Lawmakers reject new look at Mississippi agency's relocation

Mississippi senators won't reopen a search for a new headquarters location for the state Department of Public Safety.

Sen. David Blount, a Jackson Democrat, sought Tuesday to remove $7 million from House Bill 1650. It would borrow money for construction on state property near the state crime lab in Pearl. Blount says a new building may not be cost-effective.

The agency is now based in Jackson, and Blount and other Hinds County lawmakers resist moving it to the suburbs.

Blount says a new headquarters will cost far more than the first installment of $7 million. He says the state could buy an existing building more cheaply.

The Senate rejected Blount's amendment. Sen. Dean Kirby, a Pearl Republican, says the location in his district is best.