Legislative Update 5

February 17, 2008

Dear Friends,

I hope that you all had a good week. Thanks to all of you who have called or written with questions or comments regarding our work in the House. I’m still working my way through e-mails so if I haven’t responded to one of yours, my answer is on its way.

REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 15, 2008

The list of bills that will face an up or down vote before the full House of Representatives grew this week. Our committees have been considering hundreds of bills for several weeks in anticipation of the February 19 deadline for committee action. Of course, dozens of bills will not survive committee, meeting their demise before they reach the floor of the House.

Insurance Policyholder’s Bill of Rights

In the House Insurance Committee, we held a hearing on Wednesday to address an insurance policyholder’s bill of rights. In attendance was Kevin Buckel, a Long Beach resident who lost his home during Katrina. Mr. Buckel gave a compelling presentation regarding the insurance hardships homeowners have faced since the storm. At the end of the hearing, we unanimously passed a version of the Policyholder’s Bill of Rights. While the bill does not represent the kind of comprehensive homeowner protection many of us would like to see, it does contain a provision which places the burden of proof as to any exclusion or exception on the insurance company.

The bill now heads to the full House and must also pass the Senate. Because I feel confident of the bill’s chances on the floor of the House, I would encourage those of you who are in favor of the Policyholder’s Bill of Rights to contact Senate Insurance Committee Chairman, Senator Eugene Clark, to tell him how important insurance consumer protection is to citizens of the Gulf Coast. You can e-mail Senator Clark at bclarke@senate.ms.gov.

House Bill 979: The Chevron Tax Bill

By now many of you have read stories regarding my efforts to keep ad valorem taxes from future Chevron expansions in Pascagoula. On Thursday, representatives from the Pascagoula School District and Mayor Avara made a presentation to the House Ways and Means Committee. The Pascagoula School District made a strong case for House Bill 979 and I remain optimistic about our chances to get this bill through committee.

As many of you know, my bill is not born of petty regionalism. As evidenced by my vote in favor of House Bill 513, which would provide full funding for MAEP, a 3% pay raise for Mississippi’s classroom teachers and a host of other essential educational programs, I am a friend to all Mississippi public school teachers and students. I simply do not believe that the Pascagoula School District should be treated differently than other Mississippi school districts when it comes to local ad valorem taxes.

Please continue to contact members of the House Ways and Means Committee to voice your support of this bill.

Moratorium on PFOA Permits

I have submitted a bill that would place a moratorium on PFOA permits in Mississippi until the Department of Health can say with certainty that PFOA is not bio-cumulative, bio-persistent or a likely carcinogen. This bill, HB 1226, has been assigned to the House Committee on Conservation and Water Resources. The chairman of that committee, Representative John Mayo, would like to hear from those of you who believe this is an important issue. He can be contacted at jmayo@house.ms.gov.

Richton Salt Dome

The House Marine Resources Committee heard a report on federal plans to store crude oil in the Richton Salt Dome in southeast Mississippi. Our Department of Marine Resources will propose that water for cavern development be taken from the Gulf of Mexico, as opposed to the Pascagoula River, and then return it deep into the Gulf. This can be done without adverse results to Gulf marine life. The long-range plan is for Richton to store 160 million barrels of crude toward a national strategic reserve goal of 1 billion barrels. The project is expected to take 10 years and to be completed in 2018 at a cost of $4 billion.

Medicaid

The Medicaid Committee continued the arduous task of reviewing programs to make sure they are both effective for the one-fourth of all state residents who are on Medicaid and cost efficient to ensure the program’s long-term financial viability. A major discussion area was the “money follows the person” process that would allow funds to be transferred for some home- and community-based waivers services through Medicaid. In this matter, recipients could receive care at home without first having to enter a nursing home.  Medicaid officials also are seeking $27.6 million in extra funding for the current fiscal year.

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education continues to be under discussion in our Education Committee. Countless studies have shown that it solves many problems in the education of our children, and that those who go through pre-K and other early education programs usually stay in school through graduation. Mississippi’s dropout problem is staggering and something we must solve. On another front, the committee discussed education problems in the Delta. One bill would appropriate $1.225 million to use as matching dollars to recruit, train, and place Teach for America Teachers. Another would require that school districts with elementary schools at level 1 or 2 for two consecutive years to organize a Local Community Comprehensive Improvement Plan involving the stakeholders of children who care for and educate pre-school children. The business community, elected officials, educators, and parents would determine what their young children should be doing in preparation for entry into the elementary schools.

This week I was pleased to get my first bill passed on the floor of the House. HB 864 requires businesses which conduct online activities to notify consumers when there is a breach of security to a consumer’s financial information. It is my hope that this bill will pass the Senate and be signed into law. I believe it will be a strong deterrent to identity theft. Other bills to be approved were: HB 509 to allow certain state inmates to perform public service work for churches; HB 494 to authorize the medical release of some terminally ill state prisoners, provided that the state would no longer be responsible for medical costs after the offender is no longer incarcerated; HB 346 limiting local governments’ ability to place restrictions on shooting ranges; and HB 859 to raise the pay of numerous elected officials including judges, district attorneys, lawmakers, sheriffs, tax assessors and collectors and coroners.

I voted against HB 859 because I believe that a pay raise is inappropriate during these lean economic times.

House Webcasting

House business is finally on-line! Follow floor debates by going to www.mpbonline.org and clicking on “House video.”
              
How to Contact Me

If you have any questions or concerns, I invite you to call me on my cell phone at 228-326-7649 or e-mail me at bjones@house.ms.gov. Please feel free to forward this report to folks in our district and let me know if I need to add someone to my list.

I will also be posting my updates and House related news on my campaign website at www.electbrandonjones.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Brandon