Updates
2011
July 2011
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Jul 11, 2011
Dear Friend, I want to begin this update by thanking the hundreds of you who have welcomed me into your homes over the last several weeks. Thank you for taking time to share your concerns about insurance costs, job creation, and...
May 2011
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May 20, 2011
Dear Friend, Special Panel Issues Redistricting Order On Monday, the three-judge federal panel assigned the Mississippi legislative redistricting case issued an Order stating that if the Mississippi legislature cannot settle on a...
April 2011
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Apr 4, 2011
Dear Friend, Budget Deal Reached On Wednesday night, during what could be the last full week of the session, the House and Senate agreed on a $5.5 billion dollar state budget. I am proud to let you know that we will have a balanced budget...
March 2011
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Mar 22, 2011
Dear Friend, Governor Signs Bill Allowing GPS Tracking in Domestic Violence Cases Last week, Governor Barbour signed House Bill 196, our bill that allows courts to use GPS tracking in certain domestic violence cases. Under this new...
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Mar 8, 2011
Dear Friend, Redistricting Underway As many of you already know, every ten years, following the United States Census, the Mississippi Legislature divides the population evenly into districts for the State House and Senate. The...
February 2011
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Feb 24, 2011
Dear Friend, Oil Spill Tax Relief Passes House On Wednesday, the House passed House Bill 1535, a bill I co-authored which would allow recipients of insurance proceeds, damage proceeds, or compensation for clean-up related to the Gulf Oil...
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Feb 17, 2011
Dear Friend, Policyholder’s Bill of Rights Moves to the Senate With your help, we were able to pass our most recent version of the Policyholder’s Bill of Rights in the House. House Bill 203 is now in the Senate where it awaits...
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Feb 9, 2011
Dear Friend, Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Act On Hold Thursday is the deadline for the House and Senate to take floor action on bills that originated in those chambers. Among the bills I have presented to the House is the Mississippi...
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Feb 2, 2011
Dear Friend, This week could not have started any better for Jackson County. On Monday, Chevron announced a $1.4 billion expansion to its Pascagoula Refinery. The company will be adding equipment that will allow it to produce base oil, the...
January 2011
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Jan 24, 2011
Dear Friend, Committee work is picking up at the Capitol as we near our first major deadline. Next Tuesday marks the day when general bills must pass out of committee in the chamber where they were filed. You can track all the bills you...
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Jan 10, 2011
Dear Friend, On Wednesday, I joined 67 members of the House of Representatives in an attempt to override the Governor’s veto of a bill that would have sent $20 million to the state windpool. While our effort fell 12 votes short of the mark,...
2010
December 2010
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Dec 27, 2010
Dear Friend, The 2011 legislative session begins Tuesday in Jackson. While there will be hundreds of bills working their way through the process, two topics are likely to dominate discussions in and around the Capitol: the budget and...
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Dec 20, 2010
Dear Friend, It has been a great holiday season along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I hope you and your family have taken time to enjoy some of the events offered by our local communities and small businesses. As you make those last minute...
November 2010
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Nov 4, 2010
Dear Friend, It’s Good to be Back Home Sunday I returned from my Marshall Memorial Fellowship, an experience that took me through six countries in twenty-four days. The program provided an opportunity to meet with political and...
October 2010
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Oct 4, 2010
Dear Friend, Marshall Memorial Fellowship Later this week, I will begin a twenty-four day tour of several Western and Central European countries as a Marshall Memorial Fellow. The program, funded by the German Marshall Fund of the...
September 2010
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Sep 7, 2010
Dear Friend, Legislature Votes to Ban Spice During Special Session On Friday, August 27, the House and Senate met in a one day Special Session. Votes were taken on several bills including a measure to outlaw the synthetic marijuana...
July 2010
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Jul 29, 2010
Dear Friend, Oil Spill Update: Day 100 Operations continue at the former site of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig one hundred days after the explosion. Development Driller III has drilled the first relief well to a depth of 17,864 feet...
June 2010
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Jun 24, 2010
Dear Friend, Oil Spill Update The oil spill continues to be a source of frustration and anxiety for families across the Gulf Coast. With wall to wall news coverage on all the major networks, I’ll refrain from rehashing the latest...
