeks.

He also is in the news in Washington, D.C.

Roll Call, a U.S. Capitol newspaper, cited Nunnelee "as the clear favorite" among Republicans as "their  man" to  run next year against 1st District U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, a Prentiss County Democrat.

The Roll Call article said that state Sen. Merle Flowers, R-Southaven, has opted not to run for the U.S congressional post after traveling to Washington, D.C., where he met with national Republican figures.

The article said Flowers' decision "clears a major obstacle from the path" of Nunnelee, a Tupelo Republican.

Nunnelee admitted sometime ago he was mulling a run for Congress.  He has been conducting "a listening tour" of towns in the 1st Congressional District.

 

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mryhenry125
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June 23, 2009
i wonder what idiots does he think will vote for him and i am beginning to feel the same way about the rest of them, for sure Barbour needs to start packing now and Nunlee also and maybe all the rest, it is like they are afraid to override the gov. then maybe they all need to go and lets get some new one in there and maybe they will not be so scared, they will not know any better at first.

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