Status of some bills in the Mississippi Legislature
DEAD
CHURCH BUSES: House Bill 132 would have exempted drivers of church buses with 30 or fewer seats from requirements for a commercial driver’s license. Some called it the “Jesus, take the wheel” bill.
THIRD GRADE READING: House Bill 745 would have allowed current third graders to be promoted to fourth grade without passing a reading test.
ACT TESTS: House Bill 385 would have pushed the state Board of Education to use standardized tests by the ACT testing organization and barred contracting with the company that wrote the current Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers test that Mississippi will give this year.
ASSISTANT TEACHER PAY RAISE: House Bill 582 would have increased the salary of the state’s 6,000 assistant teachers by $2,500 from the current $13,000 a year. The issue could be revived in budget talks.
AP
3/3/15
Magnolia Tribune
