MS Legislature overwhelmingly votes to prevent Gov. Reeves spending federal coronavirus money

Lawmakers returned to Jackson Friday to assert their constitutional authority in spending about $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief money that Gov. Tate Reeves said he controlled.

In a nearly unanimous vote and with sharp criticism from Reeves, the Legislature passed a bill that places almost all of those funds under its purview. Reeves claimed lawmakers were trying to “steal” that money.

The governor railed against the Legislature at his Friday afternoon press conference, but it was unclear what actions he will take in response to the bill. The vote appeared veto-proof, with the House unanimously passing it and only two senators voting against it.

It is the first major clash between Reeves and the Legislature since becoming governor, and it could have permanent implications for who holds the power to spend federal emergency money in Mississippi, the governor or lawmakers.

Reeves claimed that as governor he is able to direct the $1.25 billion of federal CARES Act money that was recently deposited into state coffers, likening the situation to a major natural disaster like Hurricane Karina. He wants to hire a consulting company to oversee distribution of the money.

Lawmakers of both parties asserted that it is the sole constitutional authority of the Legislature to appropriate that money.

“We needed to either decide to let $1.25 billion be spent by an outside third party for a percentage of the deal or the Legislature was going to appropriate the money,” Hosemann said. “It’s as clear as that.”

The bill passed by the Legislature puts $1.15 billion of the federal CARES Act money under its purview.

Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, and Sen. Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez, voted no on the bill. Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, voted present. Every other lawmaker in both chambers Friday voted in support of the bill.

They left $100 million under the purview of Reeves and the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration to defray the costs of state agencies and public institutions dealing with the coronavirus pandemic through the end of June.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 10:21 AM.