Mississippi 2008 Legislative Preview
MHAP Legislative Update
January 23, 2008
Two and a half weeks into the legislative session is still just slowly chugging along as people still get adjusted to their new positions. House committee assignments were handed out late Friday afternoon so they are trying to catch up on the enormous job that awaits them. However, they have managed to handle some serious legislation in a relatively short amount of time. The Senate on the other hand has had a bit of a head start and has also passed some significant legislation. The Governor’s State of the State address and his budget presentation has given legislators on both sides of the aisle the blueprint that the Governor expects them to follow. It remains to be seen if that happens. As expected, the budget is significantly tighter due to the financial demands of public education, Medicaid, and corrections just to name a few. The first major deadline of the session is coming up on Wednesday, January 30th. This is the deadline for all general bills and constitutional amendments to be drafted, so legislators must play catch-up relatively quickly. Here are a few bills to watch.
HB 73 is a bill that proposes to raise the cigarette tax by 50 cents with the money being earmarked for the Health Care Expendable Fund, the University Medical Center, and the Mississippi Trauma Care System Fund. The bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committe.
HB 20 is another cigarette tax that seeks to raise it by $1.00 and decrease the grocery tax. This bill is currently in the House Ways and Means Committee.
HB 67 is the bill that continues to provide transportation for dialysis patients. The estimated cost of continuing this program is $3.9 million dollars. The bill passed the House and has now been sent to the Senate for deliberation.
HB 276 is a bill that allows Medicaid recertification to be done by mail as opposed to a face-to-face interview as it is being done now. There is a companion bill in the Senate, SB 2238 which calls for the same thing. Both bills are in their respective committees {HB 276 in Medicaid and SB 2238 in Public Health and Welfare and Appropriations}.
For more information on these and other bills we are tracking, please check our website under the Legislative Update link.
2007 Legislative Updates
2006 Legislative Updates
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