Bill Text: MS SC513 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Pay tribute to the memory of former Jackson City Commissioner and Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Nielsen Cochran.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-4)
Status: (Passed) 2020-02-21 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC513 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2020-SC513-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2020 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Blount, Frazier, Kirby, Michel, Horhn, Chassaniol, Fillingane, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, Norwood, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th)
Senate Concurrent Resolution 513
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LEGACY OF PUBLIC SERVICE OF FORMER JACKSON CITY COMMISSIONER AND FORMER MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER NIELSEN HARRIS COCHRAN AND EXTENDING THE PROFOUND SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE TO HIS SURVIVING FAMILY ON HIS PASSING.
WHEREAS, Nielsen Harris Cochran, former Mississippi Central District Public Service Commissioner, passed away on December 2, 2019. He was 78 years old; and
WHEREAS, Nielsen Cochran was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, on January 14, 1941, to William Holmes and Emma Grace Cochran. The family moved to Byram, Mississippi, where Cochran excelled at piano and trumpet, as well as lettering in baseball, basketball and football. After graduating from Byram High School in 1959, Cochran was signed by the Baltimore Orioles. He played third base and shortstop for the Orioles until his retirement from professional baseball in 1965; and
WHEREAS, he attended Mississippi College and Northern State College in South Dakota. Nielsen was married to Connie Cochran and they had two sons, Scot and Jason; and
WHEREAS, Commissioner Cochran, brother of the late United States Senator Thad Cochran, served on the Jackson City Commission in 1977 and was reelected in 1981. Following his service with Jackson, he was elected as Central District Public Service Commissioner in 1983, and served for five consecutive terms from 1984 to 2008; and
WHEREAS, he was recognized nationally as an Innovative Utility Regulator, having served on the National Regulatory Utility Commission Telecommunications Committee during the many changes in that industry; and
WHEREAS, former President of the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District and past member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions and the National League of Cities Transportation and Communication Policy Committee, Cochran was appointed to the National Liquid Hazardous Material Board by Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole. In 1996, he was instrumental in adopting the First Performance Evaluation Plan ever used to regulate the rates of a utility company, which now serves as the foundation for many regulatory commissions in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Brandon Presley, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, said "the Cochran family is known for a legacy of public service and Nielsen's notable service to the people of the State of Mississippi is a strong part of that legacy. It is often said there are fewer greater callings in life than that of holding public office and Nielsen answered that call for more than two decades at the Public Service Commission with integrity and distinction"; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran is predeceased by his parents and his brother, United States Senator Thad Cochran. He is survived by his wife, the former Connie Dell of Aberdeen, South Dakota; two sons, Nielsen Scot Cochran and William Jason Cochran; two daughters, Kirsten Cochran and Karen Cochran-Todd; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most public-spirited citizen of Mississippi, whose enormous civic energy is a wonderful example for all public servants in Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby pay tribute to the legacy of public service of former Jackson City Commissioner and former Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Nielsen Harris Cochran and extend the profound sympathy of the Legislature to his surviving family on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Commissioner Nielsen Cochran, forwarded to the Jackson City Council and Mississippi Public Service Commission, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
