Barbour's Last State of the State in Pictures

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Prognosticators, Politico's and Pundits have already begun to break down Governor Haley Barbour's final State of the State Address given last night. You can check out Majority in Mississippi to view a transcript of the Guv's speech. Follow this LINK to see the transcript of the Democrat response. And, you can view the entire MPB coverage of the event HERE.

I won't attempt to add another layer to those who have started breaking it all down to tell you what you thought you heard. Instead I'll offer a few visual aids.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Enjoy.



Congressman Gregg Harper arrived on the House Floor
early to talk to Lawmakers.



Speaker Billy McCoy brings the House to order.



Lt. Governor Phil Bryant and President Pro-Tempore Billy
Hewes welcome First Lady Marsha Barbour.




















Speaker McCoy welcomes Governor Barbour to the floor of
the House.

















The Governor received a warm welcom from the joint session of the
Mississippi State Legislature.



Lt. Governor Bryant, a gubernatorial hopeful, and Senator Billy
Hewes who is looking to replace him as head of the Senate.

Barbour was at times sentimental about his time in the Governor's Mansion.

  

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus sat on their hands for much of the
Governor's speech. But, rose in agreement when Barbour called for a
plan to build a Civil Rights Museum in Jackson.



Senator Giles Ward, Representative Scott Bounds and other
legislator's listen intently to the Governor's speech.

 

Madison Representative Rita Martinson



Monsanto corn breeding facility up and running in Flora.



Mayor Les Childress, Ag Commissioner Lester Spell, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Congressman Gregg Harper, and Representative Phillip Gunn were on hand to welcome the new Monsanto facility to Flora.

 Elected officials from across the state joined Flora in welcoming Monsanto to the Flora Industrial Park on Tuesday January 11. The $2.4 million facility further boosts the company’s investment in the South and is a reflection of Monsanto’s commitment to continue delivering new high-performing products to southern farmers.

Flora Mayor Leslie Childress welcomes officials
from across Madison County and Mississippi to Flora.

The 26,000-square-foot corn breeding station will employ approximately 10 full-time and up to 50 seasonal workers. Corn production in the southern region has been growing in the last several years, and the new site’s research focus will be on using the latest breeding techniques to develop higher-yielding corn hybrids with greater resistance to disease and other environmental stresses, specifically adapted to the region.

The site will complement Monsanto’s global breeding program and become part of a network of more than 50 corn breeding locations around the world. Southern farmers also will benefit from the genetic diversity of Monsanto’s global germplasm pool.

Monsanto currently has 3 technology research sites in Mississippi – Scott, Leland, and Winterville – focused on delivering cotton and soy varieties and traits to meet the needs of southern farmers.

The announcement comes two years after the town lost out to a site in Kansas to be the new location for a Department of Homeland Security Bio lab. Flora's Industrial Park currently has only one tenant, Primos Hunting Calls, locating there in May of 2002.

DeLay Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

A Texas judge sentenced former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) to a three-year prison term Monday for his role in a scheme that violated the state’s campaign finance laws and funneled corporate funds to candidates in 2002, the Associated Press reported.

A jury convicted DeLay in late November on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is expected to appeal.

DeLay was accused under a 2005 indictment of illegally funneling to state candidates $190,000 in corporate money collected by his state political action committee through the Republican National Committee in 2002. State laws prohibit such funds from being used for political campaigns.

DeLay denied wrongdoing in the case. The AP reported that his attorney had sought probation, rather than a prison term.

Texas Judge Pat Priest could have sentenced DeLay to life in prison. Instead, DeLay was sentenced to three years in prison on the conspiracy charge and 10 years of probation on the money-laundering charge, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

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Special Elections to go ahead as planned

Special elections for Northern Transportation Commissioner, and to replace the seats left open by Senator Alan Nunelee and Representative Steven Palzzo will reportedly go on as planned tomorrow despite snow and sleet across the state yesterday.

Secretary of State Delbert Hoseman said his office would plan to hold the elections as scheduled unless Governor Barbour decided otherwise. Barbour spokesman Dan Turner said Sunday the governor would make a decision today, based on whether roads are expected to be clear Tuesday.

Boehner says goodbye to Pelosi on behalf of the the American people (Video)

George Dale to run as independent for Insurance Commissioner?

