Christian Action Commission

Legislative Action or Inaction?

Things are tough across the street at the Capitol.  The wants and needs of the citizens of this state are numerous, and they all come at a high price.  A few of our legislators think like our children, “money grows on trees.” Instead of asking the hard questions they prefer to budget more money and increase spending in hopes the economy will improve.

Then there are some legislators who honestly seek ways to be more creative, cost conscious, and to get a greater return on monies expended.  Even though money is tight, this session is important because there are several bills that need to be debated and action taken.

One such bill, The Child Protection Act, SB 2238 has passed out of the Senate and is in the House of Representatives.  Hopefully, this bill will get out of committee and go before the full House for consideration.  The bill calls for the reporting of a live birth or an abortion by a young lady who is considered by law as a minor.  If her pregnancy is the result of statutory rape, the offender needs to be prosecuted.  The bill also strengthens a couple of existing laws related to the abortion process.

Another bill, SB 2293, is also up for discussion in the House.  This bill would provide an avenue for charter schools to possibly become more prevalent in our state.  Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” Parents are getting more and more disgruntled with a system that is producing results that keeps Mississippi last on a national scale.  They want alternatives and some legislators are listening.

The support of charter schools should not be viewed as the abandonment of public schools and education.  By definition charter schools are elementary or secondary schools in the United States that receive public money.  These schools have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for being accountable for producing certain results, as set forth in each schools charter. 

Public education in Mississippi is vital, but it can and must be made better if the system itself will allow it.  Many problems exist and there are no easy answers.  But I feel very strongly that putting more and more money into the current system without some major changes will not produce different results.  It seems rather foolish to keep doing the same things each and every year and expecting different if not miraculous results. 

Several other bills related to education should be clearly thought out before final passage.  Do we need to begin selling advertisements in and on our school buses to raise revenue?  Who is going to determine what is appropriate and what is not?

There are other bills that will impact your lives.  One such bill changes the way in which you must get certain medications.  The legislature sent a bill to the governor for his signature that requires certain over-the-counter cold and sinus medicines containing the drug ephedrine to become available only by prescription.  There is no doubt this will inconvenience many of us, but it will assist our law enforcement in cracking down on the production of the drug crystal methamphetamine or ‘meth’ that includes ephedrine as one of the ingredients.  The dangers of meth along with the high addiction rate cannot be ignored any longer and hopefully this bill will be a step in the right direction.
Quite often the best work of our legislators is reflected in what they do not pass rather than what they do pass.  Every year there are bills that do not need to survive the legislative process for various reasons.  There are several procedural moves that can stop a bad piece of legislation, and thankfully our representatives and senators use them quite often.

I encourage you to continue praying for your legislators and when you see them, please thank them for representing you and serving the great State of Mississippi.