Expecting the call for a special legislative session any day now from the governor, the Mississippi House Ways and Means Committee met Wednesday to discuss the re-authorization of the state Department of Employment Security. The agency will cease to exist if not reauthorized in a special session.

Legislators are still looking to create more control over state advertising dollars. But it's putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

MDES controls state unemployment benefits, workforce training dollars, as well as job search and placement assistance.

In this committee meeting, members grilled employment security director Tommye Dale Favre on everything from her agency's advertising to unemployment benefits.

Favre admits to advertising on talk radio. House Democrats have long complained one conservative radio station bad mouths Speaker of the House Billy McCoy and several other Democrats.

"We used talk radio, but primarily, entirely after Hurricane Katrina to get our public information message out about where people could go to find jobs," Favre said.

The agency spent $26,000 on advertising in fiscal year 2008. The United States Department of Labor says not reauthorizing employment security is unheard of.

"This has never happened in the history of the program except in very brief one or two day time periods," said Pete Fleming of the U.S. Department of Labor. "The entire Mississippi employment security law is out of conformity."

And without a doubt, jobs and dollars are at stake. Most agree state agencies have advertised on conservative radio, and benefits for the unemployed do need to be increased here in the state. But right now, if the Department of Employment Security is not reauthorized, 700 employees stand to lose their jobs and the state stands to lose millions.

Legislators disagree on how this issue even resorted to being included in a special session.

"I think the people dissatisfied with the advertising will go to any extreme to cut down on the advertising on conservative radio," said Rep. Jim Ellington, a Republican.,

"There needs to be more control, needs to be more regulation, needs to be a demonstration of need for this advertising and that is not occurring," said Rep. Percy Watson, a Democrat.

Favre said her employees feel like they are hanging by a string waiting to see if they will have a job later this year.

Watson said he believes a compromise will be worked out in special session to reauthorize the agency and put more control on state advertising.