QUORUM 2010


Mississippi Public Broadcasting has produced the television program QUORUM for 35 years. The focus is the work and affairs of the Mississippi State Legislature, and in 2010 we used the Capitol as a launch pad toward high-impact state topics such as the economy, education and health care. 

You can watch the 2010 season of QUORUM with the viewer window or find the edition that interests you in the season log:







  • 4/28 - The Session Ends  - The State House of Representatives met Wednesday morning, April 28th, to address one last, controversial measure. Then the Mississippi Legislature formally closed its 2010 Regular Session, having passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2011 that is sure to spread a lot of financial pain across state government. Wednesday evening on QUORUM, Ron Brown talked with Rep. Steve Holland (D), Rep. Rita Martinson (R), Sen. David Jordan (D) and Sen. Doug Davis (R) about their work and the state's budget crisis. This is our finale edition, closing QUORUM's 35th season on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. ELEMENTS: vo House Wednesday, vo special session announcement, sot House Speaker Billy McCoy, sot Gov. Barbour.
  • 4/21 - Lawmakers Return - Lawmakers return to the State Capitol on April 20th, facing tough work before the end of the 2010 Regular Session. Budget negotiations top the agenda, and the Governor's latest budget recommendation surely gives Democrats and Republicans plenty to debate. The April 21st edition of QUORUM features the latest legislative developments and political analysis. Our panel includes Dr. Marty Wiseman, Stennis Institute of Government; Democratic consultant and author Jere Nash; and conservative columnist Brian Perry. We discuss the budget battle at hand, and we consider Governor Haley Barbour's work on the state and national stages. Next week, Sen. Doug Davis, Rep. Steve Holland, Sen. David Jordan and Rep. Rita Martinson join host Ron Brown for the April 28 edition of QUORUM. ELEMENTS: live phone report from Carl Gibson, House and Senate vo, sound from Gov. Barbour, sound from lawmakers Alan Nunnelee, John Hines, George Flaggs
  • 3/31 - Roundtable Roundup - The Legislature takes a break ahead of 2011 budget negotiations in late April, but MPB's QUORUM remains hard at work.  Wednesday night, 3-31-2010. we speak with lawmakers about the work they've done so far this session, and the long hard work of budget writing ahead.  Our panel of lawmakers includes Rep. Robert Johnson III (D), Rep. Greg Snowden (R), Sen. Gray Tollison (D) and Sen. Lee Yancey (R).  We also have an extensive interview with Governor Haley Barbour, who offers his opinions on the Employment Security compromise, education funding, and the large bond package that could help drive economic development in our state.  ELEMENTS: vo Legislature on weekend, extended interview w/Gov. Haley Barbour, vo Lawmakers' 5k Run.
  • 3/24 - Focus on Jobs - The March 24th edition of QUORUM on MPB focuses on the state's economic and employment prospects. Thousands of state workers now face furloughs as agency heads look for relief from the budget crunch. Lawmakers have little choice but to cut funding levels across the board, as Mississippi faces some its lowest revenue levels in years. From the Governor's Mansion to the Capitol rotunda, there's wide agreement that solid job growth offers the best hope for reinvigorating the state's economy and refilling state accounts. But is the private sector ready to bring life to that hope, and chip away at our rising unemployment rate? Our panel consists of Gray Swoope, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority; Mississippi Economic Council president Blake Wilson; and Maury Granger, chairman of the Department of Economics at Jackson State University. We also have excerpts from an interview with Rep. Rufus Straighter (D), House Labor Chairman, who remains at the center of a debate over authorization of Mississippi's Department of Employment Security.  ELEMENTS: vo Democrats/Education Rally, comments by Sen. Hob Bryan and Rep. Cecil Brown, vo House floor, intv. w/Rep. Rufus Straughter, set-up pkg by Ron Brown, intvs. w/Joe Buckner, Director, Governor's Job Fair Network; First Lady Marsha Haley Barbour Les Range, Executive Director, Mississippi Dept. of Employment Security.