Rumor is that former Insurance Commissioner George Dale picked up qualifying papers from the Secretary of State's office on Thursday, January 6 with the intent of running for his old office as an independent. He previously held the office as a Democrat.

Dale was a teacher, coach and school administrator in the Moss Point public school system prior to entering state government in 1972. Elected as commissioner of insurance in 1975, he became the youngest insurance commissioner in Mississippi history. Upon completing his eighth term, Commissioner Dale was the longest-serving insurance commissioner in the United States.

Following his defeat by Democrat Challenger Gary Anderson 51-49 in 2007, he joined the law firm of Adams and Reese as a governmental affairs advisor.

Dale lost in the wake of his cozy relationship with the insurance industry following Hurricane Katrina.

The now seventy year old told the Mississippi Business Journal following his 2007 defeat, "I will not go home and retire."

He added, "I come from family of long livers. I have one uncle who lived to be 99 and another who lived to 94. I think a certain amount of long life is hereditary. The key to all of them living so long was they were active to the end. I intend to be active as long as I can."

It would appear he intends to get his old job back.

Republicans Say Higher U.S. Debt Limit Depends on Specific Spending Cuts

Republicans in Congress told President Barack Obama and Democrats they will insist on specific cuts in government spending as a condition of raising the U.S. debt limit.

Any increase must be “accompanied by meaningful action by the president and Congress to cut spending and end the job- killing spending binge,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement yesterday after the Obama administration asked Congress to boost the debt ceiling by March 31.

Boehner, of Ohio, and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin, said a default on government debts isn’t an option. Still, Ryan suggested Republicans may use the debt- ceiling issue as leverage to attach conditions that would force Obama to sign them into law or force a default.

“Republicans are not interested in just a naked debt- ceiling increase,” Ryan said at a Washington forum on economic policy. “Nobody likes brinksmanship, but what we really don’t want is runaway spending.”

Republicans “want to do something that gets us pointed in the right direction,” he said.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the $14.29 trillion debt limit may be reached as soon as March 31, and “most likely” by May 16. The debt was incurred “during periods when both Republicans and Democrats were in control of different branches of government,” he said.

A default on government obligations by a failure to extend the borrowing authority would have “catastrophic consequences” possibly worse than the 2008 financial crisis, said Geithner. He said Obama is committed to working with both parties to put the U.S. on a “fiscally responsible path.”

Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, told reporters, “Rather than sending out scary letters, what we ought to look at is an opportunity here, on a bipartisan basis, to address spending and debt.”

As part of the Republican focus on spending cuts, the House yesterday voted to reduce its operating budget by 5 percent. The 410-13 vote imposed the reduction on all House committees and the offices of leaders and members. The resolution will save an estimated $35 million from a federal budget that exceeds $3.5 trillion.

Ryan suggested Republicans’ new House majority may seek to use the debt-ceiling matter to force Obama to sign legislation with spending conditions he might otherwise veto. An increase in the government’s borrowing authority “is not an unrelated item,” he said.

Asked whether Republican demands for spending cuts would threaten a government default, Ryan said, “It would be irresponsible if the president brings about a default of the country if he refuses to sign a bill that raises the debt- ceiling limits. That’s his choice.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told reporters that Republicans are “threatening to shut down the government” over the debt limit, which would cause “an economic crisis.”

Ryan said Republicans are discussing their strategy for boosting the government’s borrowing authority, adding they might opt for either a one or two-year extension.

“There are different ways of doing a debt-ceiling increase that could speak to our strategy,” Ryan said.

Ryan said he holds out “some hope that there’s a shot at some actual, maybe not wholesale, fundamental” changes in the tax code.

Bloomberg

Dems prove early that the 112th will be no different than the 111th: Games, Games, Games

“Despite the fact that they read the Constitution today, they should have read it yesterday, actually,” one senior Democratic aide said. “I guess swearing in their Members wasn’t part of their pledge.”

The aide was referring to the adjourning of a GOP hearing on a health care repeal resolution.


Rules Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) abruptly adjourned a hearing on a GOP health care repeal resolution Thursday after he became aware that Rep. Pete Sessions was not sworn in as a Member of the 112th Congress, committee spokeswoman Jo Maney said.

The Texas Republican was not on the floor during Wednesday’s swearing-in ceremony. But he was the Member who offered the motion to constitute the Rules Committee.

