Mississippi teacher pay raise bills were in danger as legislators engaged in a political showdown.
Hours before a big deadline Tuesday, Senate committees voted to keep the issue alive.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar says teachers don’t need to be pawns. He says House committees refused to vote on a Senate teacher pay bill because they wanted leverage on a separate proposal — a tax cut bill.
House Speaker Philip Gunn says phasing out the income tax is his top priority.
Gunn says House committees ignored the Senate’s teacher pay raise bill because the House bill on teacher pay is superior. (AP)