  • 3/17 - The Revenue Outlook - QUORUM features extensive coverage of the 3-17-2010 meeting of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the latest findings of the Revenue Estimating Group. This revenue report could make a big difference, positive or negative, for state agencies and programs already hard-hit by budget cuts. The Legislature's top budgeteers got full details Wednesday, just as they consider appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011. Meantime, Governor Haley Barbour announces his fifth round of budget cuts for FY 2010. MPB's QUORUM offers a comprehensive report on the meeting, the state's revenue outlook, and the prospects for key government services across Mississippi. JLBC members Cecil Brown and Terry Burton join us on the panel to discuss the findings and the way ahead for state budget writers.  ELEMENTS: vo Revenue Estimation Group presentation, sound from Phil Pepper, State Economist, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, news conf. w/Gov. Haley Barbour.
  • 3/10 - Education Pressures -  State lawmakers say they have put 2010 budget work behind them, but they have yet to write the 2011 budget. Revenue has fallen for 18 straight months, and educators are among those planning for deep cuts in state support. Teachers may have to make big sacrifices, in the form of furloughs, pay cuts and larger class sizes. Meantime a governor's panel considers the complicated task of streamlining Mississippi's system of school districts -- but even this work offers little relief for hard-pressed schools. In this 3-10-2010 edition of QUORUM, we bring three unique voices into the discussion on Mississippi's efforts in public K-12 education. Our live panel includes Kevin Gilbert, president of the Mississippi Association of Educators; Executive Director Sam Bounds from the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents; and Susan Womack, Executive Director of the Parents for Public Schools/Greater Jackson. We also hear from legislative leaders in education affairs, and we look at broader concerns about potential furloughs and layoffs across state government.  ELEMENTS: set-up pkg voiced by Ron Brown, House debate sound from Rep. Herb Frierson, Rep. Kelvin Buck, Rep. Chuck Espy, and Rep. Cecil Brown, intvs. w/ Sen. Videt Carmichael, MASE President Brenda Scott, Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant, and Rep. Sara Thomas.
  • 3/3 - On the Move - In a state as sparsely settled as Mississippi, transportation matters are critically important. Our highways, railways and bridges form more than infrastructure -- they support our economy and they help delineate and define our society and our culture. But much of our existing transportation system is worn at the edges, and serious warnings about bridge and road safety compete with budget concerns for the attention of Mississippi's lawmakers. Federal stimulus efforts have pumped millions of transportation dollars into the state's economy, but Governor Barbour complains of an inefficient process by which job creation fetches a high price. Can Mississippi provide the links needed by prospective industries to get their products quickly to market? We'll also review a wide range of safety concerns and associated legislation on the 3-3-2010 edition of QUORUM. Guests include Mark McConnell, asst. chief engineer for MDOT Field Operations; Bethany Stich, asst. professor of public administration at Mississippi State University; Sen. Tom King, Senate Highway and Transportation Chairman; Rep. Warner McBride, House Transportation Chairman.  ELEMENTS: vo Metro road work, Oxford intv. w/ Gov. Haley Barbour.
  • 2/24 - Healthy Choices - By many measures, Mississippi remains the least healthy state of the union. Issues of affordability and access too often keep our citizens beyond the reach of quality health care. And for lawmakers who seek to help these folks, the task is more challenging than ever. Medicaid serves one in four Mississippians today, and the economic downturn may drive that number higher yet. But the program faces budget cuts and a resulting loss of matching funds from the federal government. Will reform efforts in Washington help the cause of coverage? Does Governor Barbour have a cure for what's ailing the state's health care services? We consider these questions in this 2-24-2010 edition of QUORUM. Panelists - State Economist Marianne Hill, Mississippi State Medical Association president Randy Easterling, and Mississippi Health Advocacy Program executive director Roy Mitchell.  ELEMENTS: vo House Public Health Cmte., intvs. w/Rep. Steve Holland, Sen. Terry Burton, Rep. Philip Gunn, Rep. Omeria Scott.