Harper: "Our Path To A Balanced Budget Begins Today, And It Begins With This Vote"

U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) speaks in support of a bill to reduce Members of Congress' operating budget by five percent. Harper: "As lawmakers, we must lead by example. For this past Congress - my first term - my congressional office has come in under budget, voluntarily returning approximately 10 percent of the Members' Representational Allowance."

Madison County Superintendent not to run for re-election

Kent said he had been weighing retirement.


"I've been struggling with it about a year," he said. "I am, by nature, a term limits guy. ... I think there is value in change and revitalization."

Kent, 59, has spent 38 years as a state educator, all of them in the Madison County School District. He was Madison Central High School's principal before being elected superintendent in 1999. Under his leadership, Madison County schools have consistently ranked among the top districts in the state.

During his tenure, Ridgeland High was built and two more bond issues were passed, the second funding construction of Germantown High, set to open in Gluckstadt this fall.

"We've gone from nine schools to 23. We've spent $300 million on new construction," he said.

The district serves nearly 12,000 students. "When I took office, we had about 7,000 students, and we had more kids in trailers than in bricks and mortar, but we're about to get that remedied." Kent said.

Kent also pointed to the district's achievement of unitary status, which "returned local control to the school district."

The district got out from under the U.S. Justice Department in 2006. A group of Madison County residents unsuccessfully challenged the change.

Board member Bill Grissett Jr. noted there has been no tax increase in the Madison County district in six years and attributed that to Kent's leadership.

Whoever is elected as the district's superintendent will need to follow Kent's lead "because what he's had in place has been working," Grissett said.

Deputy Superintendent Ronnie McGehee said Wed-nesday he plans to file qualifying papers to run for the job Friday, and Kent is endorsing him.


Read More: CL

House GOP leadership to start 112th with reading of the Constitution

The House of Representatives will read the Constitution aloud today, starting at 10 am. You can watch it live via the internet by going to CSpan HERE.

House lawmakers will also take up a spending cut bill, a five percent cut taken from lawmaker and committee budgets, worth about $35 million dollars.

Ridgeland Police Chief to run for Sheriff

Ridgeland Police Chief Jimmy R. Houston has qualified to run for Madison County Sheriff.

Houston filed qualifying papers late Wednesday afternoon to run in the Republican primary.

Trowbridge will be sorely missed

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Sheriff Toby Trowbridge

The news broke yesterday morning. I'll admit it was quite a shock to me that Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge would not seek re-election this year. Those who have known the Sheriff since his youth have said that he was destined for this job. I've even been told he would sometimes dress as a law enforcement officer for Halloween in his younger days. His dedication to law and order and the brotherhood of officers that do that job well is unwavering.

The dealings I have had with the Sheriff over the course of my time living and working in Madison County have been extremely pleasant. His committment to his job sets the bar high for the person that will step into his shoes in 2012. He is well liked by his officers, and with 70 percent of the vote in the last elections, it is pretty obvious he is respected by the voters of Madison County. If current Census estimates are correct, Madison County has seen an increase in population of 24.7 percent in the past 10 years. Despite that phenomenal growth, and despite the county's close proximity to Jackson, crime has remained low. That's because of Trowbridge's leadership.

He has had a great working relationship with the Board of Supervisors during a time when the board has seen a great deal of political and managerial upheaval. His ethics are without reproach. A welcome thing following the way former Sheriff Jessie Hopkins left office.

The Sheriff and his wife Jenny are hard working and dedicated to their community and their church. In the past Jenny has given her time and efforts towards numerous causes. She is a previous director of the Flora Area Chamber of Commerce, and has recently giver her time to organize and promote the "Don't Forget Your Child" campaign. DFYC has been helpful in reminding busy adults not to leave their children behind in vehicles during the sweltering Mississippi heat. (Yes, apparently we have become that busy.) I have had the priviledge of witnessing their generosity at the Trowbridge home during a church event sponsored by she and Toby for the youth at Damascus Baptist Church where they open their home and their hearts frequently. The care they show is not about public relations.

Sheriff Trowbridge has never really quite cared much for being the celebrated center of attention, putting the work first. The media has never had an easy time getting anything more out of him than he thought he should give to inform without jeapordizing his officers or the cases they were working. When the blood began to swirl in the water over the ACLU and boycotts from black residents over profiling and roadblocks a few years ago, he simply said it wasn't up for debate and continued to do his job. His leadership has been calm and steady. We can only hope the next Sheriff has half his demeanor.

