News in Brief

The Mississippi legislature last week overrode Governor Kirk Fordice's veto of a bill that places new restrictions on the state's referendum process--and will make it more difficult for the governor to get his education-reform plan on the ballot.

Under the new law, signature collectors cannot be paid for each signature they gather for a proposed ballot initiative, and individuals who felt were they tricked into signing a petition could have their names stricken.

Mr. Fordice is currently trying to put his education plan, People's Right to Initiate Model Education, or PRIME, on the ballot. The legislature has refused to enact the...