Mississippi Lawmakers End Legislative Session

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi lawmakers have ended their three-month session.

They adjourned Wednesday night after passing the final parts of a state budget for the year that begins July 1.

Negotiators spent hours Wednesday working on a final deal to fund transportation projects.

They agreed to put an extra $32 million into a program that helps local governments pay for road construction – but only if tax collections continue coming in at a good pace. If the economy slows and tax collections falter, the $32 million would not be spent.

Legislators this session passed a bill designed to make the criminal justice system more efficient and less expensive. They gave teachers a pay raise, voted to ban abortion at the midpoint of full-term pregnancy and to conduct drug testing on some welfare recipients.