Speaker Jason White speaks at Stennis Capitol Press Forum (Photo from Facebook)
- Speaker Jason White called the 90-second Senate Education Committee hearing that killed HB 2 a “theatrical committee performance.”
While expressing frustration over the failure of school choice legislation this session, Speaker of the Mississippi House Jason White (R) said Monday that calling a special session to reconsider the bill is “not off the table.”
His signature legislation, HB 2, narrowly passed in the House before moving to the Senate Education Committee. There, within 90 seconds, the education freedom bill was unanimously killed by a voice vote.
“It seems like a lot of political posturing to sell a lie that school choice in some way undoes Mississippi’s education gains,” White told attendees at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum on Monday, adding that he was disappointed in how much of the news media has covered the issue.
HB 2 was an omnibus education package that would, among other things, loosen restrictions and aid to support transfers between public schools, allow a first-year limit of 12,500 students to access their state allotted funds for private school tuition through Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), and rework the authorization framework for new charter schools.
White called the Senate Education Committee hearing on the bill a “theatrical committee performance.”
“We are disappointed that the Senate did not engage in real, meaningful discussion and debate on the issues in House Bill 2 and instead opted for what can only be described as a theatrical committee performance to kill the bill a full month before the committee deadline,” White said.
White added that there are only a few options left this session for the education freedom reforms he has championed. He suggested one option would be to attach the ESA language onto another bill.
“We’re currently evaluating vehicles that are available in the House that have come from the Senate that might be amendable, if you will, and not violate any of our rules and keep this conversation alive,” the Speaker said. “A quick look doesn’t show that many are available on that issue.”
During his 40-minute speech, Speaker White said the governor calling lawmakers back to Jackson to reexamine the issue after the session is a possibility. A special session, White said, would drive the conversation further.
“So, certainly, that would be an option. We’re not afraid of that option,” he told the press gathered in the room.
The Speaker said early on, Senate leadership made it clear they are not in favor of ESAs. Yet, White said he does not see why the Senate allowed the bill to die in the Education Committee without a floor debate.
“There’s no reason for that… You have to read into some meaning there,” he said.
HB 2 included ESAs, a legally distinct concept, controlled by families on qualified expenses. It also included a requirement for students participating to take national norm reference testing that had to be reported to the state to measure the efficacy of the program.
Governor Tate Reeves (R) has publicly endorsed HB 2 as a way to continue what has been termed “The Mississippi Miracle,” the state’s rise in the national education achievement rankings. Reeves alone can call a special session, whether in the middle of the current session or once the regular session ends. The governor also sets the agenda lawmakers would consider during a special session.
To date, Reeves has not indicated whether he would call a special session to address the education freedom package as put forward by Speaker White.
As for the impact the Senate’s actions will have on the bills that chamber has sent over to the House, White said he believes the Senate legislation will receive due consideration after the demise of HB 2.
“I anticipate that most of [the Senate bills] will get more than a 90-second debate,” White said.
