JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi attorney general said Monday that he hopes cooler heads will prevail and the Legislature will pass a budget for his office.
Lawmakers finished their three-month regular session last week without funding Attorney General Jim Hood’s office or the Department of Transportation.
Republican Gov. Phil Bryant will have to call a special session to set those budgets before the fiscal year begins July 1.
Hood, the only Democrat in statewide office, said he would prefer that Bryant call a session just for the funding bills. Two big priorities in the Legislature - an education funding rewrite and a long-term plan to fund Mississippi’s ailing highways and bridges - did not happen during the regular session. A multiyear plan to pay for highways and bridges was a particular sticking point between the House and the Senate.
“I’m going to keep doing my job and they can keep playing the games they’re playing over there,” Hood said of the Republican-led Legislature. “When people start leading for political reasons, or giving tax cuts or passing legislation for political reasons, the people suffer.”
Hood made his remarks during a news conference to kick off National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in Mississippi. The conference honored victim advocates and survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.
As Hood made a case for lawmakers to set a budget for his office, he pointed out that the attorney general’s office is responsible for crime victims’ compensation and for compensating both injured policeman and firefighters.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.