Mississippi shells as empty as the bill Jack Franks amended.

Last Friday I reported on a bill sponsored by Jack Franks that started out as a shell bill sponsored by House Speaker Mike Madigan.

It was obviously a bill that would never see the Governor’s desk because it prohibited local governments (think schools, cities, park districts, etc.) from getting more money next year than they will get this year.

There are way too many legislators who come from local government to fantasize that such a bill could gain approval in a General Assembly controlled lock stock and barrel by Democrats.

Not that no increase would be a really big deal, because the Property Tax Cap only allows an 8/10 of one percent increase next year.

That was the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Jack Franks

In any event, Madigan let Franks amend the bill with content, that, if enacted, would cut property tax increases.

He got attacked by some House Republicans because some people’s property taxes might increase.

This is the quadrennial re-assessment year, so it is obvious that there will be something of a shifting of the property tax burden, hence, some will see higher taxes, some lower.

The limit his bill would impose was on the total amount of taxes that could be collected.

Next year’s could be no more this year’s.

That’s would be a significant limitation.

But, proving that the bill was strictly for show were hit pieces that showed up in mailboxes of some Republicans who must be considered vulnerable by Madigan.

This hit piece, based on the Franks’ bill roll call on Friday, arrived Monday in Republican Mark Batinick’s district mailboxes.

The mailings arrived Monday.

That means they would have had to have been put in the post office by Friday at the latest. (Bulk mail is generally closed on Saturday.)