As Summer Begins, a Look Back at the Session.

The 2018 Regular Legislative Session is in the books. The outlook for Mississippi’s economy appears to be strengthening, yielding a slight boost in
revenue for the FY 2019 budget. We provided small increases for education, Child Protective Services, the Department of Public Health and the Department
of Public Safety. We also set aside two percent of revenues for the state’s rainy day fund.

We have unfinished business, too. Most of the thousands of bills filed each year do not survive to become law (thank goodness). In fact, one of
my bills (among those that died), House Bill 347, would provide that the legislature convene only every other year. I’d like to see the legislature
convene less, and focus more on key priorities. But I digress.

There were some important agenda items that died this year, a point of frustration for me and for many of you. There is talk about a Special Session
to address funding for roads and bridges, but as of this writing, Governor Bryant has not called legislators back to Jackson. Now that the dust
has settled, you can review a detailed summary by clicking here.
As always, thank you for your ideas and thoughts on what we did, and did not, do!