  • 2/17 - Politics and Governance - We review the latest developments in legislation and budget management, and look at partisan factors at work in this session. How do core Republican and Democratic values influence the effort to govern in Mississippi? Have the parties' split control of House and Senate created a bottleneck for effective action? We'll also consider the voter ID effort, redistricting issues in Mississippi, and the influence of national politics on state governance. Senator Terry Burton (R) and Representative Dirk Dedeaux (D) join Ron Brown on the panel for this Feb. 17. 2010 edition of QUORUM.  ELEMENTS: set-up pkg voiced by Carl Gibson, intvs. w/ Rep. Bo Eaton, Rep. Brian Aldridge, Sen. Alan Nunnelee, Rep. Cecil Brown, Rep. Steve Holland, Rep. Greg Snowden, Sen. John Horhn, Rep. Kimberly Buck.
  • 2/10 - Law and Order - Lawmakers are debating a wide range of public safety issues during the 2010 legislative session. House and Senate have agreed on a bill designed to curb meth production. Measures on texting on the roads, boating under the influence, and domestic violence are also under consideration. But in a year when budget shortfalls preclude "business as usual", what of the business of public safety? What of the impact on district attorneys' offices, and law officers on the state and local level?. We hear from Mississippi Sheriffs Association president Willie March, Bureau of Narcotics Director Marshall Fisher, 17th Circuit Court District Attorney John Champion and legal analyst Matt Steffey from the Mississippi College School of Law in this 2-10-2010 edition of QUORUM.  ELEMENTS: vo House vote, news conf. w/Gov. Haley Barbour, intvs w/ Rep. George Flaggs, Sen. Terry Burton, Sen. Hob Bryan, Sen. Billy Hewes, Rep. Ed Blackmon, Sen. Joey Fillingane, vo Senate debate.
  • 2/3 - K-12 and Beyond - Time and again, education is cited as a key factor behind everything from economic prospects and revenue growth to health issues and safety. But, even as state education leaders cite progress in standards and accountability, they face pressure to do more in the classroom with fewer resources. How will the state's K-12 and higher education systems cope with hundreds of millions of dollars in lost state funding? And how might proposed consolidation efforts affect quality and access in Mississippi education? We consider these pressing questions and more with a panel of Mississippi's top education officials: Dr. Tom Burnham, State Superintendent of Education; Dr. Eric Clark, Executive Director of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges; and Dr. Hank Bounds, Institutions of Higher Learning Commissioner.  ELEMENTS: interviews w/Rep. Cecil Brown, Sen. Videt Carmichael, Rep. Kelvin Buck, Sen. Doug Davis, vo IHL Budget presentation, vo Quality Counts news conference.
  • 1/27 - Taxes, Money Ways, and Means - Falling state revenues for Fiscal Year 2010 have led to current budget cuts of 8.193% -- will Fiscal Year 2011 be any better? State Economist Phil Pepper, Ed Sivak of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center, and Mississippi College business professor Kevin Pauli discuss the revenue picture and the broader economy in Mississippi and the U.S. in this second 2010 edition of QUORUM.  ELEMENTS: interviews w/Sen. Dean Kirby, Rep. Percy Watson, vo House floor vote.
  • 1/20 - State Budget Crisis - State lawmakers begin the new year facing grave shortfalls in revenues, and lingering concerns about education, health care and other essential services. Will the Senate and House bridge partisan divides and devise a spending plan that citizens will approve and the Governor will sign? We'll review the factors at hand with a panel of state leaders, analysts and newsmakers. We'll also take your questions -- by phone, email, Facebook and Twitter. Panelists - Dr. Marty Wiseman, Director, MSU Stennis Institute of Government; Dr. Mary Coleman; Director, JSU Center for University Scholars; Blake Wilson, President, Mississippi Economic Council; Emily Wagster Pettus, Reporter, Associated Press.  ELEMENTS: excerpts from State of the State, interview w/Rep. Tyrone Ellis.


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