May 2010
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May 27, 2010
Dear Friend, Special House Committee on the Gulf Oil Spill Formed Today, House Speaker Billy McCoy formed a special committee to explore the business and environmental impact of the oil spill along the Gulf Coast. I am honored to join...
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May 13, 2010
Dear Friend, Governor Vetoes Wind Pool Bill Late last night, the Governor vetoed House Bill 1642, a measure that would have put $20 million into the state wind pool. This money would have been used to purchase reinsurance. The...
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May 1, 2010
Dear Friend, Oil Spill Update State, federal and local officials are continuing to monitor the fallout from last Tuesday’s oil rig explosion. Deepwater Horizon, a semi-submersible oil rig stationed off the coast of Louisiana was in the...
April 2010
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Apr 22, 2010
Dear Friend, The Legislature is in session and continues to consider budget items and local and private bills. Once we have completed our work in Jackson, I will provide an explanation of the budget and other matters we have addressed this...
March 2010
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Mar 26, 2010
Dear Friend, Brokering Peace in the Mississippi Legislature On Thursday, March 25, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to suspend business next week and return to complete the 2011 budget once we know if Mississippi will...
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Mar 12, 2010
Dear Friend, 2011 Ballot will Feature Voter I.D. In 2008, I served as one of three House members on the Comprehensive Election Reform Review Panel chaired by Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. As we traveled across the state speaking...
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Mar 6, 2010
Dear Friend, 2010 Budget Agreement Reached (Again) It didn’t happen as quickly as I would have liked but it looks like we may finally be able to close the books on the budget for 2010. After vetoing the first Budget Compromise Plan,...
February 2010
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Feb 19, 2010
Dear Friend, Time to Turn the Page Three weeks ago I reported that the House of Representatives had passed a bill to restore cuts to all three levels of education and stop the bleeding for our judges, district attorneys, mental health...
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Feb 13, 2010
Dear Friend, Thursday was another deadline day in Jackson as bills that survived the committee process had to pass on the floor of their original chamber by midnight or die. The House and Senate frantically worked to meet the deadline as a...
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Feb 8, 2010
Dear Friend, Who Dat? Every Friday we are in session, the senior gentleman from Jackson County, Chairman Billy Broomfield, stands up to move that the House adjourn until the following Monday. Friday, after he made the motion, the House...
January 2010
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Jan 31, 2010
Dear Friend, The state budget continues to hold center stage in Jackson as revenues dwindle and cuts persist. On Friday, January 25, as many state lawmakers were on their way home for the weekend, Governor Barbour announced another round of...
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Jan 23, 2010
Dear Friend, Join the Fight Against Domestic Violence Domestic violence is a problem that doesn’t care where you live, how much money you make or the color of your skin. Every day, Mississippi families from all walks of life are held...
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Jan 15, 2010
Dear Friend, Time to Work Together With state revenues hovering nearly $350 million below original estimates and no prospects for revenue growth in the short term, the House, Senate, and Governor’s office must come together quickly in...
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Jan 7, 2010
Dear Friend, 2010 Legislative Session Underway On Tuesday at noon, the House of Representatives began the 2010 legislative session. Despite dire budget projections, the legislature started 2010 on a positive note. Within five hours of...
2009
December 2009
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Dec 2, 2009
Dear Friends, Budget Primer It has been a difficult year for Mississippi families. As the cost of services has continued to rise, more and more men and women have seen their pay and benefits cut while others have found themselves out...
October 2009
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Oct 25, 2009
Dear Friends, Special Session This Week Governor Barbour has announced that he will call a special session later this week. The legislature will be asked to provide economic incentives for a company that is considering bringing a...
September 2009
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Sep 30, 2009
Dear Friends, Budget Hearings in the Books Last week, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee completed its pre-session hearings. The Committee, comprised of six members of the House and Senate, the Speaker of the House and the...
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Sep 16, 2009
Dear Friends, I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable summer. I also hope that those of you with school age children and grandchildren are having a peaceable transition into the school year. Those of us who live in Jackson County are...
