JACKSON, Mis. (Jan. 30, 2015) – A bill to ban the state from implementing or participating in Agenda 21 and other similar measures passed an important House committee in Mississippi this week.
House Bill 490 (HB490), introduced by Rep. Becky Currie would prohibit the state, as well as cities and counties, from adopting and developing environmental and developmental policies known as Agenda 21, effectively nullifying them in practice.
The bill reads, in part:
The State of Mississippi and all political subdivisions thereof shall not adopt, nor implement, the creed, doctrine, principle or any tenet of the United States Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Statement of Principles for Sustainable Development known as “Agenda 21,” adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held from June 3-14, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or any other international law contravening the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of the State of Mississippi.
Passage out of committee is a significant win, as previous legislation introduced by Currie was blocked from even getting a vote in committee in previous legislative sessions.
A similar bill has also been introduced in the other chamber, Senate Bill 2809 (SB2809), introduced by State Sen. Melanie Sojourner,
HB490 will now be placed on the calendar for consideration and vote by the full House. Supporters are encouraged to contact their state representative and urge a YES vote on HB490.