We are very happy to let you know that Trooper Reed Harrington, and his wife, Yancey, are the proud parents of little Molly Mason Harrington. She was born on May 19th at 1:51 p.m. Her weight was 8.3 lbs, and she was 21 inches long. Molly Mason was welcomed home by Miss Mary Presley Harrington who is seven. The MSTA Board would like to take this time to say CONGRATULATIONS!

Trooper Casey Mayo (F31) and his wife, Heather, continue to need all prayer warriors!  Heather has now had her surgery in Tupelo. She is at M.D. Anderson and getting treatment. Their plan is to receive treatment for one week at a time, and then return home to rest for about two weeks. Heather will be undergoing about four different treatment trips to M.D. Anderson. She is fighting melanoma and needs everyone to join in an say a prayer for her recovery. If you need additional information or an update on Heather, please contact M/Sgt Allen Lyles, MSTA President.  We are asking that everyone please keep the Mayo family in your thoughts and prayers and keep checking our web site for new information about Heather’s progress.  Very soon we will be announcing some fund raisers to help them defray some of the medical costs that they will have. On behalf of the entire Mississippi Highway Patrol family, we send the Mayo family our love, positive thoughts, and our heartfelt prayers.

We told you at the beginning of the Mississippi Legislative session that the MSTA was going to ask lawmakers to codify the David R. Huggins (DRH) Act of 2002.  This year’s attempt is unique in that it would take the Huggins Act out of the appropriation bill for DPS and move it into general law.  By having the DRH Act in general law, it prohibits any one single person from ever removing it.  We are thrilled to tell you that the Mississippi Legislature has UNANIMOUSLY PASSED the “David R. Huggins Act of 2002″ as a general law as opposed to a section in our appropriation bill.  On Saturday, March 27, the Senate passed HB 1159 by a vote of 52-0.  A few minutes later, the House passed this measure by a vote of 119-0.  Mississippi Troopers extend a huge, heartfelt THANKS to all members of the legislature for their support in passing this landmark bill.  We also wish to extend our humble thanks to the the following conferees on HB 1159:  Representatives Johnny Stringer, George Flaggs, Preston Sullivan, and Senators Alan Nunnelee, Perry Lee, and Willie Simmons.  In a nutshell, HB 1159 codifies the “David R. Huggins Act of 2002″ into general law.  It gives Mississippi Troopers credit for working 171 hours.  This bill DOES NOT provide a pay increase for troopers; instead, it provides supplemental pay that legislators have intended for troopers to get since the inception of this act back in 2002! Please click on the bill number at the end of this article to read the DRH Act of 2002 as it was passed in HB 1159; the underlined language is what was voted on.  We are hopeful that Governor Haley Barbour will sign this bill into law.  A tremendous debt of appreciation goes out to David R. Huggins - the namesake of this act, the former trooper, the former chief of the Highway Patrol, and the former commissioner of DPS - for his role in providing insight, leadership, advise, and helping to broker a deal with legislators.  Again, on behalf of all Mississippi Troopers, we wish to THANK the members of the House and Senate for unanimously passing this this legislation!  HB 1159

Annie Corbin, daughter of Lynn and Freddie (F-41) Corbin, was recently elected State Treasurer for the Future Business Leaders of America organization at the State FBLA Conference in Jackson. She and the officer team and other delegates from Mississippi recently attended the National FBLA Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. While there, they attended officer training workshops and leadership seminars. She will be serving as the Future Business Leaders of America’s Treasurer for the 2008-2009 school year. Annie attends Booneville High School and will be a junior this fall. She is also a member of FFA, FCA, National Honor Society, Anchor Club, Annual Staff and participates on the tennis team at her high school. Annie, we are very proud of your election as FBLA’s State Treasurer. Who knows . . . one day we’ll wake up and see that Annie Corbin is Mississippi’s second woman State Treasurer! On behalf of the MSTA Board and the entire trooper family - CONGRATULATIONS Annie on such an outstanding achievement!