Last week the Senate restored $25.6 million of the cuts made by Governor Barbour to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.  The move was agreed to after the Senate in a rare bipartisan vote decided the day before to restore $45 million of the cuts.  Apparently, overnight the governor made some senators aware of his displeasure with their cooperative vote and they reconsidered.  Nevertheless, the restoration of $26 million of the $195 million cut by the governor is a positive move.

In another interesting turnaround the Senate supported an amendment that I offered to require insurance adjusters licensed in Mississippi to receive training on the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act, national model legislation proposed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  The model legislation, supported by insurance commissioners nationwide, outlines the appropriate manner to adjust a claim and how to avoid trampling on the rights of the insured.  The amendment passed overwhelmingly one day, and a Motion to Reconsider the vote was entered the next.  In between, the insurance industry and its lobbyists went to work to convince my Senate colleagues that it would not be good to teach Mississippi insurance adjusters what adjusters in 48 other states are bound to follow.  Stay tuned to see how this matter plays out this week.

The Senate also passed Senate Bill 2816, a performance based budgeting plan that in the future will require agencies to achieve greater efficiency and maximize agency performance.  The bill will save money beginning in 2012, by making agencies justify their annual budget requests. The PEER Committee is now charged with conducting annual audits to gauge agency efficiency.

Senate Bill 2623 will make the charge of animal cruelty a felony as it relates to the gross mistreatment or torture of dogs and cats.  We were careful to exempt most farming, animal husbandry and slaughterhouse practices from the possibility of prosecution under this law, and it is limited to only domestic dogs or cats.

Other bills that passed the Senate this week include:

• Senate Bill 2393 that will allow the self-administration of prescription asthma/anaphylaxis medication by students who suffer from asthma, which would amount to some children being able to attend school on a more regular basis. A plan signed by a physician for administering the medicines will be on file at the school and administrators would be trained at administering the medicines at the expense of the American Lung Association of Mississippi.
• Senate Bill 2213 will allow parents to invest in college savings plans in states other than Mississippi.
• Senate Bill 2753 would let citizens stretch out payments to the Mississippi Tax Commission for up to 60 months.
• Senate Bill 2383 would lower from .10 to .08, the blood alcohol level of boat operators in an effort to keep the waterways safe.
• Senate Bill 2058 would give prosecutors the option of seeking life without parole sentences for the rape or sexual battery of a child under the age of 12.
• Senate Bill 2015, the anti-bullying bill, would encourage school districts by July 2011, to adopt tough policies that prohibit bullying.
• Senate Bill 2215 would require persons under age 16, to wear a safety helmet and obtain a certificate to show they have undergone a safe driver course when using an ATV on public lands.
• Senate Bill 3088 would force certain rural residents to obtain an address from their local 911 office so their property can be located in the event of an emergency.
• Senate Bill 2039 sets forth tougher requirements for applicants to the position of state trooper.
• Senate Bill 2373 would strengthen the Open Meetings Law and increase the maximum fine to $1,000 for those found to be in violation of the law.
• Senate Bill 2625 adds terrorism to the list of capital offenses.
• Senate Bill 2297 would encourage school districts to have their students participate in the honoring of uniformed veterans or the families of fallen military personnel on Veterans Day, November 11^th.

I continue to be very proud to serve as your state senator.  If I can ever be of assistance to you do not hesitate to call me at 228.270.0001 or email me at dbaria@senate.ms.gov.