JACKSON – Unless some hearts and minds are changed, Gov. Haley Barbour’s proposal to merge universities will face tough sailing with the 2010 Legislature.

House Universities and College Committee Chair Kelvin Buck, D-Holly Springs, reiterated last week what he has said previously: “Any legislation that looks at consolidation or merger I would not entertain. We will not bring it forward.”

As a committee chair, Buck is expected to be a key player in the fate of Barbour’s proposal, which was presented as a way to save money. But history shows that early intentions don’t always predict the outcome.

In the legislative process, the two presiding officers – the speaker in the House and the lieutenant governor in the Senate – assign bills to committee.

It is up to the committee chair to decide whether to take up particular pieces of legislation.

Through the years, chairs from both parties have killed legislation by not bringing it up for a vote.

One notable instance occurred in 2007 when then-Finance Committee Chair Tommy Robertson, R-Moss Point, refused to consider a proposal to cut food taxes and offset the lost revenue by increasing the tax on cigarettes.

Then-Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, who appointed Robertson, strongly supported that legislation and wanted him to take it up, but he refused.

Robertson lost his re-election bid later that year, and his defeat was attributed at least in part to his refusal to bring the legislation, though most concede he faced other obstacles as well.

In other instances, the chair’s early plans have gone by the wayside.

Earlier this decade, House Judiciary A Committee Chair Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, vowed not to take up Barbour’s proposal to give businesses greater protection from lawsuits until he had assurances from the governor on certain aspects of the bill.

Blackmon never got those assurances, but he ultimately yielded and brought up the proposal.

Most agree that Blackmon did so not because he feared a backlash from voters in his district for blocking the proposal, but because fellow House Democrats urged him to take it up.

They were concerned about how it could hurt them politically.

In the intense heat of a legislative session, chairs often are convinced to do things they said they would not do. But it is hard to envision that Buck, an African-American from a black majority district, would feel heat from his constituents to take up legislation that would merge three historically black universities into one.

And thus far, there does not appear to be a groundswell from fellow Democrats – or Republicans, for that matter – to take up the proposal.

All that could change when the session begins in January and the governor employs his considerable political skills into the process.

Barbour’s plan to merge Mississippi University for Women in Columbus with nearby Mississippi State University and to merge historically back universities – Mississippi Valley at Itta Bena and Alcorn State at Lorman with Jackson State – is one of the more controversial items in a far-reaching proposal made by the governor.

Barbour said such dramatic action is needed to offset a historically large dip in state revenue collections.

“No campus would close, but administration would be unified and significant savings achieved,” Barbour said. He has projected the savings would be about $20 million per year.

Some not committing

While Buck has made his intentions clear, thus far the Republican leadership of the Senate has been non-committal.

After meeting with representatives of black university earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said, “I heard their views and their passion for their alma maters. I stated that the Senate would give careful consideration to all of the governor’s budget recommendations, and I assured them there would be no rush to judgment concerning the possible consolidation of any university in Mississippi.

At Bryant’s request, Sen. Doug Davis, R-Hernando, and chairman of the Colleges and Universities Committee, plans to conduct hearings on potential savings from any merger, but he has not set a time.

Buck, meanwhile, also plans hearings on the issue, but would include discussion of the current funding formula for the eight public universities.

Some have said the formula, adopted by the state College Board but not yet fully enacted, would harm the smaller schools, such as Valley, Alcorn and MUW.

But Buck questions the wisdom of using a slowdown in tax collections as a reason to merge universities.

“We were $200 million above the revenue estimate in ’06 and ’07. We didn’t change policy then,” he said. “Why should we now? We will bounce back from this. The sky is not falling.”

The important thing, Buck said, is “these schools are vital to their regions for both educational and economical purposes. Merger is the last thing we need to do.”

Barbour has said it will be incumbent on legislators who oppose his plans to find better ways to save money during these tough financial times.



Contact Bobby Harrison at (601) 353-3119 or bobby.harrison@djournal.com.