So, Toby is leaving the job. I am surprised. But, I would be willing to bet that he certainly will not be giving up on the good things he and his wife do for Madison County and the Flora community. His dedication to protect and serve runs too deep for that.

The Lamest Duck

For Crying Out Loud

By Daniel J. Flynn/The American Spectator

House Speaker John Boehner insists his tears, like his tan, are genuine. Too bad. His election night sob story over his climb to success, followed by his 60 Minutes blubbering over schoolchildren, might be excusable if inspired by a Machiavellian streak. Alas, a lack of self-control, rather than an act to exert control over his audience, explains the teary-eyed outbursts.

Boehner's waterworks flow most frequently and famously. But his aren't the only tear ducts opening when the cameras are rolling. Senator Tom Coburn cried during his speech in favor Judge John Roberts's confirmation to the Supreme Court in 2005. Weepy behavior is bipartisan, as Senator Chuck Schumer whimpered during his introduction of Judge Sonia Sotomayor at her confirmation hearings last year. Mitt Romney choked up running for president when talking about his church admitting blacks, his father, and seeing a casket return from Iraq. America is in trouble when the behavior of its elected officials resembles that of the YouTube sensation who tearfully exhorted everyone to "Leave Britney alone! Please!"

One needn't be a stoic to find something unseemly in all this crying. Almost fifty years ago, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons counseled big girls not to cry. Today, one can't suggest so much to grown men without appearing like a troglodyte. Wussy is the new manly.

Politics merely reflects the culture, which likes its men to be like its women. Sometime after the appearance of man purses but before the pandemic of male eyebrow waxing, the culture gave the green light for guys to wail and weep. "It's okay to cry," we were told. But male icons in sports, movies, and television told us that it's not just okay to cry. It's obligatory.
Michael Jordan cried after winning his first NBA title and Tim Tebow cried after losing the SEC championship game. Get some perspective. You play a children's game. There may be no crying in baseball. Basketball and football are another story.

Joe Friday and Harry Callahan would never make it in today's Hollywood. Jerry Maguire, whose welling eyes impressed rather than repulsed the girl, seems a more iconic representation of modern manliness. He had her at hello. He lost me at boo-hoo.

In 2009, ABC presented Jason Mesnick as a catch to female contestants on The Bachelor. The indecisive, gushing Mesnick presented himself as unable to control his emotions to ABC's viewers. The man that ABC believed that women wanted turned out to be a bachelor for a reason.

Glenn Beck may or may not be a crier in real life, but he plays one on TV. Beck's weepiness has become as much a part of his shtick as Bill O'Reilly's temper or Keith Olbermann's sanctimony. When Walter Cronkite's voice cracked as he reported President Kennedy's assassination, few faulted him for his momentary betrayal of the dispassionate ethic of the anchorman. But in the news-o-tainment era, tears=ratings. Cry yourself to the bank.

Pundits who obsess over the artificiality of the tear flood miss the point. The indifference of the sincerely moved to suppress the impulse toward public emoting, and the eagerness of the phonies to release the feigned emotions, both tacitly acknowledge the benefits of being a crybaby in our society.

Proponents of crying suggest there is something unhealthy in holding back the tears. Perhaps they are on to something. Men are from Mars, not from Vulcan, after all. But why must so many men lose it so publicly? It's undignified. It can be, à la children's crocodile tears, manipulative. In leaders, it does not inspire confidence. As one might say to a couple partaking in similarly annoying public displays of affection, "Get a room!" -- the bathroom, the bedroom, the basement, wherever. Just take your crying eyes away from our eyes.

Cannot the dry eyes and the wet eyes come to a compromise? The former faction will grant that it is okay to cry, provided that the latter faction does so behind closed doors. Deal?

Thirty-nine-years ago, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie stood outside of the Manchester Union Leader and denounced the newspaper for criticizing his wife. Amid the emotionally-charged speech, and winter's flurries, reporters glimpsed moisture trailing down the presidential frontrunner's cheek. Was it melting snowflakes or tears? It didn't matter. The mere suggestion that an aspirant to lead the free world broke down during a stressful situation was enough for some to dismiss his candidacy.

In less than four decades, America has morphed from a culture that cringes at grown men bawling to one that rewards it. That's almost worth crying over.

