Legislative Update 57

July 19, 2009

Dear Friends,

My good friend Michael Gilly has written a book about the impact his son, Derek, has had on many in our local community. For those of you who don’t know, Derek Gilly is an amazing young man with Down Syndrome. Having played football, softball, and basketball with Derek and his friends in the D.R.E.A.M. program, I can tell you that the Gillys have a great story to tell. The book, which was published on July 6, is titled Best Friends: The Story of Derek. You can buy the book at Amazon.com. The book is also available at Blue Bayou Rentals in Pascagoula and Barnes and Noble in Gulfport. This would make a great gift or summer read and if that’s not enough, a portion of the proceeds go toward charities that are making a difference in Jackson County.

Catastrophe Preparedness & Insurance Forum

On Thursday and Friday, Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney hosted an insurance forum in Biloxi. The forum featured experts in the fields of insurance, wind mitigation, wind pools, and commercial risk. Participants used this opportunity to address the availability and affordability of insurance along the Gulf Coast. On Friday, Congressman Gene Taylor presented the Multiple Peril Insurance Act, a bill that would include wind insurance to the national flood insurance plan. Congressman Taylor has posted his presentation to his website. Participants also heard from the Travelers Insurance Company that has developed a Coastal Wind Zone Plan. The Travelers plan seeks to provide federal reinsurance to provide affordability in high-risk areas. You can read this plan here

Sales Tax Holiday

Many of you will remember that earlier this year the legislature passed a bill giving Mississippi a sales tax holiday. The holiday will begin on the last Friday of this month (July 31) and end at midnight on Saturday (August 1). The sales tax exemption applies to clothing and footwear priced under $100.00. You can read House Bill 348 here.

How to Contact Me

As always, I invite you to call me on my cell phone at 228-326-7649 or e-mail me at bjones@house.ms.gov. For real time updates, you can also follow me on Twitter under the user name “brandoncjones”. If you haven’t heard of Twitter, you can check out my page at http://twitter.com/brandoncjones or by following the link on my website. 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