Both Gov. Tate Reeves and leaders in the Mississippi Legislature say it would be expensive and possibly pointless to call a special session to address medical marijuana and/or the state’s initiative process unless lawmakers agreed in advance on what they are willing to do.
It’s a reasonable argument to make.
Special sessions are not cheap, running about $35,000 a day. Most of the time, the majority of lawmakers sit on their hands while a few select members try to hammer out a compromise they think can get enough votes to pass.
It could be a long sit if the details are not worked out ahead of time. Medical marijuana and the initiative process — both of which were invalidated last month by a split decision on the state Supreme Court — are complicated issues with diverse opinions about how best to tackle them. A special session that begins without a consensus could become a special session that produces no result.
But, as Bobby Harrison, a veteran Capitol reporter, pointed out this week, it sometimes takes the pressure of a special session — and the taxpayers’ meter running — to motivate lawmakers to get a deal done. Several major legislative accomplishments — from establishing public kindergartens to tort reform — were achieved during special sessions that did not start with a consensus but eventually produced it days, weeks or even months later.
Reeves has said he is for both legalizing medical marijuana and re-establishing the initiative process. He might have to sacrifice a little frugality if he really wants those to happen.
