State Budget Hearings Begin Today: It's Your Tax Dollars

by Chris Davis
JACKSON, Miss.--Lawmakers have returned to the capital city and the discussion this week and next is how your tax dollars will be spent in Fiscal Year 2014. The hearings were set to begin 1:30 p.m. Monday.

We wanted to find out just how Mississippi is doing and what the joint House and Senate committee will be working with. Rep. John Moore talked with us and says the state has just a little bit more money to work with than last year.

"I would estimate that we might have a projection of one or one and a half percent going into the next fiscal year," he said. Moore said that might mean a "couple of hundred dollars of new revenue" to work with. He noted that last year the state ended ahead and it's the same right now.

"Currently we're about $20 million ahead of projections."

But, that doesn't mean legislators or agency heads are going crazy with new spending requests.

"The House and the Senate leadership will both be taking a very conservative approach in light of the economic situations that are going on nation-wide and world-wide. We feel like we've done a fair job of holding the line on any wish lists and our agencies have done a good job of holding the line also."

Moore says due to revenue constraints, there will be no frivolous spending, as far as the budget committee is concerned.

"We will look at real needs and agencies that have maintenance problems will be looked at," said Moore.

The state Personnel Board is first up at 1:45 on the first floor of the Woolfolk Building, where the Dept. of Finance and Administration is located.

The hearings are the first step in crafting the budget for 2014.

The entire schedule:

