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Construction groups eyeing legislation: immigration, creating a state labor department and worker's compensation closely watched.

Article Excerpt
Legislation dealing with immigration, creating a state labor department and worker's compensation are being closely watched by Mississippi construction groups.

"There are a lot of things floating around on worker's comp," said Buddy Edens, president, Mississippi Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). "Some is good and some is bad. It appears nothing much will happen this year because the chair of the insurance committee in the House said he is not going to pass anything out of his committee this year. So we don't see a problem there."

There are several bills that have been filed to establish a state department of labor. Mississippi is one of only a few states with out a state labor department. There have been annual efforts to establish a department of labor at least since 2002 when Gov. Ronnie Musgrove favored the establishment of a labor department.

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"We have always been against that," Edens said. "We have been watching those labor department bills, and hopefully they will not get out of committee. They usually don't, and we hope that will happen again this year. A labor department usually pulls things together under one department and creates a new department....

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