REPORT OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

 

MR. SPEAKER AND MADAM PRESIDENT:

 

   We, the undersigned conferees, have had under consideration the amendments to the following entitled BILL:

 

H. B. No. 1679:  Appropriation; Legislative Expense, Regular.

 

  We, therefore, respectfully submit the following report and recommendation:

 

  1.  That the Senate recede from its Amendment No. 1.

 

  2.  That the House and Senate adopt the following amendment:

 

     Amend by striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

 

     SECTION 1.  The following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of paying salaries, mileage, insurance, matching funds and the daily expense allowance of the members of the Legislature for the Regular Session of 2008 and providing contingent funds for the House of Representatives and Senate for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008, as follows:

     For salaries, mileage, insurance,

          matching funds and daily

          expense allowance of members

of the House of Representatives......... $3,837,302.00

     For Contingent Fund for the

House of Representatives................ $5,123,376.00

     Out of the above amount appropriated for the Contingent Fund for the House of Representatives, not more than Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) shall be expended for defraying the expenses of and for the use of the members of the Mississippi Commission on Interstate Cooperation, as created under Section 5-5-1 et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972.

     For salaries, mileage, insurance,

          matching funds and daily

          expense allowance of members

of the Senate........................... $1,714,862.00

For Contingent Fund for the Senate........... $4,248,455.00

     Out of the above amount appropriated for the Contingent Fund for the Senate, not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) shall be expended for defraying the expenses of and for the use of the members of the Mississippi Commission on Interstate Cooperation, as created under Section 5-5-1 et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972.

     For the joint legislative operations of the House of

Representatives and the Senate.......... $1,437,273.00

     For the expenses of the Joint Legislative

Budget Committee........................ $2,994,914.00

     For the expenses of the Joint Legislative

          Committee on Performance Evaluation

and Expenditure Review.................. $2,196,680.00

     For the expenses of the Joint Legislative

Reapportionment Committee............... $  146,733.00

     For the expenses of the Joint Committee on

          Compilation, Revision and Publication of

Legislation............................. $  300,000.00

     The Joint Legislative Reapportionment Committee shall prepare, publish and provide semiannual reports to each member of the Legislature and such reports shall provide a line-by-line detailed accounting of all receipts and expenditures of any and all monies appropriated by the Legislature to the Joint Legislative Reapportionment Committee.  Any meetings of the Joint Legislative Reapportionment Committee shall be held in state offices or at publicly owned facilities.

SECTION 2.  The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Joint Legislative Reapportionment Committee, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Joint Legislative Reapportionment Committee, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008.......................................

................................................. $   45,125.00.

SECTION 3.  The following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of paying the monthly expense allowance of the members of the Legislature, as provided in Section 5-1-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008, as follows:

For the House of Representatives............ $2,194,056.00.

For the Senate.............................. $  952,757.00.

SECTION 4.  The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of paying the state's share of various assessments for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008.........................

................................................ $   356,036.00.

     Of the funds authorized in this section, the following distribution shall be made:

     Southern States Energy Board..........$  29,077.00

     Southern Growth Policies Agreement....$  26,833.00

     Interstate Cooperation................$ 230,926.00

     National Conference of Commissioners

       on Uniform State Laws...............$  37,200.00

     The Energy Council....................$  32,000.00

SECTION 5.  The Legislature shall have the authority to escalate its budget and expend funds from the Legislative Extraordinary Session Expense Revolving Fund, as authorized in Section 5-1-57, Mississippi Code of 1972, in accordance with rules and regulations of the Department of Finance and Administration in a manner consistent with the escalation of federal funds.  The authority granted in this section is provided for the purpose of paying the expenses of the members of the Legislature incurred during any Extraordinary Session of the Legislature occurring during the period beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008.

     SECTION 6.  It is the intention of the Legislature that whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this Legislature for the purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind shall be given preference.  A similar preference shall be given to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are made without competitive bids.

     SECTION 7.  The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law.

     SECTION 8.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2007.

     Further, amend by striking the title in its entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

 

     AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF PAYING THE EXPENSES AND PROVIDING CONTINGENT FUNDS FOR THE LEGISLATURE, THE EXPENSES OF THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET COMMITTEE, THE EXPENSES OF THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND EXPENDITURE REVIEW, THE EXPENSES OF THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE REAPPORTIONMENT COMMITTEE, THE EXPENSES OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON COMPILATION, REVISION AND PUBLICATION OF LEGISLATION, PAYING THE
MONTHLY EXPENSE ALLOWANCE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE, PAYING THE STATE'S SHARE OF VARIOUS ASSESSMENTS, AND RELATED PURPOSES, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2008.

 

CONFEREES FOR THE HOUSE           CONFEREES FOR THE SENATE

X (SIGNED)	X (SIGNED)
Johnny W. Stringer	Jack Gordon
X (SIGNED)	X (SIGNED)
George Flaggs, Jr.	Billy Thames
X (SIGNED)	X (SIGNED)
America Chuck Middleton	Doug E. Davis