HARRISON: Perhaps the 7 senators who took a walk on charter school bill didn’t want to cross Lt Gov

BOBBY HARRISON: Senate virus could return on more big-vote days

Did some of those seven senators who did not vote want to vote against the proposal, but instead engaged in the long-standing Senate tradition of “taking a walk” instead of crossing the lieutenant governor?

We may never know. Some of the seven probably had valid reasons for missing the vote.

But a quick check of the Senate Journal shows that six of the senators – Dennis DeBar of Leakesville, Videt Carmichael of Meridian, Briggs Hopson of Vicksburg, Chris Massey of Nesbit, Philip Moran of Kiln and Sean Tindall of Gulfport – were present at some point in the Senate on the day of the charter school vote.

In other words, they were present to vote on some issues – just not the charter school bill. Rita Potts Parks of Corinth was the only one of the seven absent the entire day – meaning she did not vote on any legislation that day.

Daily Journal
4/13/16