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Business bills lingering: March 27 deadline looms for legislation in conference.

Article Excerpt
JACKSON--Some people count sheep before falling asleep. Mississippi lobbyist Donna Mabus counts bill numbers.

"House Bill one, two, three," joked Mabus. "It's all-consuming this time of year."

During any given legislative session, about 3,000 bills are introduced. Deduct the appropriation bills, and maybe one-fifth of those bills are passed.

"This year started out with a flurry of activity," said Mabus. "There wasn't a lull at the beginning. We hit the ground running this time and I've never seen that before. It was fast and furious. And amazing."

Political pundits have watched the action with interest.

"There was a lot of speculation about whether House Speaker Billy McCoy would be able to handle the job, but he's proven otherwise this session and has become a fairly formidable negotiator for the government," said Marty Wiseman, director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. "It seems like the governor's taking him quite seriously."

Controversy continues to swirl around demands for revenue, said lobbyist Hayes Dent, "especially now that there's more of it." Earlier this month, the state tax commission reported that state revenue collections are almost $200 million above projections, thanks to post-hurricane related spending and booming growth in DeSoto County.

Real estate

Angela Cain, CEO of the Mississippi Association of Realtors (MAR), the state's largest business trade association representing 5,800 members, said the MAR is pleased with its legislative agenda to date.

"We continue to monitor eminent domain bills and any (legislation) where impact fees could pop up," she said. "Our Home Inspector Regulatory Board bill passed setting terms of office for that board consistent with terms for other regulatory boards such as the Appraisal Board."

Ron Aldridge, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), said eminent domain...

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