Lawmakers head back to the Capitol next week to undertake Momentum Mississippi, a program designed to expand economic development efforts.

Momentum Mississippi was developed by a group of business and community leaders as part of Blueprint Mississippi, a committee gathered by Gov. Haley Barbour.

The Momentum Mississippi bill includes $27 million in development bonds to help Mississippi recruit more high tech jobs to the state and encourage more existing businesses to expand.

That is money that could &045; and should &045; help areas like southwest Mississippi, which have lost jobs in the wake of plant closures and changes in manufacturing.

High-tech jobs are exactly the kind we would like to lure to southwest Mississippi. Natchez is already partnering with Alcorn State University on projects that could use some of the incentive money Momentum Mississippi would create.

Most local lawmakers are already on board with Momentum Mississippi.

What’s kept the bill from passing so far is the state House. The Senate has overwhelmingly approved it, but the House in two tries added what Barbour calls &uot;pork&uot; projects to the bill.

We don’t entirely agree with his classification, especially since one of those projects would have provided bond money for Natchez, but we want to see the Legislature pass Momentum Mississippi and move on with having a statewide plan for economic development.

Barbour has said he will likely expand his call on the special session if lawmakers pass his bill and both houses request an extension.

Maybe just once everyone could play fair on a legislative issue &045; lawmakers need to pass Momentum Mississippi in order to look at other projects. And Barbour needs to make sure that some of that Momentum money is headed toward southwest Mississippi, which needs it more than just about any other area of the state.