Delbert Hosemann and Jason White (Photo from their websites)
- Lt. Gov. Delbert Hoseman said he plans to reread former U.S. Senator Trent Lott’s book Herding Cats now that their legislative work is done. “Perhaps the Speaker should read it, too,” he said.
At the end of regular legislative session in April, Governor Tate Reeves (R) said lawmakers needed “to go to their corners, get some water and towel off” before he called a special session to finish the state budget, a nod to the tension between the two chambers.
When the special session gaveled in Wednesday of this week, the nearly two-month cooling off period was not long enough, as shortly into the session, division between the chambers was evident and tempers flared.
With a budget on the governor’s desk, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) partially joked Friday at his end of session press conference, saying, “Maybe we need a six-month cooling-off period.”
Hosemann said senators were upset over several aspects of how the budget process developed this year. First, he said, there was an agreement made between him, House Speaker Jason White (R), and Governor Reeves to handle only with appropriation bills during the special session. However, three bills were on the calendar that did not deal with appropriations.
For Speaker White, that is a head scratcher, as he said Friday at his own press conference that two of those bills originated in the Senate, one to reduce the auditor’s office budget and the other to fund Methodist Rehab Center for $1.9 million which could impact the state’s Medicaid program.
Speaker White said some Senators are upset because of HB 1, the House-designed tax bill that gradually eliminates the state income tax, cuts the sales tax on groceries, and provides more funding for Mississippi’s roads and highways while adding a new tier to the Public Employees Retirement System.
“That’s what it goes back to,” said White. “I don’t think some of their members wanted tax cuts and extra funding for local governments.”
Hosemann scoffed at that suggestion.
“The Senate rewrote HB 1,” he responded, referring to the amendment approved by the chambers and signed into law by Reeves.
Another reason for the tension between the two chambers is that the House left town early Thursday morning, after passing their budget bills. Later that afternoon, when the Senate started its voting, questions arose that Senators believed should be addressed by the House.
The Senate’s frustration became public when State Senator Jeremy England (R) accused the House of “a lack of leadership,” saying the chamber needs to “show us respect, like we show them.”
Speaker White said House members did their jobs and left, so there is no reason to complain.
“I think we need to run our business, and the Senate needs to run their business,” the Speaker said.
White did address a complaint made by both Democrats and Republicans that members did not have enough time to read and study the funding bills. He said a digital copy was sent to each member at 10 a.m. Tuesday and hard copies were on their desks when they arrived on at the Capitol on Wednesday, adding, “Complaining serves no purpose.”
Both leaders agreed in hindsight that the budget process could have gone smoother. Next cycle, Hosemann said the Senate will start the process earlier, something Speaker White has insisted on since taking the gavel in the House.
Hosemann did not appreciate the term “unprofessional” used to describe some legislators’ behavior during the special session.
“We kept our word, to me that is as professional as you can get,” he said, before adding that during the long recess, he plans to reread former Mississippi U.S. Senator Trent Lott’s book Herding Cats.
“Perhaps the Speaker should read it, too,” he said.
Daniel Tyson
