Mississippi Legislative Session Starts Tuesday

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers face a long list of
familiar issues during their three-month session that begins
Tuesday, from voter identification to taxes on cigarettes and
hospitals.
Gov. Haley Barbour is urging the 122 House members and 52
senators to be cautious with public money because of the slumping
economy that has caused businesses to slash an estimated 20,000
jobs in the state during the past year.
Barbour says state tax collections fell about 9 percent short of
expectations in December.
Legislators convene at noon for a brief ceremony in the Old
Capitol museum in downtown Jackson. The former statehouse has
undergone extensive renovations since being damaged by Hurricane
Katrina in 2005.
The rest of the session will be in the usual place - the
106-year-old "new" Capitol.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)