July 2009
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Jul 30, 2009
Dear Friends, Sales Tax Holiday Friday and Saturday The state wide sales tax holiday begins tomorrow (July 31) and ends at midnight Saturday (August 1). The sales tax exemption applies to clothing and footwear priced under $100.00....
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Jul 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...
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Jul 12, 2009
Dear Friends, The legislature completed its budget work on Friday with a special session that lasted from 10 in the morning until about 3:30 Friday afternoon. My morning started at 3 a.m. at home in Pascagoula when eleven week old Gray...
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Jul 3, 2009
Dear Friends, At midnight on Tuesday, Mississippi lawmakers shuffled out of the capitol with a $6.01 billion budget approved. It wasn’t pretty but it wasn’t Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio...
June 2009
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Jun 19, 2009
Dear Friends, Moments ago, residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast got some much needed good news. In his remarks to the Jackson press corps this afternoon, Governor Barbour announced that he has decided to add the additional $20 million...
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Jun 5, 2009
Dear Friends, At midnight Thursday morning, House and Senate members filed out of their respective chambers. It was the deadline for the Regular Session and no budget agreement had been reached. The frustration was palpable. In a...
May 2009
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May 11, 2009
Dear Friends, Since my last update, we have added a little boy to our family, Edward Gray. Gray was born on April 13th at Singing River Hospital. Gray, his mother, and sister are doing well. Sadly for the little guy, he looks a lot like...
April 2009
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Apr 7, 2009
Dear Friends, Last Wednesday, the Legislature adjourned until May or June when lawmakers will return to the Capitol to finalize the state budget in advance of the 2010 fiscal year which begins on July 1. Several major issues await...
March 2009
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Mar 23, 2009
Dear Friends, Late last week, the Governor’s office and legislative leaders began discussing the possibility of extending the session. A $400 million revenue shortfall and uncertainty surrounding the Federal stimulus package have made it more...
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Mar 15, 2009
Dear Friends, This week, the legislature welcomed Archie and Eli Manning to the Capitol in celebration of “Manning Day”. Both Mannings addressed the House and thanked the state for its support of their family. Archie was proud to announce,...
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Mar 8, 2009
Dear Friends, If you don’t already know, the legislature can be a crazy place. It is not unusual to see a chamber do something enormously positive and then something devastatingly negative all in the course of one week. That’s the kind of...
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Mar 1, 2009
Dear Friends, House Approves Additional $20 Million for Wind Pool On February 17, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would provide an additional $20 million to the state wind pool program. In a study commissioned by the Gulf...
February 2009
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Feb 15, 2009
Dear Friends, Voter I.D. Passes House House Bill 1533, a bill that was amended to include photographic voter identification and early voting cleared the House on Wednesday. The bill required 73 votes to pass and received 78 votes. The...
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Feb 8, 2009
Dear Friends, Pardon Bill on its Way to the Senate Tuesday was a big day for those of us who want to see convicted murderers and rapists serve out their full sentences. On the floor of the House, I amended House Bill 2, a bill to...
January 2009
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Jan 24, 2009
Dear Friends, I hope you will indulge a personal note before I review activity in the House of Representatives. The most difficult aspect of service in the Mississippi Legislature has been the days and nights spent away from family....
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Jan 18, 2009
Dear Friends, The deadline to introduce general bills is tomorrow, January 19. I want to thank the many of you who have offered your ideas for new legislation and invite you to track these bills on the Mississippi Legislature website at...
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Jan 11, 2009
Dear Friends, Response to the Governor’s State of the State Address This Tuesday, January 13, at 6:00 p.m., Governor Haley Barbour will deliver his State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate. I am honored to...
2008
December 2008
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Dec 28, 2008
Dear Friends, On Tuesday, January 6, 2009, we will be convening the 2009 Legislative Session at the old Capitol Building on North State Street in Jackson at noon. This historic building opened in 1839 and served as the site where...
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Dec 14, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope you and your family and have taken advantage of some of the great holiday activities in our area. Some of my favorites so far have been the downtown Christmas parade, the singing Christmas tree at First Baptist Church...
