JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Bills to allow home delivery of alcohol, to set stronger penalties for stealing pecans and to set new rules for removing people from voter registration lists are still alive at the Mississippi Capitol. Among the bills that died under the latest deadline is a proposal to let police in small towns run radar to catch speeders.
Thursday was the deadline for the Mississippi House and Senate to consider general bills and constitutional amendments filed in their own chamber. House bills that survived the deadline will move to the Senate for more work, and Senate bills will move to the House. There are later deadlines for budget and revenue bills.
Here is the status of some general bills:
ALIVE
ALCOHOL - House Bill 1135 and Senate Bill 2804 would allow home delivery of beer, wine and liquor.
COLLEGE ATHLETES - House Bill 1030 and Senate Bill 2313 would allow college athletes to be compensated for their own name, image and likeness.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE - House Bill 525 and Senate Bill 2795 would revise some rules for parole. Senate Bill 2574 would establish a rehabilitation and workforce training program for inmates as they prepare to leave prison. Senate Bill 2561 would allow the Department of Public Safety to issue six-month provisional driver’s licenses to inmates leaving prison.
ELECTIONS - Senate Bill 2588 would allow for quicker purging of names from voter rolls. If a person fails to vote at least once during a two-year period, local election commissioners would send a postcard to check the person’s address; if the person does not vote or respond to the postcard in four years, the name could be purged from voter rolls.
GUNS - Senate Bill 2107 would prevent cities and counties from having contracts or rental agreements that restrict possession, sale or transport of firearms or ammunition. It also would prevent many state agencies from putting restrictions on guns; exceptions would be allowed for courts, universities, community colleges and schools. House Bill 634 is similar.
HIGHWAY PATROL - Senate Bill 2788 would give the Highway Patrol more authority to respond to speeding, blocked highways or other emergencies. The bill would remove the current ban on the Highway Patrol’s use of radar to detect speeding in cities with a population of at least 15,000.
INAUGURATION - House Bill 1019 would require governors to disclose information about who donates to their inauguration fund and how the money is spent.
OUTDOORS - House Bill 1231 would create the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund to pay for conservation projects.
PAWN SHOPS - House Bill 733 would require people to show documents proving ownership of items before pawning them.
PECANS - Senate Bill 2072 would set stricter penalties for stealing pecans. Current law sets a penalty of up to $100 and 30 days in jail. The bill would set fines of $1,000 to $10,000 and imprisonment of six months to 10 years.
TEACHER PAY - Senate Bill 2001 would give most teachers a $1,000 pay raise. Newer teachers would get $1,100. This bill has passed the Senate and has been sent to the House, where it will go to a committee for more work. House Bill 852 is similar. It has passed the House and will go to the Senate.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS - House Bill 1136 says college-educated people who live, work and buy property in Mississippi would be eligible for a rebate of five years’ worth of the state income tax they pay. A similar bill passed the House last year but died in the Senate.
DEAD
RADAR IN SMALL TOWNS - House Bill 1249 would have allowed police in any size city to use radar to detect speeders; current law says a city must have a population of at least 2,000.
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE - House Bill 595 said appointed officials could be removed from office for willfully neglecting their duties.
SCHOOLS AND TRAUMA - House Bill 427 would have required schools to train counselors or others to identify students who have been affected by trauma and to provide services to help those students.
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