Bill Text: MS SC502 | 2014 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: Mourn the loss and commend the life and public service of former Senator Jim Bean.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2014-02-11 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC502 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2014-SC502-Engrossed.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2014 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Polk, Gollott
Senate Concurrent Resolution 502
(As Adopted by Senate)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMENDING THE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICE OF FORMER SENATOR JAMES L. "JIM" BEAN AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE ON HIS PASSING.
WHEREAS, the Legislature and the State of Mississippi lost a wonderful friend, colleague, gentleman and enlightened lawmaker with the death of former State Senator James L. "Jim" Bean, 80, on Sunday, July 7, 2013, in Hattiesburg. Senator Bean was an effective Chairman of the Senate Public Health Committee regarding the early implementation of very difficult issues including Medicaid managed care, welfare reform work requirements, primary care and health-related licensure; and
WHEREAS, Jim was born in Clanton, Alabama, on December 15, 1932. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He was the Life of Georgia Insurance Company District Manager in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and was owner of Holloway Transfer and Storage Company in Hattiesburg; and
WHEREAS, Senator Bean, a Republican from Hattiesburg, represented Forrest, Lamar and Perry Counties in the Senate from 1986 to 2000. He was Chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee from 1996 to 2000, and was previously Chairman of the Insurance Committee. He was an influential member of the Senate Judiciary, Finance and Management Committees; and
WHEREAS, Senator Bean, who had owned an insurance agency and then a moving company, sold his business and retired. But he soon grew restless, his wife Peggy Bean said; and
WHEREAS, Senator Bean frequently reminded members of the Senate that he wanted issues explained in a way that nonlawyers could understand them. When Jim had something important to say, he would say, "I'm just an old truck driver"; and
WHEREAS, in 1995, Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove and the Mississippi Senate, based upon a tradition in southern states that members of the State Senate were automatically admitted to the Bar, named Jim Bean an honorary attorney-at-law; and
WHEREAS, as Chairman of the Public Health Committee, he handled legislation on issues including Medicaid, welfare reform, nursing home care for the elderly, child residential care, managed health care, child support and foster child care; and
WHEREAS, he was most proud of legislation that he sponsored in the area of health care, mainly laws put into place concerning Foster Care Children. This Mississippi Law "The BEANie BABY" bill was later adopted and became a model for 50 states. Thousands of children's lives have been changed in the foster care/child welfare system; and
WHEREAS, he also was very instrumental in the establishment of the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association and the Federally Qualified Health Clinic Support Program which provide quality health care for all Mississippians in need. He was the recipient of this organization's first Lifetime Achievement Award. The patient services building at South Mississippi State Hospital in Purvis was named in Bean's honor. Senator Bean sponsored legislation to support the Hattiesburg Zoo at a critical time for that institution; and
WHEREAS, Senator Bean also tried to rally support to get the "Big Three" college football programs to schedule games with each other. A fan of The University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Bean got the mandate through the Senate one year, only to see it defeated in the House. Bean didn't attend any of the universities, though he did represent the Hattiesburg area, and said it didn't make sense to play so many out of state teams when the money could be kept at home. In 1998, he brought the issue up during Senate debate on a constitutional amendment involving the College Board. Many Senators were away from their desks but heard over the intercom his proposal to make mandatory games part of the state's 1890 Constitution. When Mississippi State University and USM announced in 2009 that they would resume play, Bean was elated; and
WHEREAS, above all, the love for his family was of the uppermost importance to his life; and
WHEREAS, Senator Bean is survived by his wife of 58 years, Peggy Johnson Bean; daughter, Jamie Hester; son, Skip (Danette) Bean; two brothers, Jeff Payne and Jerald Payne; three sisters: Joy Blessing, Jean Roberts and Jane Simmons; two grandchildren, Beth Sones and Blake Hester; and two great-grandchildren, Eden and Eliana Sones; and
WHEREAS, Jim Bean was absolutely one of the most admired and respected members of the Mississippi State Senate. He had a commanding presence but was soft-spoken. He excelled in a variety of major responsibilities and served the Senate, his constituents and the State of Mississippi exceptionally well. Jim's public service was exemplified by fairness and sound judgment, and he set the highest standard as a leader in the Mississippi Senate and as a true friend:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commend the life and legacy of public service of Senator James L. "Jim" Bean of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and express to his family the sympathy of the Legislature on his passing and our thanks for sharing Jim with us and with the State of Mississippi.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the family of Senator Jim Bean and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
