Reeves goes to representatives on charter schools bill
Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves this week bypassed the GOP House leadership and met with a group of mostly Democrats from the House to lobby for his Senate’s education reform legislation.
House Speaker Philip Gunn’s office did not know about the meeting and had no comment on it Friday. The move is unusual, at least in recent times, for the head of the Senate to directly lobby House lawmakers from another party without going through the House leadership. Relations between the Republican leadership in the House and Senate have appeared somewhat strained recently after some strong moves by Reeves and the Senate on budget and other issues.
Rep. Brad Oberhousen, D-Jackson, said he was one of a group of House members who had dinner with Reeves on Monday night. He said he reckons there were about a dozen House members at the meeting at a Flowood restaurant, mostly Democrats, a few Republicans but “mostly all no votes on charter schools.”
Clarion Ledger
3/22/13
Magnolia Tribune
