Barbour to speak
at 69th Delta Council Day
Special to the DBJ

Governor Haley Barbour will give the keynote address to the 69th Annual Meeting of Delta Council, 48 hours before the scheduled adjournment of the 120-day Mississippi Legislative Session for 2004. Governor Barbour chose Friday, May 7, as the date to appear before the Delta Council audience in order to utilize the forum as an opportunity to spell out his views
on the major issues and compromises that are certain to be shaped in the final weekend of the legislative session.

“We are pleased that Governor Barbour has accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker for Delta Council Day, and we believe it is highly appropriate that he selected May 7, since the most critical decisions facing the state legislative session will be hammered out that very weekend,” stated Dan Branton, the Delta Council President from Washington County who
extended Barbour the invitation.

In accepting the invitation, Barbour promised that he would talk about job development efforts, the budget crisis facing Mississippi, funding for higher education and progress being made in his effort to maximize the delivery mechanisms for better workforce training programs in the State of Mississippi. On that day, Barbour’s legislative agenda will be facing its most critical test in the House-Senate Conference negotiations, which are traditionally held on the last weekend of the session.

“Funding for higher education, the streamlining of workforce training programs for existing and prospective businesses, and Governor Barbour’s strategies for job development will be on the line when he speaks to Delta Council on May 7, and we are grateful that he has chosen the Delta Council Annual Meeting as the place to speak to these issues during the final hours of the 2004 Legislative Session,” added Branton.

In addition to Barbour’s keynote address, U.S. trade specialists from the United States Department of Commerce will meet with Governor Barbour and top business leaders from the Delta to discuss the potential impacts of U.S. trade agreements with Central America, Australia, and Africa. Major manufacturing employers in the Delta and the $3 billion agricultural industry in the Delta have huge stakes in the trade negotiations between the Bush Administration and these foreign governments.

For the third consecutive year, Delta Council will honor the top achievers from high schools throughout the 18 Delta and part-Delta counties of Northwest Mississippi. Lt. Governor Amy Tuck will present special recognition to Honor Graduates from the Delta who have been selected for this recognition by the school administration in their respective school districts.
A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to the individual top Delta honor graduate who will be selected from the 66 schools, which send Honor Graduates to the Delta Council event.

Also, noted Washington political analyst and Roll Call columnist Stu Rothenberg will address prospects for the 2004 elections before the Annual Meeting in the McPherson Recital Hall of the Bologna Performing Arts Center. The speech will be given to the Delta Council Board of Directors and members of Delta ’1000.

The 69th Delta Council Annual Meeting will be held at the Bologna Performing Arts Center, Delta State University, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Governor Barbour’s keynote address is scheduled to conclude at noon, when the Delta Council members and guests will move to the University quadrangle for a fried catfish lunch on the grounds. Sponsors for the event include
BankPlus, Delta Regional Medical Center, Federal Land Bank, KBH Corporation, and Morgan Keegan. DBJ