MS Lawmakers Begin Budget Blitz

Mississippi lawmakers convened a special session Sunday, trying to adopt a nearly $6 billion budget before the state fiscal year begins Wednesday.

By: Christian Stapleton | WKRG-TV
Published: June 28, 2009

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi lawmakers convened a special
session Sunday, trying to adopt a nearly $6 billion budget before
the state fiscal year begins Wednesday.
Lawmakers arrived at the Capitol less than 24 hours after
Republican Gov. Haley Barbour announced the session.
Most parts of the budget are ready for votes in the House and
Senate. But negotiators still have not resolved how to fund
Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the needy.
Barbour wants lawmakers to put a $90 million annual tax on
hospitals. The Mississippi Hospital Association has lobbied hard
against the plan, saying it would hurt facilities' finances. Health
advocates worry the hospitals would pass price increases along to
patients.

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