Miss. Senate rethinks direct shipment of wines, bill moves to the House

JACKSON, Miss. by: Daniel Tyson (Magnolia Tribune) – A bill to allow the direct shipment of wines to Mississippi residents was back before the Senate Friday morning, less than 15 hours after the body rejected the legislation. The measure was held on a motion to reconsider and allowed to be revisited after a voice vote was taken on the floor.

On Thursday, 25 senators voted in favor of the bill while 21 opposed it. Proponents of the legislation went to work overnight to change minds.

When the gavel came down this try, the Senate voted 24 in favor and 14 against, achieving the needed three-fifths threshold necessary to pass as more senators were recorded as absent than in the previous vote.

Senator Jeremy England (R), who guided the bill through the Senate floor vote, said an amendment by Senators Briggs Hopson (R) and David Parker (R) gave the measure the needed push in the end. That amendment protects package stores, he noted.

England said often, when several bills and amendments are being considered, it may take some time to digest all the facts. He said the bill, which was an exercise in compromise, had input from several people and organizations. 

He said the process “really did work out like a textbook example of how legislation comes together.”

As previously reported, during floor debate, several senators expressed concern about how many cases a single address could receive within a year. The version that passed the Finance Committee allowed 24 cases annually. The language was changed on the floor to allow 12 per address per year.

Proponents of the bill stressed the revenue the state would collect. The tax collected on each sale and shipment would be 15.5 percent, with 3 percent going toward mental health services.

The measure requires a direct wine shipper permit to be purchased from the Department of Revenue. Also, the bill requires someone 21 years or older to show identification when signing the order.

Mississippi is one of only three states that prohibits the direct shipment of wines to its residents. Senator Walter Michel (R), the bill’s author, said Mississippi is missing out on millions in tax revenue.

The House will now consider the measure.

How They Voted

Senators, by last name, who voted in favor of the legislation on Friday were:

• Barrett
• Berry
• Blackmon
• Carter
• DeBar
• DeLano
• England
• Harkins
• Hickman
• Hopson
• Horhn
• Jackson
• Kirby
• McCaughn
• McLendon
• Michel
• Rhodes
• Robinson
• Simmons (13th)
• Sparks
• Suber
• Thompson
• Wiggins
• Younger

Senators, by last name, who voted against the measure on Friday include:

• Blackwell
• Bryan
• Chassaniol
• Fillingane
• Frazier
• Johnson
• McMahan
• Norwood
• Parker
• Polk
• Seymour
• Tate
• Thomas
• Williams

Senators, by last name, not voting or voting present on Friday were:

• Barnett
• Blount
• Boyd
• Brumfield
• Butler
• Chism
• Hill
• Jordan
• Ladner
• Parks
• Simmons (12th)
• Turner-Ford
• Whaley

Magnolia Tribune first published this article. The Vicksburg Daily News republished it here under a Creative Commons license.