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Capitol Blog by bobbyharrison
Daily Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Bobby Harrison reports on Mississippi state government
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Special session near?
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
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.
Nunnelee most likely GOP's man, article says
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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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.
Preferred candidate Bounds answers questions
JACKSON -- State Superintendent Hank Bounds, "the preferred candidate" of the state College Board to be the next commissioner of higher education completed the process Wednesday morning of meeting with and answering questions from interested groups.
For instance, Bounds met with university presidents, staff of the Institutions of Higher Learning offices, university students and other people, such as Eric Clark, executive director of the state Community and Junior College College Board.
The Board of Trustees of state Institutions of Higher Learning will meet over lunch to decide whether to select Bounds for the post. Based on the comments at Wednesday's public hearings, Bounds is a popular selection and most likely the meeting of the College Board this afternoon will be a formality.
A news conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Bounds addressed head-on Wednesday morning the fact his professional experience is in the kindergarten-12th grade arena and not on the university level. He said he would learn the governance of the system, but would bring to the post relationships in government and business that would be beneficial. Plus, he said he is willing to learn and listen.
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