Mississippi News
Legislative budget process: There’s got to be a better way
Mississippi legislative budget process: There’s got to be a better way
Many people who experience “conference weekend” at the Mississippi Legislature have the same takeaway: There’s got to be a better way to set a state budget. Some phrase it in more colorful or profane language.
It’s a harried, hurried couple of days in which a handful of selected negotiators haggle out a multi-billion dollar budget. Most members of the 174-member Legislature twiddle their thumbs for hours on end, then are hastily called into session to pass dozens of budget bills under deadline, with most not knowing exactly what’s in the bills on which they are voting.
Some lawmakers have asked in vain for more information — such as spreadsheets — before voting. Often, such info is not available because of the last-minute nature of Mississippi budget setting. Public transparency? It goes right out the window in this process.
READ MORE: Lawmakers end 2022 session with historic spending spree
Politicos over the years have likened it to a game of whack-a-mole, lemmings following each other off a cliff, college students scrambling on a term paper after procrastinating and a goat rodeo. Others have been less flattering.
In this frenzied affair, mistakes get made. Sometimes, big ones. Like when lawmakers accidentally spent $57 million more than they had because of a “staff error” in 2016. Or when 10,000 teachers (and $18.5 million) got left out of a teacher pay raise because of a “clerical error” in 2019. Other times, things get sneaked into spending bills that would otherwise never pass muster if more legislators or the public knew they were in there.
One might assume that this budgeting scramble plays a role in lawmakers and budget staff not uncovering some of the multi-million dollar malfeasance, embezzlement and bribery scandals that have rocked the state in recent years. More time and eyes spent on agency budgets and spending certainly couldn’t hurt.
At times lawmakers have vowed to change the process, provide more deliberation on budgeting. This was the case years ago during a push for “performance-based” budgeting. Lawmakers vowed to more deeply analyze what bang taxpayers are getting for their bucks with state agency spending and programs. But these efforts fizzled out. Otherwise, there appears to be very little long-range planning in the Legislature’s budget work.
Instead, Mississippi’s state government budgeting appears to have become even more hurried and the power over the purse strings more concentrated among fewer top lawmakers. And some policy changes have provided rank-and-file lawmakers less input and scrutiny of budgets.
For instance, the House and Senate Joint Legislative Budget Committee holds fall budget hearings, ostensibly for state agencies to make budget requests and justify their spending, and for lawmakers to ask questions. A couple of decades ago, these hearings — open to the public and media — lasted about a month and provided fairly in-depth insight. But over time, the hearings became shorter and more proforma. In recent years, the hearings have become a one-day affair with only a handful of agencies showing up and giving quick-hit superficial overviews.
Some lawmakers have pushed, usually to little avail, for policy and structure changes to address these issues. Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs, has for years filed such bills. One would have limited general legislative sessions — where lawmakers offer non-budget or general bills — to every other year. This would help weed out superfluous legislation and allow more vetting and contemplation of state spending and major issues.
Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Chairman John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, has recently suggested a programmed pause in budgeting. Once budget conference reports, or agreements between House and Senate negotiators, are filed, Polk suggested, instead of rushing a vote on them, the Legislature could recess for a week or two to allow all lawmakers — and even the public — time to scrutinize the proposals.
“It’s an idea,” Polk said. “That way, no one could say they didn’t have a chance to read them.”
In some states, major budget decisions are subject to more public scrutiny — even public hearings — before being passed into law. In Arizona, for instance, the public can speak on the budget at joint House and Senate appropriations hearings. A joint committee in Wisconsin travels the state holding town hall meetings for citizen input on state spending.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, serving his first term in that position, said, “I do not like conference weekend.”
Hosemann said he had planned this year to move up budget negotiations and not have a big scramble at the end. But he said that because of a standoff over tax cuts, the House “refused to enter into negotiations until a tax cut was passed.”
This resulted in negotiations being even later and more hectic than usual, in part because lawmakers not only had to set a $7 billion state budget, but decide how to spend $1.8 billion in federal pandemic stimulus from Congress.
“It is my goal that we do not go through that process, at that speed, again,” Hosemann said. “… Certainly, we are open to look at ways to make it better, more positive. We need to do it over a longer period of time, and more eyes on things would always be better.”
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: December 20-22
SUMMARY: This weekend (December 20-22), Mississippi offers a variety of festive events. In Jackson, enjoy Food Truck Friday, candlelight concerts, a Grinch movie screening, and Journey to the North Pole. In Ridgeland, experience Merry Bingo, Christmas on the Green, and Fleet Feet Coffee Run. Vicksburg hosts Rock the Halls, while Natchez offers a European Christmas Shopping Village. Other activities include Santa scuba diving at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, and Magic of Lights in Brandon. Hattiesburg features Lights of the Wild and Teddy Bear Tea with Santa. Numerous holiday events are available across the state.
The post Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: December 20-22 appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Attorneys seek protective order in Jackson bribery case
SUMMARY: Prosecutors in Jackson are seeking a protective order to prevent the release of sensitive information in a bribery case involving Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, and City Councilman Aaron Banks. The motion aims to protect personal, financial, and grand jury information, fearing it could impair investigations and fair trial rights. The three officials face charges related to a bribery scheme involving $80,000 in bribes for approving a real estate development project. Other individuals, including former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Sherik Marve Smith, are also implicated, with Smith pleading guilty to conspiracy.
The post Attorneys seek protective order in Jackson bribery case appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse
SUMMARY: Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione, who expressed disdain for corporate greed and the health insurance industry, was found with a gun matching the murder weapon and fraudulent IDs. He initially gave false identification but was recognized at a McDonald’s. Mangione, who wrote a three-page document expressing anti-corporate sentiments, is being extradited to New York. His family, shocked by his arrest, expressed condolences to Thompson’s family. Mangione had no prior criminal complaints but had a history of severe back pain.
The post Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse appeared first on www.wjtv.com
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