JACKSON, MISS– This week was chaotic in the state House and Senate thanks to Tuesday’s big deadlines.
In the House, 1,492 measures were filed. Come Tuesday, only 271 were left standing. That means 82% of the bills filed to potentially become law this year died before ever reaching the House floor. The most controversial of which was the referendum on the state flag, and whether or not you would see it on the ballot in November. That bill’s death in committee sparked outrage from the democrats and the public, with Speaker of the House Philip Gunn’s integrity being questioned, as he spoke to change the flag in July.
Generally, just because a bill dies in the House committee, that doesn’t mean it is done for good. The Senate counterpart to that bill could still be alive.
Democrats in the House opposed a bill that could redistrict zones for the state Supreme Court, saying it would limit democrats and African Americans from getting those positions. Members of the Black Caucus protested on the House floor by asking bills be read aloud, in a filibuster of sorts.
Because this slowed the House processes down for nearly two days, bills next week may not make deadline and will be killed on the floor. Right now, 218 bills are still on the House calendar, with the next deadline approaching Thursday.