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Dec 7, 2008
Dear Friends, House of Representatives Page Program Last week, I was informed that I am entitled to have 2 pages at the House for the week of January 12. If you know a boy or girl (13 years old or older) who may be interested in working...
November 2008
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Nov 28, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing and happy Thanksgiving weekend. It is a testament to the spirit of our country that despite the hardships we face at home and abroad, we continue to gather with our families and churches to...
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Nov 17, 2008
Dear Friends, Last Wednesday, Representatives John Read, Michael Janus, Steve Palazzo, Senator David Baria and I addressed a group of nearly 200 students at MGCCC’s Jeff Davis campus. The subject of our discussion was Community College...
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Nov 2, 2008
Dear Friends, With all the direct mail and television advertisements, it’s unlikely that any of you have forgotten that we have an election day coming up on Tuesday. Some of you may even be a part of the nearly 4,000 who have already voted...
October 2008
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Oct 22, 2008
Dear Friends, Conservation Hearing on October 28 in Jackson County The Conservation and Water Resources Committee will hold a public meeting at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Jackson County Campus in the Lecture Hall of the...
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Oct 12, 2008
Dear Friends, This month, the House and Senate have continued to meet with a variety of organizations from all over the State. Since my last update, I have met with the American Council of Engineering Companies, the Port of Gulfport, the...
September 2008
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Sep 28, 2008
Dear Friends, As pundits continue to argue over who performed best during Friday’s debate, two winners are obvious—the State of Mississippi and Ole Miss. In a night when all eyes were on the Magnolia State, we delivered a first class event at...
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Sep 21, 2008
Dear Friends, It has been a busy two weeks. The House Transportation Committee has held productive meetings on county speed control, cycling, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. In addition to attending these informational...
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Sep 7, 2008
Dear Friends, While Hurricane Gustav did not cause the kind of severe damage it could have, the storm left its imprint on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. According to the latest information from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency...
August 2008
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Aug 18, 2008
Dear Friends, This afternoon, Tropical Storm Fay made landfall over Key West. The second landfall is scheduled to occur tomorrow morning. After Hurricane Katrina, it’s hard to break out of storm tracker mode. Let’s keep the folks in the...
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Aug 28, 2008
Dear Friends, I know that many of you are beginning to turn your attention to the storm system currently hovering above Jamaica. While no one wants to think about dealing with the problems that come with a hurricane, it is important that we...
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Aug 11, 2008
Dear Friends, Graham Update On Monday, following a Medicaid meeting with leaders of the House and Senate, I spoke with Governor Barbour regarding his decision to suspend the sentence of Michael Graham. During our brief conversation,...
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Aug 3, 2008
Dear Friends, Last week, Pascagoula’s O-Zone World Series team turned in several inspired performances and helped deliver one of the most exciting weeks of local sports in recent memory. If you weren’t at Gibson Field on Thursday, you...
July 2008
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Jul 28, 2008
Dear Friends, Last Friday, I had a chance to stop by the Dixie Youth Baseball O-Zone World Series Homerun Derby and Opening Ceremonies. The derby showcased some impressive young talent from across the Southeastern United States and the...
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Jul 20, 2008
Dear Friends, This past week I had the opportunity to participate in the Program for Emerging Political Leaders in Charlottesville, Virginia. The program, organized by the nonpartisan State Legislative Leaders Foundation, was hosted by the...
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Jul 6, 2008
Dear Friends, This year’s Independence Day Celebration in Pascagoula was particularly meaningful as fireworks were fired from the Pascagoula Beach Pier for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. I think John Adams would be pleased to know...
June 2008
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Jun 29, 2008
Dear Friends, Medicaid Background The House and Senate recessed on Friday after the House passed a bill that would disallow any Medicaid cuts until February 1, 2009. Due to the complexity of this issue, I believe a Mississippi...
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Jun 21, 2008
Dear Friends, GAO Calls for a Do-over In February, the Air Force awarded a $40 billion contract to Northrop Grumman to build a new air refueling tanker. These new flying gas stations will replace an aging fleet of tankers that are...
