By Staff
Oct. 27, 2002
When Mississippi lawmakers return to Jackson this week, they should take immediate action on reforming business liability statutes. The House leadership should have the courage to put the issue to a vote. Up or down. Pass or fail.
The current special session has been under way since
Sept. 5. Even after a summer of hearings, lawmakers still haggled for a month over medical malpractice liability reform before they eventually passed a good reform bill. We can understand why rank and file members particularly House conservatives are showing signs of frustration. All of the legislators are probably just about sick of dealing with tort reform.
But it would be a mistake to assume that the general public has tuned out. Every business man and woman in this state has a vested interest in civil justice reform. Every economic development prospect even remotely thinking about relocating to Mississippi has a vested interest in fairness and balance. All of us should consider the vast ramifications of "jackpot justice" and how it taints Mississippi in a global economy.
The people of this state want fairness, even in a civil justice system that has been out of control for far too long. The white-coated physicians and their nurses may be gone from the Capitol galleries, but the fundamental issue remains unresolved.
Does the House leadership have the courage to put the issue to a vote? We may find out this week.