The Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association (MAPA) recently joined Governor Phil Bryant and legislative leaders for a ceremonial signing of House Bill 580. The bill, authored by Rep. Mark Baker, will provide enhanced safety for highway construction workers and the traveling public through Mississippi highway construction work zones. Deemed, Mississippi’s “Blue Light Law” by many, the bill now signed into law will allow for additional and dedicated law enforcement presence throughout highway construction work zones in the state.
Legislators responsible for H.B. 580’s passage:
- Rep. Mark Baker (R – Brandon)
- Sen. Angela Hill (R – Picayune)
- Rep. Charles Busby (R – Pascagoula)
- Sen. Willie Simmons (D – Cleveland)
“The highway construction industry has been trying to get meaningful legislation like what was authored by Rep. Baker in the House and Sen. Hill in the Senate for over a decade, to no avail. This year, however, we pushed and pushed and with the help of our two bill authors and the two chairman of the respective Transportation committees House Bill 580 passed through the Mississippi Legislature and was signed by the Governor, said Clifton L. “Pepper” Beckman, Jr. President of Dunn Roadbuilders and past Board President of the Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association.
In a single week in the fall of 2018, a staggering 6 people were struck by oncoming traffic in highway work zones. Countless lives will now be saved by this safety-focused legislation. Not just our construction workforce, but also for the traveling public. The blue light presence we so desperately need on paving projects will be a deterrent for reckless driving in our workplace. I could not be more pleased by the hard work and commitment by the legislators that had a hand in this bill’s passage”, said Huey Stockstill, Jr., President of Huey P. Stockstill, LLC and Board President of the Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association.
Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association Press Release
4/10/2019
Sarah Ulmer
