JACKSON — Sen. Hob Bryan’s amendment on Friday  to take $12 million in proposed budget cut restoration funds from the Department of Corrections and give it to Kindergarten through 12th grade education came as close as anything thus far this session to uniting the Senate as it struggles with how to deal with budget woes.

Bryan’s amendment was changing a proposal by Senate Appropriations Chair Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, and was against the wishes of Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, who has through his entire tenure exerted considerable influence over the Senate.

Yet, Nunnelee did not speak against Bryan’s amendment to change his proposal. And lo and behold, Nunnelee  even voted for the Bryan plan.

Before Lt.  Gov. Phil Bryant, who presides over the Senate, was given the final roll call to announce the vote on the Bryan amendment, Senate President Pro Tem Billy Hewes, R-Gulfport, said if the Appropriations Committee chair was voting for the amendment, he would also to support the chairman. So he changed his vote from no to yes on the Bryan plan.

Then, Finance Committee Chair Dean Kirby, R-Pearl stood up to change his vote from no to yes..

Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, happened to be standing in the back of the chamber. Bryant recognized him to see if he wanted to change his vote.

Watson replied, “I’m just standing up. I am happy with my yes vote.”

The Bryan amendment passed 44-2.

JACKSON — Mississippi legislators are putting on the fast track a proposal to require a doctor’s prescription to obtain the cold medicine that contains pseudoephedrine.

The drug is a key ingredient in the production of crystal methamphetamine.

Various law enforcement groups and others  concerned about the problems caused by the growing meth problem are behind the effort to make pseudoephedrine a drug requiring a prescription.

The Senate is expected to pass and send to the governor by Tuesday the bill passed last week by the House. It is unusual for legislation to move through the process so quickly.

Why the hurry? After all, the legislation does not take effect until July 1.

Senate Judiciary  B Chairman Gray Tollison, D-Oxford, said part of the hurry is because drug makers that use pseudoephedrine in their product are putting on a full-court press to stop the effort. They are conducting polls and even having constituents call legislators saying it will be inconvenient for them to have to go to a doctor  to obtain the drug for colds and other sinus woes.

That indeed could be a problem for many to have to schedule and pay for a visit to the doctor.

There might be a misconception, though, about the issue. While pseudoephedrine is used in some cold and sinus medications, there are more than 20 products that do not use the ingredient.

Under current law, to obtain pseudoephedrine a person must get it from a pharmacist, sign for it and there is a limit on the amount a person can obtain. But apparently,  meth makers are sending several people out to drug stores to obtain the drug.

That is the reason law enforcement is saying it should require a prescription. Currently, the only state to require a doctor’s visit to obtain pseudoephedrine is Oregon.

Perhaps, drug makers see that other states, such as Mississippi, might be following the lead of Oregon.

      JACKSON — Gov. Haley Barbour, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, House Speaker Billy McCoy and all legislators are bickering and battling over tough budget issues.

Sometimes tempers erupt. That’s part of a difficult legislative process.

It’s in the news every day.

But it’s not always like that. Barbour recently spoke to the House, at the invitation of McCoy, where legislators gave him $10,000 they raised for Haiti relief. The governor will pass it on to a Haiti relief charity.

McCoy, seen at Barbour’s chief antagonist, praised the governor for leading the state’s response to the Haiti relief effort. Mississippi military reservists were some of the first on the scene after the earthquake. Both McCoy and Barbour agreed that was the right thing to do, especially in light of the help Mississippi received in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated south Mississippi.

Sen. Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, and Rep. Chuck Espy, D-Clarksdale, led the effort to gather contributions from legislators and from others for Haiti relief. They said that effort is continuing.

Oh by the way, everyone will return to attack mode as they continue to debate difficult budget choices.

JACKSON — Just about every year Haley Barbour has been governor the Senate has passed legislation to take state employees out from under the control of the state Personnel Board.

The Senate by a narrow vote has passed the legislation again this year.

Every year the House has killed the legislation except for one time when it allowed the Department of Corrections to remove most of its employees from Personnel Board control.

Barbour and his Senate allies argue that the removal from Personnel Board control allows an agency head more flexibility in who to fire to deal with tough budget times.

The Democrats in the House contend there are mechanisms in existing law to reduce the work force of agencies during tough budget times. If that mechanism needs tweaks to make it easier to use, the Personnel Board, which is made up of Barbour appointees, can make those changes, the Democrats argue.

In essence being under Personnel Board controls gives the state employees civil service protection. Of course, the concept of civil service protection was created in the 1800s to combat what is known as the spoil system where politicians fired the government work force and replaced it with their supporters.

A certain level of “the spoil system” is still permitted. For instance, there are a few employees in each agency who work at the will and pleasure of the department head. In the Treasurer’s office for instance, Tate Reeves has a small percentage of will and pleasure employees whom he brought in when elected, but the vast majority of the work force is under Personnel Board control. They can’t be fired for no reason.