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Week of March 14, 2022
This was the eleventh week of the 2022 Legislative Session. Because it is late in the session, much of the week was spent deciding whether to concur with any changes made to House bills by the Senate or to invite conference on those bills. In conference, representatives and senators work together to finalize the details of each bill before they are sent to the governor.
Most House bills that were discussed this week were sent to conference. Included in the bills being sent to conference are most of the revenue and appropriations bills from the House and Senate, which will decide the state’s budget.
Several local and private bills were also taken up this week. These bills deal with a variety of topics such as authorizing cities to contribute to local nonprofits and extending repealers on certain cities’ tourism taxes. The deadline for the House to introduce these local and private revenue bills was Friday, March 18. Local and private bills that are not deemed revenue bills have until next Friday, March 25 to be introduced.
The House also introduced House Concurrent Resolution 77, condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. HCR 77 passed with a unanimous vote of 118-0 and has been sent to the Senate.
Two notable musicians were honored by the House this week. On Wednesday, songwriter and Tupelo native Tommy Barnes visited the Capitol where he serenaded members with some original tunes. Thursday, the House was visited by Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke, who now resides in Olive Branch with his wife. The House presented Mr. Medlocke with House Resolution 23, which commends him on his successful music career.
The House also honored the legacy of the late Retired Brigadier General Martha Jo Leslie. Serving as a nurse in the military, General Leslie was at one point the only woman in the Mississippi Army National Guard. The Veterans Home in Kosciusko is named in her honor. The House presented her family and friends with House Concurrent Resolution 47 which commends her life upon her passing in January 2022.
Other visitors this week included the Mississippi Library Association, Mississippi Podiatric Medical Association, Mississippi Small Business Development Center and Mississippi Votes.
Next week as the session begins to wind down, legislators will spend much of their time in conference committees ironing out the final details of bills that were sent to conference. These conference committees will then have to file reports before the end of session.
MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
