HYDE-SMITH PROPOSES FUND FOR STATE DRUG COURT PROGRAM

District 39 State Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, D-Brookhaven, has introduced
a bill to create a state drug court fund that would receive money from
fines paid by citizens who violate traffic, litter, game and fish, and
implied consent laws, as well as other misdemeanors and felonies.

Senate Bill 2892 would provide supplemental money to all drug courts
in the state and would be distributed by the State Treasurer's office.
The funds would assist both youth and drug courts.

Funds from other sources would be distributed equally to the drug
courts in the state based on a formula set by the State Drug Courts
Advisory Committee. The fund would be a permanent one and not subject
to fiscal-year limitations.

Hyde-Smith also has introduced legislation to:

. Require the State Transportation Commission (SB2493) to conduct a
study on the feasibility of selling advertisements to be painted on
the highways maintained by the Mississippi Department of
Transportation.

. Make it illegal for anyone to break, cut or in any way damage the
valve or locking mechanism on an anhydrous ammonia tank with the
intent to steal the substance (SB2378). Anhydrous ammonia is a key
ingredient in making crystal methamphetamine.

. Authorize counties and municipalities to contract for advertising on
public motor vehicles, allow counties and towns to contract for a
sponsor purchase program for vehicles and provide an exception to bid
requirements for the purchase of sponsor advertisement vehicles
(SB2271). Advertising for alcohol, tobacco or gambling would not be
allowed. The sponsor-purchase contract would be no more than three
years, and no more than 25 percent of the outside of the vehicle could
be used for advertising.

. Allow retired teachers to draw retirement benefits and be
re-employed as teachers in critical teacher shortage areas (SB2136).
Teachers who choose to go back to work would receive the same salary
they had the year before they retired.

. Issue up to $1.4 million in general obligation bonds to establish
the 2004 Monticello National Guard Readiness Center Construction Fund
(SB2135). Money in the fund would be used to provide funds to the
Mississippi National Guard for use as matching funds for construction
of the center.

. Double the penalty for speeding in a highway work zone and to allow
enforcement of the law with automated vehicle identification systems
(SB2049). Those are devices used to automatically detect a traffic
violation and simultaneously record a picture of the vehicle, the
operator and the license plate. Highway patrolmen also may operate
radar detectors in the work zones. The automated system could not be
used unless signs were posted at least 300 feet before the work zone.