District may close Flora Middle School

The possibility of closing East Flora Middle School was discussed this week as the Madison County School Board faces another year of state funding cuts.

Flora Mayor Les Childress and a group of the school's PTA members sat down with School Board members in executive session to discuss the issue Monday.

The school has an enrollment of 154 students that requires around 13 teachers as well as administration and support staff. School officials estimate it costs around $1 million a year to operate.

Superintendent of Education Michael D. Kent said closing a school is never an easy decision, but with drastic cuts expected for the upcoming school year nothing is off the table.

"There's nothing set in stone, but is it being considered? Absolutely," he said. "It all hinges on funding at the state level.

"What we're doing right now is listening to all the talk coming from the state capitol about funding," he continued. "If we have the funding woes they're predicting we may not have any choice."

Childress said no one in Flora wants to see the school closed and he hoped to push the issue with the town's aldermen and with their state representatives.

"We certainly don't want to see any of the schools on this side of the county close," Childress said. "Hopefully the legislature will come up with the funding, but if not we need to look at all the options."

If closed, the students from East Flora Middle would instead go to Madison Middle School where Kent said they have room. Currently, Madison Middle has the district's second largest enrollment with 1,228 students, second only to Madison Central High School.

In July an analysis of the district's spending showed it costs nearly twice as much to educate a student at East Flora Middle School than it does at Madison Middle School.

The report calculated instructional, transportation and various other expenses coming up with a per-student expense at each school.

It showed East Flora Middle School, the district's smallest, is the most expensive school to operate at almost $10,000 per child.

Other middle schools, like Madison and Germantown Middle, average around $5,700 per student.

The district's overall average is $7,400 per student while the state's average is just over $9,000.

Read More: MCJ

Preservation Mississippi: MiMo No Mo? The Sun-n-Sand in Downtown Jackson Needs Our Help

The iconic sign is a Jackson landmark
in itself

When R.E. “Dumas” Milner opened the Sun-n-Sand in downtown Jackson in October 1960 the age of the shiny new “motor hotel” was in full swing. In spite of major renovations at Milner’s King Edward on West Capitol Street, Milner sensed the transition in the popular mind from the formality of grand hotels like the King Edward to places more in keeping with the age of the automobile. Thus, the Sun-n-Sand was born. The name is a curiosity, best explained by the presence of another Sun-n-Sand in Biloxi on the Mississippi Coast. Never mind the absence of sand on Lamar Street, the hotel would be filled with a jaunty Polynesian tiki torch ambiance in keeping with the contemporary rage for all things suggesting the South Pacific.

Milner’s space-age motel came replete with meeting rooms with exotic names like the Polynesian, Bali Hai and the Kon Tiki. Its lobby and public areas were decked out in turquoise, pink and an almost lurid shade of orange. The rooms also featured turquoise draperies and shag carpet in colors ranging from rust brown to lime green. It was nothing if not colorful.

Perhaps best known as a second home to the members of the state legislature, the Sun-n-Sand’s siren call was cheap rooms and its proximity to the new capitol building, only a block away. The members of the House made their homes there while the House was in session. It became something of a club for them, even if more than a few legislators had to get their sustenance from the crackers and bologna thoughtfully placed in a corner of the lobby each night. These were the days before lobbyists had infiltrated politics to the extent that such simple fare would do. Not that the bright little coffee shop with its turquoise vinyl banquettes didn’t do a brisk business. It remained popular until the hotel closed in October 2001.

No “sandbox” for the politicos would be really successful without the presence of libations. The hotel didn’t have a bar until the legislature repealed the liquor laws in 1965. “Ye Olde Sandbox” was ready for them with a river of whiskey and umbrella drinks for all. Not that liquor wasn’t there before in abundance…the proverbial (and literally) smoke filled rooms were well-provided with liquor on the down low all along. The legislators hosted barbecue parties outside by the heated pool and nobody really minded the thin walls or the almost wondrously tacky decor. It was a sort of fraternity house for them and they were reluctant to leave when the place finally closed its doors.

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Myths about TSA and screeners

What most Americans forget is why we have these procedures in the first place. There was an outcry when the underwear bomber almost took out a Detroit-bound plane, but little focus on what it would take to prevent such actions, until nearly a year later. The same thing happened with the shoe-bomber; you'd be surprised how easy it was for people to start complaining about taking off their shoes in the airport. But if we've learned anything about terrorism, it's that terrorists don't follow last-year's plan. Instead of a new underwear bomber, they chose to ship explosives in packages via courier. Better intelligence or planning on next time's strike wouldn't be a bad thing to consider, as we buy more and more expensive security gear and develop more intrusive practices.

