JACKSON &045;&045; Both the House and Senate have approved $2 million in bonds for the Forks of the Road site in Natchez &045;&045; but they haven’t approved the same version of the bill.

The Senate passed an $86 million bond bill Friday for projects only included in the governor’s expanded special legislative session call.

A House bill that passed earlier in the day included the governor’s list as well as dozens of other projects from across the state.

Both bills have been held for more debate later, meaning movement is at a standstill in the fourth day of the special session. The Senate adjourned until today.

Natchez Mayor Phillip West said he was in close contact with Rep. Robert Johnson throughout the day to get updates on the bill’s status.

&uot;I believe (the money) has its best chance of passing in this session,&uot; West said.

Natchez officials had originally sought $10 million in bonds for downtown revitalization. The Forks of the Roads funds will pay for an interpretive center at the historic slave market site. The project died in the regular session along with other bond projects from around the state and was sometimes singled out as &uot;pork&uot; by Gov. Haley Barbour.

West said he tried earlier Friday to have the $10 million restored but was not successful.

&uot;I’m very disappointed&uot; that the funding request had to be cut, West said. But he said he is glad to see that $2 million for the Forks project has received support.

The vote on the House bill was 75-to-35. Sen. Walter Michel, R-Jackson, was the only senator who voted against the Senate bill. Michel said the state is increasing its bond indebtedness by approving more projects.

”I see this debt service as the next Medicaid disaster,” Michel said.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Percy Watson, D-Hattiesburg, said the additional local bond projects in the House bill were not outside of the special session call.

Watson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Robertson, R-Moss Point, met privately several times early Friday. But Robertson said he and Watson were unable to reach an agreement on bond bills.

Robertson said the additional House projects were outside of the special session call.

Watson said the additional projects, outlined in a letter House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, sent to Barbour on Thursday, are considered ”pool” projects.

”The governor has indicated a number of these projects can be funded through other sources. If they are unable to find money through the other sources, then the projects will be state funded,” Watson said.

Barbour expanded the call on Thursday night after lawmakers approved a Momentum Mississippi economic development bill. Barbour said he had been in talks with Watson and Robertson about the bond projects.

Among the bond items included in the governor’s expanded call were: $2 million for the B.B. King Museum in Indianola; $8 million for the Infinity tourism destination facility in Hancock County; $56 million for Northrop Grumman’s shipyard expansion on the Gulf Coast; $2 million for an interpretative center at a former slave market site in Natchez; $2 million for the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center in Meridian and $400,000 for a rail line improvement in Jasper and Newton counties.

The Senate approved all those projects, plus $14 million for Baxter Healthcare in Cleveland, which was also in the governor’s special session call.

McCoy’s letter listed 28 bond projects at a cost of about $36 million, but some on the list were part of the governor’s call. The pool projects in the House bill totaled $18 million.

Projects on McCoy’s list that weren’t included in the expanded call were a $2 million redevelopment project for downtown Natchez; $1 million power production improvement project in Fulton; $500,000 water improvement project in Mantachie and $8 million for an ethanol project, among others.

Rep. Bennett Malone, D-Carthage, questioned providing money for Northrop Grumman. Since 2002, the Legislature has authorized $100 million in bonds to help Northrop Grumman expand its Pascagoula and Gulfport shipyards. The $56 million is the final installment of the state initiative.

”I do not like disagreeing with the Ways and Means Committee…This is pure pork,” Malone said.

On Thursday, lawmakers signed off on $40 million in bonds for the Momentum Mississippi package. Of that amount, $28 million is for the four-program package that Barbour had been urging lawmakers to pass.

Another $12 million is for a loan and grant program that would keep at-risk industries from outsourcing jobs to foreign nations. The bill also includes changes to the state’s incentives programs to lure high-tech industries and help existing industries to expand.

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The bill is House Bill 4.