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House passes scores of Senate-originated appropriations and related measures in block votes
Summary
On the floor the House moved through a long series of Senate-originated appropriations, adopting committee strike-all amendments and approving final passage for dozens of agency budgets and special funds appropriations. Most measures were routine approvals of Legislative Budget Recommendation (LBR) amounts plus insurance and PERS adjustments.
The Mississippi House took final action on a lengthy slate of Senate-originated appropriations and related measures during a marathon floor session. Members adopted committee strike-all amendments where reported and approved final passage on scores of agency budgets, including appropriations for agriculture, mental health, corrections, higher education, veterans affairs and many licensing boards.
Many of the items were considered in rapid sequence and were presented as routine "LBR plus" actions: the Legislative Budget Recommendation (LBR) amounts adjusted for the state's share of insurance and Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) contributions. Committee sponsors described the changes briefly on the floor and the House adopted strike-all amendments and moved to final passage on each item.
A sampling of bills taken up and final actions (list is illustrative of the block votes and not exhaustive of every appropriation considered during the session):
- Senate Bill 3033 — Department of Agriculture & Commerce budget; committee strike-all adopted and final passage approved. - Senate Bill 3034 — Dixie National Livestock Show and county livestock shows; committee increased premiums for county livestock shows and raised the cap; final passage approved. - Senate Bill 3035 — Board of Animal Health appropriation (avian flu response funding and escalation authority); committee amendment adopted; final passage approved. - Senate Bill 3036 — Gaming Commission appropriation; strike-all adopted; final passage approved. - Senate Bill 3031, 3024, 3029, 3010, 3039, 3040 and many others — licensing boards, institutions, and special fund accounts presented as LBR plus insurance/PERS; strike-all amendments adopted and bills passed.
Floor sponsors repeatedly told the House that many of these appropriations "come in at LBR" with small modifications (salary, contractual services, or special-fund authority). Votes were typically unanimous or near-unanimous on the floor records. Where committee action added or reallocated funds (for example, supplements for regional correctional contracts, county livestock premium increases, or special one-time appropriations), sponsors explained the changes briefly before the recorded votes.
What passed in the block
The appropriation measures included general state agency operating budgets, special funds for boards (e.g., chiropractic examiners, dental examiners, veterinary examiners), capital or one-time items requested by institutions (several higher-education appropriations were on the calendar), and a re-appropriation of ARPA funds in one sizable bill that reauthorized previously obligated federal relief funds.
Procedure and next steps
Most of the bills modified by strike-all committee amendments will be returned to the Senate for concurrence where the House amendment changed the text of a Senate-originated bill. Several bills were noted on the floor as "will go straight to the governor" if no reverse repealer was in place; others will follow the usual path through Senate concurrence and then to the governor's desk.
Votes at a glance (selected item list)
The bills listed below were taken up in the session and recorded as having committee amendments adopted and final passage; vote tallies are recorded on the House calendar for many items and are available in the clerk's roll-call record.
- SB 3033 — Dept. of Agriculture & Commerce — committee strike-all adopted; final passage (vote recorded on calendar). - SB 3034 — Dixie National Livestock / county shows — committee strike-all adopted; final passage (vote recorded: House roll recorded on calendar). - SB 3035 — Board of Animal Health — committee strike-all adopted; final passage (vote recorded on calendar). - SB 3036 — Gaming Commission — committee strike-all adopted; final passage. - SB 3031, SB 3024, SB 3029, SB 3010, SB 3039, SB 3040, SB 3025, SB 3019, SB 3048, SB 3026, SB 3028, SB 3027 and many other Senate-originated budget bills were taken up in block; strike-all amendments adopted; final passage recorded.
Reporting note
This roundup summarizes a lengthy series of routine appropriations actions taken in a single floor session. The House clerk's official roll-call records include complete vote tallies for each bill; reporters and researchers should consult the clerk's roll-call for full vote-by-vote details.
