The Mississippi House and Senate gaveled back in today to start taking up items regarding the state’s budget for fiscal year 2021.
They are already behind in the process because at the beginning of 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann expected the session to be complete at least a month ago.
Senator Briggs Hopson, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor by bringing up budgets for state agencies in bulk. Hopson also explained that this a typical action in each chamber, meaning the House and Senate.
The Senate must first pass the budget items and then the official numbers are worked out at a later date. This is typically the first step in the normal procedural process.
The Senate passed its budget recommendation at 6.5% less than what the Legislative Budget Committee recommended.
In the House, they passed the initial budget recommendations at the levels proposed by the budget committee that are from last fall.
None of these numbers in either chamber are set in stone, but just a way to get the process started.
Both the House and Senate are adjourned until Monday, June 1st.
