Legislative Update 67

February 08, 2010

Dear Friend,

Who Dat?

Every Friday we are in session, the senior gentleman from Jackson County, Chairman Billy Broomfield, stands up to move that the House adjourn until the following Monday. Friday, after he made the motion, the House chamber erupted in a chorus of “Who dats?”

On a related note, I want to thank those of you who have contacted me about the possibility of making a Saints license tag available in Mississippi. I’ve discussed this with the chairmen who handle these issues in the House and learned that we may have some logo licensing issues. I’m keep looking into this and let you know what I learn.

I hope everyone had a great time watching the Saints turn back history at the Super Bowl.

Kill Bill

The legislative process is designed to kill bills. Of the thousands of items filed at the beginning of each session, only a fraction make it out of committee. Of those, many die on the calendar or are simply voted down. For those that make it out of their original chamber, most are killed quickly once they make it across the hall. Even the bills that make it through the gauntlet of the House and Senate aren’t completely safe. With the stroke of a pen, the Governor can veto a bill and turn the whole process on its head.

Tuesday marked the first major deadline on the legislative calendar as it was the day when bills had to be passed out of committee in their original chamber. The second big deadline comes on Thursday when bills that have made it out of committee must pass the full chamber.

Of the 47 bills I authored, 13 are still alive and 2 have passed the House and are on their way to the Senate. Here is a rundown of some of the bills I have been working on that remain alive:

  • Governor’s Pardon Power: HB 155 would require the Parole Board to issue a recommendation when an individual requests a pardon. While the Governor would still have the authority to grant a pardon, this would allow another level of accountability to the process. The Corrections committee has passed this bill out of committee and it will now be considered by the full House.
  • Domestic Violence: HB 657 would prohibit insurance companies for refusing to provide life, health or disability coverage to an individual on the basis that that person has been a victim of domestic violence. This bill has been approved by both the Insurance Committee and the full House and will now move to the Senate.
  • Identity Theft: HB 583 would require a company to notify a person whose personal information has been stolen from an online database. This bill has been approved by both the Judiciary B Committee and the full House and will now move to the Senate.
  • Policyholder’s Bill of Rights: HB 563 preserves the Insurance Department’s existing Bill of Rights while adding provisions requiring a 30 day notice of rate changes, equal treatment of similarly situated policyholders, and a clarification of the burden of proof in insurance cases. The Insurance Committee has passed this bill out of committee and it will now be considered by the full House.
  • Bicycle Safety Bill: HB 1487 would firm up the rules of the road for both motorists and cyclists. This bill has been approved by both the Transportation Committee and the full House and will now move to the Senate.

How To Contact Me

I invite you to call me on my cell phone at 228-326-7649 or e-mail me at bjones@house.ms.gov. For real time updates, you can also follow me on Twitter under the user name "brandoncjones". If you haven't heard of Twitter, you can check out my page at http://twitter.com/brandoncjones or by following the link on my website. Please feel free to forward this report to folks in our district and let me know if I need to add someone to my list. You can follow legislative proceedings by going to www.ls.state.ms.us.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve,

Brandon