Miss. Legislature ends session

House wraps up a day after Senate

Stalwart Democratic Reps. Johnny Stringer of Montrose, left, and Cecil Brown of Jackson, right, share a laugh with a colleague Thursday at the end of their final day at the Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, as the House concluded its business. Stringer served for 36 years and is not running for re-election. Brown served for 16 years but is running for the Central District Public Service Commissioner’s post. The Senate concluded its business Wednesday, but the House needed to vote on a couple of bills held for reconsideration before wrapping up business.

Associated Press

The Mississippi Legislature ended its three-month 2015 session Thursday as the House wrapped up a few final pieces of business one day after the Senate had finished its work and gone home.

“I appreciate the diligence you have shown,” Speaker Philip Gunn, RClinton, told House members as they prepared to leave.

The House sent legislation to Gov. Phil Bryant that would tighten sanctions for schools found cheating on state tests. Senate Bill 2258 had already passed the Senate.

The House also sent the governor Senate Bill 2804, which would remove civil-service protection from Mississippi Department of Corrections’ employees for one year.

Both bills had passed the House on Wednesday but were held for the possibility of more debate, which is what brought representatives back to the Capitol for a morning session after the Senate left.

Rep. Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, argued unsuccessfully Thursday against the school sanctions bill, saying the state can already take action against schools if cheating is suspected.

The Department of Corrections bill moved forward with no additional debate.

In a letter distributed to House members, Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher wrote: “I commit to you that any personnel action taken by this agency to terminate the employment of any MDOC employee will follow the rules and regulations of the State Personnel Board with regard to due process and grievance procedures.”

During the session, which originally was scheduled to end Easter Sunday, lawmakers wrote a nearly $6.3 billion budget and approved borrowing $450 million for a variety of projects, including $24.5 million for an aquarium in Gulfport.

Republican

leaders pushed for tax cuts, but those efforts were defeated by House Democrats who argued that the state needs to hold onto money for education, transportation and other services.

Lawmakers voted to create $6,500 vouchers that would let a small percentage of special-education students pay for private school, tutoring or other education services.

They enacted a ban on texting while driving.

They eliminated the $5 annual vehicle safety inspection sticker.

They voted to make the boards of publicly owned hospitals conduct most of their business in meetings that will be open to the public, a change prompted by pension problems at Singing River Hospital in Jackson County.

A developer wants to turn one of Summer Avenue’s major corners — now residential — into the Grahamwood Crossing retail center.

The site is on the northeast corner of Summer and Graham, across Graham from Grahamwood Elementary School.

The site’s 90 feet of Summer frontage now includes the 10-unit Summerview Apartments building and a vacant house next door that most recently was a daycare center.

The site also includes a house at 660 N. Graham.

All would be razed for the Grahamwood Crossing retail development.

Documents show the center would be a 13,756-square-foot building with 48 parking spaces.

The site plan shows two rows of parking between the Summer sidewalk and the front of the building, as well as parking behind the building.

The owner, H/Summerview LLC, is asking the Land Use Control Board to delete the residential corridor designation now governing the use of the property.

Two gas station/convenience stores are on the southwest and southeast corners.