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Jun 16, 2008
Dear Friends, It is a sad irony that one of the most eloquent observers of fatherhood, Tim Russert, passed away on the week before Father’s Day. In recalling the close relationship Mr. Russert shared with his father, I have been reminded of...
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Jun 8, 2008
Dear Friends, Special Session Update On Wednesday afternoon, the eighth day of the Special Session, the House and Senate recessed until June 26. Before leaving Jackson, both chambers agreed to reauthorize the Department of Employment...
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Jun 1, 2008
Dear Friends, Today’s Mississippi Press featured a front page article on the possibility of bringing the U.S.S. Ticonderoga home to Pascagoula. This is an exciting project that could provide an enormous boost to local tourism. I appreciate...
May 2008
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May 25, 2008
Dear Friends, Special Session: Take 1 You will recall that last Sunday I was aware of four issues on the Governor’s Special Session call for May 21. Those issues were: Reauthorization of the Mississippi Department of...
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May 18, 2008
Dear Friends, Last week the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Project hosted by Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast helped build, repair or remodel twenty homes in our district. The former president, first lady and thousands of...
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May 4, 2008
Dear Friends, The Bacot/McCarty Foundation and the DREAM Program both had golf tournaments scheduled for Saturday. Despite a torrential downpour, both organizations raised big money for important causes. Todd Trenchard, Troy Trigg and...
April 2008
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Apr 28, 2008
Dear Friends, Even though the legislature is out of session, I will continue to provide updates as I receive information that I think you might find interesting. Also, I encourage you to contact me with questions and comments...
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Apr 20, 2008
Dear Friends, The 2008 regular legislative session ended on Friday without a funding solution for Medicaid. That means House and Senate members will be returning to Jackson some time before July, the beginning of the 2009 fiscal...
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Apr 14, 2008
Dear Friends, As we enter the last week of this legislative session I want to thank you for your interest in the process and helpful advice. Please continue to call or write with your comments and questions. Veto Override Fails...
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Apr 6, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope you are all doing well and that you were able to escape this weekend’s storms with minimal damage. I had the opportunity to drive through Madison shortly after a tornado made landfall there on Friday and it was pretty...
March 2008
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Mar 30, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope you are all doing well and I trust you will indulge two brief public service announcements. In May, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) will be sending out stimulus payments and you could receive $600 (or...
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Mar 23, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope that you and your families have had an enjoyable Holy Week and happy Easter. The House took Good Friday off giving members and staff an opportunity to spend more time at home this weekend. It was a welcome break...
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Mar 16, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope that you are all doing well and that you have found ways to enjoy this nice weather with your families. Due to a surge in committee meetings, I’ve been a little slow in responding to your e-mails and phone calls. I...
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Mar 9, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope everyone had a good week. Thank you for your continued interest in our work and please continue to call and e-mail. REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 7, 2008 Immigration Legislation On Wednesday, the...
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Mar 1, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope you are all doing well. It was good to see so many friends from home this week. The House was privileged to have visitors from the Pascagoula Bar Pilots Association, the Port of Pascagoula, College Park Elementary School...
February 2008
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Feb 22, 2008
I hope you and your families are doing well. Please continue to send along your questions and concerns. Your feedback has proved very helpful in Jackson. REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 22, 2008 Medicaid This week, the...
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Feb 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...
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Feb 9, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope that you all had a good week. Please continue to remember the Compretta family as well as those affected by the storms that swept through northern Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING...
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Feb 3, 2008
Dear Friends, I’m writing this week’s update with a heavy heart. Jody Compretta, a Hancock County businessman and the son of Speaker Pro Tempore J.P. Compretta died last night in New Orleans. Please join me in remembering the...
January 2008
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Jan 26, 2008
Dear Friends, I hope you all had a great week. At the Capitol, we began meeting with our respective committees and passed bills that will help some of our state’s neediest citizens. Report for the Week Ending January 25, 2008...
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Jan 21, 2008
Dear Friends, Throughout my term as state representative, I will post periodic updates of our work in the House. I hope you will find these updates to be a helpful way to track legislative progress in Jackson. Report for Week Ending...
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