Legislative Update 2019 Week 7
This past week, the House began the budget process by considering dozens of bills this week. However, these are effectively “placeholder” bills for the moment. They can’t become law as currently written. Each state agency has its own bill which is considered by the Appropriations Committee. These spending bills can generally be divided into two types:
- Special Funds: These bills pull money from special accounts that are set aside for particular state agencies. Most of the larger agencies are not funded this way. Many of the “special fund” agencies include occupational licensing boards and commissions which impose regulations on certain professions.
- General Funds: These bills spend money from the state’s “general fund,” where most of your tax dollars are deposited. Most of the state’s larger agencies, including the three primary branches of government, are funded this way.
The House will continue working with the Senate to negotiate the final spending numbers for each of these bills based on updated tax collections at the end of the session.
Now that the appropriations process has begun, the House is also receiving all of the bills passed by the Senate and referring them to committee. Your Mississippi House of Representatives has begun again its work in committee amending and passing bills to the floor.
The House adjourned for the week today in an effort to reduce legislative expenses by not meeting on Friday. Next week, House committees will meet to consider bills from the Senate. You can click here to see all bills that are still alive so far.
You can see a live stream of the House debate each day on my Facebook page here. These videos are saved there so you can also go back and watch the debate later if you’re not able to watch live.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions, requests, or concerns about upcoming legislation.
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