Myths about TSA and screeners

Mississippi Delegation in U.S. House landing plum committee assignments

Most of the 22 House Republican freshmen-to-be selected to sit on much-coveted, A-list committees won their races with Tea Party backing.

The House Republican Steering Committee last week added the incoming members to the rosters of four powerful committees: Appropriations, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Financial Services.

Speaker-to-be John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his fellow GOP leaders and representatives on the House Steering Committee ensured that members of the largest GOP freshmen class in 70 years were given spots on influential panels.

Nearly half of the new GOP spots on the House Appropriations Committee were given to incoming members.

The Steering Committee tapped four Tea Party-backed representatives-elect to serve on the powerful spending panel.

GOP Rep.-elect Alan Nunnelee (Miss.) was one of nearly a dozen candidates officially endorsed by former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. GOP Reps.-elect Steve Womack (Ark.) and Kevin Yoder (Kan.) were both endorsed by Freedom Works – the interest group closely tied to the Tea Party movement. Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.), elected in a special election in June 2010 and who won in the fall's regular election, will also serve on the spending panel and is an outspoken proponent for fiscal restraint.

Republicans pledged that they would make significant cuts in spending over the next two years. The GOP Conference for the 112th Congress voted to ban earmark spending last month.

Just under half of the new GOP spots on the Energy and Commerce Committee will go to incoming lawmakers.

Reps.-elect Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), David McKinley (R-W.Va.), Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) and Charlie Bass (R-N.H.) were chosen to sit on the panel that will face a heavy workload in the next Congress as incoming Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) attempts to revamp the new healthcare law and conduct oversight of the EPA.

Bass served in the House from 1995-2007. He won back the seat he held in November.

GOP lawmakers Brian Bilbray (Calif.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Brett Guthrie (Ky.), Gregg Harper (Miss.), Conference Vice-Chairwoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (Wash.), Pete Olson (Texas) and GOP Leadership Chairman Greg Walden (Ore.) were also added to the Energy panel.

The House Financial Services Committee, led by incoming Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), will get the largest portion of the incoming freshmen.

Ten of the twelve new GOP spots on the committee went to incoming freshmen. GOP Reps-elect Quico Canseco (Texas), Bob Dold (Ill.), Sean Duffy (Wis.), Michael Grimm (N.Y.), Nan Hayworth (N.Y.), Bill Huizenga (Mich.), Robert Hurt (Va.), Steve Stivers (Ohio), Steve Pearce (N.M.) and Michael Fitzpatrick (Pa.) were selected to sit on the panel with jurisdiction over federal monetary policy and the banking system. Pearce and Fitzpatrick served in the House in prior years.

The GOP Steering Committee will meet this week to decide the committee assignments for the rest of the House panels. They have yet to determine the ratio of Republicans to Democrats on the committees.

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Harper gets seat on Energy and Commerce

HARPER SELECTED FOR HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE
 
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) today was nominated by the Republican Steering Committee to serve on the prestigious House Committee on Energy and Commerce in the 112th Congress.
 
“As the son of a former petroleum engineer, I have always been interested in energy policy,” said Harper. “I support an all of the above energy strategy that harnesses new technologies and increases American energy production ultimately leading to an energy independent America. Mississippi has an opportunity to lead the nation in renewable technologies through projects like the Kemper County clean-coal plant.”
 
The Committee on Energy and Commerce has a broad legislative jurisdiction, which covers – among other issues – national energy and environmental policy, health and health facilities, interstate and foreign commerce, consumer affairs and consumer protection, and travel and tourism. The panel’s incoming chairman has indicated that his first priority is to repeal the Democrat’s disastrous health care overhaul signed by the President in March 2010.
 
“I believe that the so-called “Affordable Care Act” is nothing short of politics above economics,” Harper added. “During a time when nearly one in ten Americans is unemployed, Congress should be offering incentives for entrepreneurs to invest in Mississippi’s economy as opposed to penalizing them with additional taxes and rules. This is why I am committed to repealing this flawed health care law and replacing it with reforms centered on decreasing costs and protecting middle-class jobs.”