How Close are Lawmakers to finalizing the 2010 Budget?

Neogotiators reach tentative budget deal

Final details of Mississippi's $5 billion dollar budget are being worked out by House and Senate negotiators at the capitol today. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports.

The deal was reached this weekend after negotiators were able to compromise on a hospital tax to pay for Medicaid. But according to Senator Doug Davis of Hernando some sticking points remain.

“There’s a disagreement over the Medicaid technical amendment regarding the assessment and all the protective measures that will go along with that. Obviously Chairman Bryant and Chairman Dedeaux are working with the executive branch so they can all come to an agreement so we can get in a special session and handle the people’s business as quick as we can.”
The governor says he won't call a special session on a final budget for 2010 until all sides are in agreement. In a press release late Monday afternoon Barbour said , quote," Obviously, there is no reason to call a Special Session when such enormous Medicaid issues remain unresolved." Almost immediately, Hose Speaker Billy McCoy of Rienzi, responded to the governors rejection to call a special session with this written quote. “I’m more than sad and so are the vast majority of the citizens of Mississippi,” “I started this day on a high note with great optimism that finally partisan politics would be set aside and the peoples’ business would be handled.” Medicaid Sub Committee Chairman, Senator Terry Burton of Newton.
“We’re hoping we’re close. The only thing that’s worked out is a total amount of expenditures for the budget for the next fiscal year. We’re still working on where the revenue will come from and so those are where the problems are right now.”
As the clock ticks towards a July 1st budget deadline. House Education Chairman, Cecil Brown of Jackson is hoping the final steps can now be taken to avert a state shutdown.

“The worst that would happen is the governor wouldn’t sign it for a couple of days and get a court order and things would keep going. If went on very long and we didn’t have a court order then none of the bills could get paid. None of the state employees would get paid and the retirement checks couldn’t go out. You know the hospitals would shut down.”

If no agreement is reached by the July 1st deadline, Brown says the attorney general’s office is already preparing to ask the court, for an emergency order to keep all vital services operating. For MPB News, I'm Lawayne Childrey.