Published: May 14, 2008 12:53 am            

Bryant recaps legislative session in Meridian

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant made a trip to Meridian Tuesday to present a legislative update to the Young Professionals of Meridian during a reception at Union Station.

"I always like to come over and visit with groups like this," said Bryant. "They are the lifeblood of any community."

Bryant's legislative update, which was summed up in an interview with The Meridian Star, covered many changes that have been made to state government, including an ethics bill which he called, "the most sweeping ethics bill that's been passed in Mississippi in 25 years."

The bill requires elected officials to report their outside income sources in order to reveal any possible conflicts of interest between an official's sources of income and public duties. The reports will be put online for public viewing.

Additionally, Bryant said, the bill gives the state ethics commission power to enforce existing open meeting laws and to "arbitrate questions regarding public documents," determining which documents are to be made public.

Bryant also talked about education, saying that the Legislature will fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), a program which is meant to ensure that all Mississippi schools have adequate funding to obtain a Level III accreditation.

"We're going to fund it every year that I'm Lieutenant Governor," Bryant said.

In addition to fully funding MAEP, Bryant said, the Legislature passed a bill requiring that all elected and appointed school superintendents in Mississippi maintain a Level III accreditation in their districts. Any superintendents whose districts are below a Level III for two years in a row will be relieved of their office under this legislation.

Bryant also mentioned some illegal immigration legislation, known as the Mississippi Employer Protection Act, which would require employers to verify that their employees are American citizens using a free online program called E-verify, which would identify employees as citizens or non-citizens based on their social security numbers and other personal information.

Bryant said he feels that the recent legislation will benefit East Central Mississippi in many ways, including protecting employers from unknowingly hiring illegal immigrants, providing funding to the community college system, much of which will go toward workforce development, and through general economic benefits.

"If we can expand economic development throughout Mississippi," he said, "it will be of benefit to every segment of government."

Of his visit to Meridian, Bryant said: "I always enjoy coming to Meridian. This is just one of my favorite towns in the state."

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.