Monday, September 17, 2012
1:30 p.m. JLBC Discussion - Hearing Procedures
1:45 p.m. Personnel Board - Overview Report for FY 2014
Ms. Deanne Mosley
2:15 p.m. Revenue Discussion
Dr. Darrin Webb, Commissioner Ed Morgan
2:45 p.m. Revenue, Mississippi Department of
(Andrea) Commissioner Ed Morgan, Mrs. Cindy Wood
Support
Homestead Exemption Reimb
License Tag
3:15 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Attorney General's Office
(Howard) Attorney General Jim Hood, Mr. Robert Kersh
4:00 p.m. Mental Health, Department of
(David) Mr. Edwin LeGrand, Mr. Glynn Kegley
Consolidated Hudspeth Regional Center
Central Office Mississippi Adolescent Center
Service Budget Mississippi State Hospital
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prg. North Mississippi Regional Ctr.
Boswell Regional Center North Mississippi State Hospital
Ctrl. MS Residential Ctr. South MS Regional Center
East Mississippi St. Hosp. South Mississippi State Hospital
Ellisville St. School Specialized Treatment Facility
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
9:00 a.m. Briefing
Analysts
10:00 a.m. Health, Board of
(David) Dr. Mary Currier, Mr. Mike Lucius, Ms. Hope Ladner
Support Local Govt. and Rural Water
Burn Care Fund
10:30 a.m. Public Employees’ Retirement System
(Andrea) Mrs. Pat Robertson, Mr. Bob Rhoads, Mr. Greg Gregory
Support Computer Project
11:00 a.m. Break
11:15 a.m. Treasurer's Office, State
(Kim) State Treasurer Lynn Fitch, Mrs. Laura Jackson, Mr. Jesse Graham
Support M-PACT Admin. Fund
Debt Service M-PACT Trust Fund
Investing Funds MACS Program
1:30 p.m. Environmental Quality, Department of
(Brian) Ms. Trudy Fisher, Mr. Keith Harkins, Mrs. Ginny Mizelle
2:00 p.m. Gaming Commission
(Andrea) Mr. Allen Godfrey, Mrs. Shelly LeGrand
2:15 p.m. Corrections, Department of
(Brian) Commissioner Chris Epps, Mr. Emmitt Sparkman,
Mr. Jerry Williams, Mr. Rick McCarty
Consolidated Parole Board
Support Private Prisons
Farming Operations Regional Facilities
Medical Services Reimbursement Local Confinement
3:00 p.m. Break
3:15 p.m. Supreme Court of Mississippi
(Cayce Ann) Chief Justice William (Bill) Waller, Jr., Chief Judge Joe Lee,
Mr. Kevin Lackey, Mrs. Carol Allgood
Supreme Court Services Continuing Legal Education
Admin. Office of Courts Court of Appeals
Bar Admissions Trial Judges
3:45 p.m. Institutions of Higher Learning
(Howard)
Introduction - General Support
Dr. Hank Bounds, Commissioner
Mr. Ed Blakeslee, Board President
FY 2014 Budget Request Details and Priorities
Executive Officers
Closing
Dr. Hank Bounds, Commissioner
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
9:00 a.m. Briefing
Analysts
9:15 a.m. Secretary of State
(Andrea) Mr. Delbert Hosemann, Mrs. Karana Carroll
9:55 a.m. Agriculture and Commerce, Department of
(Drew) Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mr. Andy Prosser, Ms. Sara Davidson
Support Egg Marketing Board
Beaver Control Program
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Education, Department of
(Kim) Dr. Lynn J. House, Mr. Charles McClelland (Board Chairman),
Mr. Claude Hartley, Mr. Todd Ivey, Mrs. Gracie Sanders
General Education Prgs. Vocational and Technical Educ.
Chickasaw Interest Schools for the Blind and Deaf
MS Adequate Educ. Prg.
1:30 p.m. Public Service Commission
(Brian) Commissioner Lenard Bentz (Chairman), Commissioner Lynn Posey,
Commissioner Brandon Presley, Mr. Brian Ray, Mr. Joel Bennett
Support No Call Telephone Solicitation
1:45 p.m. Public Safety, Department of
(Brian) Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz, Col. Donnell Berry, Mrs. Gale Mills
Consolidated Emergency Telecommunications
Highway Safety Patrol Homeland Security
Support Services Juvenile Facility Monitoring Unit
Council on Aging Law Enforcement Training Academy
Cnty. Jail Stds. and Tng. Law Enforcement Stds. and Tng.
Crime Lab Narcotics Bureau
State Medical Examiner Public Safety Planning
2:15 p.m. Mississippi Development Authority
(Brian) Ms. Kathy Gelston, Mr. Manning McPhillips, Mr. Brian Daniel
2:55 p.m. Break
3:10 p.m. Human Services, Department of
(David) Mr. Rickey Berry, Mr. Earl Walker
Consolidated Early Childhood Care and Dev
Support Services Economic Assistance and TANF
Aging and Adult Services Family and Children Services
Child Support Enforcement Social Services Block Grant
Community Services Youth Services
3:45 p.m. Finance and Administration, Department of
(Andrea) Mr. Kevin Upchurch, Mr. Flip Phillips
Support Status of Women
State Building Insurance Tort Claims Board
Finance and Administration - Bureau of Building
Mr. Rick Snowden, Mr. Glenn Kornbrek,
Finance and Administration - Insurance
Mrs. Rita Wray, Mr. Richard Self
Thursday, September 20, 2012
9:00 a.m. Briefing
Analysts
9:15 a.m. Insurance Department
(Andrea) Commissioner Mike Chaney, Mr. Mark Haire,
Mrs. Kim Peagler, Mrs. Lee Anne Robinson
Support
Rural Fire Truck Acq. Assistance
9:45 a.m. Transportation, Mississippi Department of
Mrs. Melinda, McGrath, Commissioner Dick Hall (Chairman),
Mr. Mark McConnell, Mr. Bryon Flood
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Community and Junior Colleges
(Howard) Dr. Eric Clark, Mrs. Patricia Dickens (Board Chairman),
Dr. William Lewis, Dr. Clyde Muse, Mrs. Deborah Gilbert
Administration
Support
1:30 p.m. Military Department
(Kim) Major Gen. Augustus Leon Collins, Brig. Gen. Robert F. Thomas,
Brig. Gen. Mitchell Brown, Col. “Ret.” Mike Gilpin,
Mr. Darryl Womack
Consolidated Armory Const. and Maint.
Support Camp Shelby Timber Funds
Army National Guard Prgs. Camp Shelby Base Operations
Air National Guard Prgs. Educational Assistance
Armed Forces Museum
2:00 p.m. Medicaid, Division of
(David) Dr. David Dzielak, Mrs. Margaret King
2:45 p.m. Regular Joint Legislative Budget Committee Meeting

Set Guidelines for FY 2014 Recommendations