Mississippi lawmakers wrapped up a two-day special session Thursday night after approving legislation to overhaul the state’s youth court system and agreeing on related funding, Mississippi Today reported. Lawmakers did not settle changes to laws governing pharmacy benefit managers, a separate, contentious issue that stalled behind-the-scenes negotiations, the outlet said.
The House approved the youth court spending bills Thursday after the Senate had passed the overhaul Wednesday, Mississippi Today reported. The funding measures include $29.5 million in new spending, but House leaders held the bills temporarily to try to force a deal on pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM, reform, the report said. Republican Rep. Steve Massengill of Hickory Flat held the bills on a motion to reconsider, delaying their transmission to the Senate, according to Mississippi Today.
House Speaker Jason White told Mississippi Today he and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann had discussed PBM changes and that Gov. Tate Reeves, who controls special session agendas, was willing to allow consideration if leaders reached an agreement. “I was hoping to land that plane before we got out of Jackson,” White told Mississippi Today, saying lawmakers might return in the coming weeks if PBM reform is not resolved.
The Senate grew skeptical of last-minute PBM talks, with several senators telling Mississippi Today they had not seen an agreement and doubted the chamber could vet major changes in the short window. Republican Sen. Scott DeLano of Biloxi said PBM reform is too complex to rush and must be fully vetted, according to Mississippi Today. Meanwhile, Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson said the Senate drafted mirror funding bills as a backup after the House held its measures, Mississippi Today reported.
The overhaul aims to replace part-time referees in many counties with full-time chancery court judges appointed by the governor and later subject to election, add a ‘‘family master’’ to hear emergency matters, expand detention capacity at the Oakley Youth Development Center and create a statewide diversion program, Mississippi Today reported. The legislation also opens youth court proceedings to the public by default and requires oral orders to be reduced to writing within 48 hours. Democrats warned the written-order requirement and open hearings could harm children in some cases, while Republicans, including House Judiciary A Vice Chairman Jansen Owen, defended the changes as necessary for transparency. Those positions and quotes were reported by Mississippi Today.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
