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• Cigarette tax swap bill 'dead' 

The cigarette/grocery tax swap isn't just dead, or dead, dead, Senate Public Health Chairman Alan Nunellee said Friday; it's "dead, dead, dead."

The Senate, after last week defeating an effort to revive the increase in cigarette taxes coupled with a cut in grocery taxes, on Friday defeated a motion to reconsider last week's vote.

Nunellee was referring to an old saying among legislative watchers that "seldom is any bill dead, dead, dead," as long as lawmakers are still in session. But Nunellee, a proponent of the bill along with Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, admitted defeat Friday, at least for this year.

"I'm not proud of our low tax on cigarettes," Nunellee said. "I'm not proud of our high grocery tax. I think even some of the opposition is not proud of this. An overwhelming majority of 2.9 million Mississippians are not proud of that fact. That's what makes this issue so painful. But I also understand that sometimes major political change takes time."

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