Mississippi senators voted Wednesday night to pass a bill to limit lawsuits, but does that put us any closer to meaningful tort reform legislation?

Don’t hold your breath yet. The House, which passed a version of the bill early Wednesday morning, differs on several points, from raising the cap on pain and suffering awards to making exceptions for the cap. The bill now goes to the House, which can either agree to the changes made by the Senate or seek final negotiations.

But the Senate’s passage of the bill does bring us at least a step closer to ending lawsuit abuse, which hurts not only medical professionals but businesses throughout our state.

The Senate has provided leadership on this issue throughout this special session and in earlier sessions, while the House &045;&045; which has significant support for tort reform &045;&045; has often been bogged down by politics.

We’re hopeful for a quick ending to this session &045;&045; one that includes a good tort reform bill &045;&045; but we aren’t holding our breath.

Natchez proud to host event for Institute of Arts and Letters

Thanks to the hard work of local individuals dedicated to honoring writers and artists, Natchez will be the site this weekend of the 25th anniversary of the Mississippi Institute Arts and Letters Awards ceremony.

Natchez’s Carolyn Vance Smith, the president of MIAL, invited the group to hold its awards ceremony here, and residents are invited to the 5 p.m. Saturday ceremony to honor so many talented writers and authors from our home state. We encourage residents to attend this unique event.