Week of January 5, 2015 On January 6, 2015, the 130th Mississippi State Legislature kicked off their last session in the four-year term. Outside the Capitol, colder than average temperatures greeted the legislators. Inside, warm smiles and familiar handshakes were exchanged by members eager to begin the 2015 Regular Session. An air of optimism and a spark of excitement filled the air as the work began. This year is an election year, and the deadline to qualify for election or re-election falls within the 90-day session. The deadline to file is February 27 at 5:00 p.m. As a result of the upcoming 2015 elections, some people question whether serious or contentious issues will be addressed. My hope is that this election year, we tackle challenging issues just as other years. The Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) and the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) provided an overview of performance budgeting to House and Senate Appropriations Committee members this week. Performance budgeting is a practice that involves allocating dollars to programs/agencies based on the results and efficiency of their use of those dollars. With the passage of the Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994, the Legislature approved performance budgeting. In the last three Session, the method has been revitalized to understand the goals of a more efficient, effective, transparent and accountable state government. The budget for Fiscal Year 16 (FY16) will be the next step in implementation for performance budgeting. Staff members of LBO also presented an overview of the FY16 budget recommendation to House members during an Appropriations Committee meeting. They provided a summary of the most recent decisions made by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) in its December meeting. The FY16 budget recommendation aims to provide adequate funding of critical state operations; build a budget utilizing only recurring funds and maintain the working cash stabilization reserve and the capital expense fund. These budget recommendations are conservative. If the economy continues as expected, these figures will be revised upward for the final budget figures. Construction continues on the Capitol this year. Many areas are blocked off under the Capitol dome for safety. This will restrict areas for people to gather and the location of press conferences this year. Several groups visited the Capitol this week. Among those were concerned people from District 19 expressing disapproval of Common Core State Standards adopted in 2008. Others from District 19 came with a group of parents, who believe there is a link between autism and vaccinations, asking for the freedom to choose not to vaccinate their children. Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber welcomed legislators back to Jackson. Also, the Mississippi Economic Council’s Capital Day was held in downtown Jackson and at the Capitol. This annual event provides a setting for business leaders around the state to gather and meet with legislators and hear from the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House and other legislative leaders about the legislative agenda expected in the upcoming session. Elvis’ 80th birthday was celebrated at the Capitol Thursday. The Assistant Director and Board Members of the Elvis Presley Birth Place came to talk to the Legislators about expansion of the park. They treated everyone to fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Elvis impersonator, David Lee. I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you as your Representative. I will work to keep the conservative effort moving us to be a better Mississippi. If I can help you or talk to you about concerns you may have during this legislative session, please do not hesitate to contact me. My cell number is 662-231-0133 and my email is landtree@nexband.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 19:32:43 +0000
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