JACKSON, Miss. – Lt. Governor Tate Reeves released his agenda for this year’s legislative session at the State Capitol Monday. Here are some of the items he has on the list:
Eliminate vehicle inspection stickers – Tate believes inspection stickers are not effective for the state anymore and he would like to see those troopers that are currently looking over inspecting stations on the road protecting the public.
Reforming State contract laws – He wants increased public transparency over state contracts and agency spending habits. He would also like to overhaul the state’s contract board.
Tate would also like to further enhance laws regarding contract workers, allowing agencies to only hire workers that meet contract worker guidelines provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He says some state employees are retiring from government work and then working their same job over the guise of a contract worker, receiving both monthly retirement benefits and a paycheck from the state.
Placing public hospital boards under the open meetings act – Tate wants more transparency at public hospitals since they are operated by taxpayer dollars. He made it clear that this should apply to the management practices hospitals, not to patient records.
Expanding Physician Residency Access – He wants to expand the size of University of Mississippi Medical Center’s (UMMC) graduating class. He also wants to create new residency slots at UMMC and seeks to add residency programs at rural hospitals in the state. He says research shows that doctors are likely practice in areas that they have residency in.
Spending more on education based on effective district management – Currently, Mississippi’s per-pupil spending is based on C rated districts. Tate wants to revamp the formula to reflect the spending used at A and B rated districts. He says they tend to spend more money on instruction and less on administration.
Reducing concealed carry permit fees – Tate wants to reduce the fee for having a concealed carry permit by 20 percent. He also would like for soldiers and honorably discharged veterans to have the right to hold enhanced concealed carry permits without having to pay $200 for a private firearms instructor since they have already had extensive training in firearms.
