JACKSON — A special Legislative session has been called to discuss repealing a provision that effectively doubles the amount of retirement benefits for legislators.
Gov. Ronnie Musgrove announced he was calling for the special session Tuesday, a week after state workers denounced legislators who raised their own retirement pay. They were upset about being snubbed for pay raises by a Legislature short of cash.
“I said from the beginning, I was opposed to this provision in the bill,” Musgrove said.
Lawmakers approved the benefits package in the waning days of the session, quietly discussing it in conference committee. The provision addressing the amount of retirement benefits for present and future state lawmakers is the only contention Musgrove has with the overall retirement benefits bill.
After the bill passed the Legislature, Musgrove said he would benefit from the legislation and did not feel comfortable signing it. He has the option of letting a bill become law without his endorsement.
The provision gave state lawmakers twice the amount given to retiring state workers and teachers.
Beginning July 1, legislators will pay 6 percent of their salary into the retirement system, up from 3 percent. The state’s contribution will increase from 6.33 percent to more than 17 percent.
The special session will take place June 29.
“There will be no reason for it to last more than one day,” Musgrove said.
Rep. Frances Fredericks, R-Gulfport, when told of what will be the first of two special sessions this summer was so surprised she could only laugh.
“I cannot believe we are having a special session just to address this one issue,” Fredericks said. “Funnier things have happened, I guess.”
Fredericks said lawmakers could have dealt with the issue at the special session on economic development, expected to take place later this summer. The provision could have been repealed retroactively.
“If we are going to bring it up, let’s look at the whole bill,” she said. “To have a special session just to address a very small portion of the bill is amazing.”
Musgrove said he didn’t want the provision to get in the way of a special session on economic development.
Brenda Scott, president of the Mississippi Alliance of State Employees, a union representing about 3,000 of the state’s 32,000 workers, said last week she wanted Musgrove to keep the law from going into effect July 1.
She called on the governor to convene a special session to discuss it.
“They told us ‘we just don’t have the money,’ then they took it for themselves,” Scott said during last week’s news conference at the state Capitol.
Scott said her union has received hundreds of calls opposing the measure and asked why state workers couldn’t get the same benefits.
Lawmakers gave teachers a 30-percent pay raise, but those are tied to the strength of state finances.
