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House and Senate leaders hope to use Tuesday's opening day to pass a bill providing $75 million in loans to Stion Corp., a company based on San Jose, Calif.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour announced shortly before the session started that Stion will locate 100-megawatt solar panel production facility in a Sunbeam building in Hattiesburg.
Officials say the plant could bring as many as 1,000 jobs to south Mississippi over the next six years.
Leaders expect the three-month session to be dominated by writing a budget and redrawing the 174 legislative districts.