JACKSON, Miss.- Bills are being reviewed at the Capitol as the deadline for general bills quickly approaches.
Superintendent Bill, SB2438, was passed with the full Senate. The bill outlined that Superintendents would no longer be elected to office but appointed. This would allow for candidates not to be restricted due to geography.
Several legislators worried that this change would take the voice away from voters. However, school boards would still have the ability to vote on superintendents based on the improvement they provide. The bill will now go to the the House for approval.
Speaker Pro. Tem. Terry Burton spoke about the upcoming bill concerning wire taps in the state in order to track down human traffickers. He says the bill is nearly identical to one passed in previous years for the Bureau of Narcotics to use that method in investigations.
Burton believes they will have no trouble passing the bill through committee and then on the the floor. It would allow for investigators to follow leads involving sex trafficking across the state. This is a growing issue in Mississippi.
Burton also commented on a bill that has just recently been drafted and dropped. The consolidation of state agency departments is up for conversation. This would combine several agricultural related agencies under the umbrella of the Agriculture Commission headed up by Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Those smaller departments include soil and water conservation, forestry, and the department of environmental quality.
This switch would obviously save money for the state but also make access to the agencies easier for the public.
As legislature makes its decisions we will have more information on the approval and denial of these bills.
