Senators voted down a bipartisan proposal to permanently ban earmarks as well as an amendment to require lawmakers and senior staff to divest of stocks or put their stock holdings in blind trusts.
The amendment sponsored by Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to permanently ban earmarks failed by a vote of 40-59.
A solid block of Republicans, including Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), John Hoeven (N.D.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), James Inhofe (Okla.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Richard Shelby (Ala.) and Roger Wicker (Miss.), voted to preserve Congress’s future power to earmark federal funds.
The Hill
1/2/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 8:09 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
House Speaker Philip Gunn in his committee appointments may have exacted sweet revenge against the Billy McCoy Democratic reign. But at what cost in loss of institutional knowledge of how state services function?
It’s quite obvious the Gunn appointments were calculated to wipe out all the key McCoy committee chairs, chief among them such veterans as Cecil Brown, Steve Holland, Johnny Stringer and Percy Watson. In one fell swoop some 90 years of expertise in particular legislative fields was wiped out.
Although the GOP now holds only a slight majority of House seats, Gunn is enforcing a fruit basket turnover in legislative leadership. The impact has much greater consequences than a Mississippi version of the adage that “to the victor goes the spoils.”
What’s happening in the state legislative chambers in terms of partisanship divide is something totally unseen before in Mississippi. Never before has the partisan structure of the U.S. Congress -- with emphasis on the House -- been imposed as a model down in this Deep South state. Our legislative chambers, though tacitly regarded as one-party Democratic, have traditionally operated under a laissez faire system regarding party identity.
Sun Herald
1/2/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 7:57 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Gov. Phil Bryant wants to perform a magic trick of sorts: reform Mississippi's Medicaid program so that it doesn't cost any more state money next year. Program officials were expecting costs to increase by 16 percent.
The essence of making funds stretch is changing how the state pays hospitals to care for Medicaid patients. That group is mostly poor children, but includes some parents, disabled adults, and senior citizens.
Medicaid will cost Mississippi $763 million this year. Bryant, in releasing his budget Tuesday, called it "the elephant in the phone booth."
Democratic lawmakers are questioning whether Bryant is just camouflaging cost cutting, which could mean less care for patients or less money for hospitals.
"It's smoke and mirrors for cuts," said Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville. "That's all it is."
AP
1/3/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 7:52 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The House wrangled for hours Thursday before passing the “Child Protection Act and Child Rape Protection Act,” which would enact stricter, mandatory reporting by people charged with overseeing children any abuse of a minor.
The heated debate and vote was also the first test of new Republican Speaker Philip Gunn’s control over the 122-member House, on a bill he authored. He managed to fend off efforts by the Democratic leadership to alter the bill, with 10-12 of the House’s 57 Democrats voting with Republicans to thwart amendments.
“A lot of people talk about protecting children, but here today, in this chamber, we have the opportunity to do something about it,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman J. Andrew Gipson, R-Braxton.
Sun Herald
2/2/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 7:49 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The new city of Diamondhead in Hancock County plans a community-wide celebration Monday.
Officials tell the Sea Coast Echo that Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann will issue Diamondhead's city charter at a public ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Diamondhead Country Club.
City officials including six council members and Mayor Chuck Ingraham will be sworn in by Chancery Court Judge Sandy Steckler.
Hattiesburg American
1/2/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 7:47 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Northern District Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley this week began issuing subpoenas for rural water associations to give him their bylaws.
And in a twist, Presley’s biggest foe on the matter is telling those associations to comply.
In a Jan. 27 memo obtained by the Daily Journal, Mississippi Rural Water Association Chief Executive Officer Kirby Mayfield advised members to comply with any subpoena they get from the PSC.
djournal.com
1/2/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 7:44 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
DeSoto County officials hope meetings planned next week in Washington with the county's congressional delegation and Environmental Protection Agency staff will help clear the air and avert inclusion on the agency's ozone "nonattainment" list.
"We want our lawmakers to understand not only our scientific case against this proposed listing but also the adverse economic impact it would have," County Administrator Michael Garriga said Thursday.
Slated to meet next Wednesday with U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee and Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker are Garriga, Supervisor Mark Gardner, Interim Planning Director Gina Tynan and Jim Flanagan, president and chief executive of the DeSoto Economic Development Council.
Also going are Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality staff, led by executive director Trudy Fisher, who are arranging EPA sessions.
Commercial Appeal
1/2/12
Posted February 3, 2012 - 7:38 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
First, they broke into city hall and trashed the joint.
Then they hauled a flag out of city hall and burned it.
Of course, these "99%ers" aren't brainsurgeons. If they were, they'd have jobs. It took them a couple of tries to actually light the flag ablaze.
If looking like urban terrorists, breaking into city hall and burning flags makes you part of the grand "99%", count me as a proud member of the 1% crowd.
Posted February 2, 2012 - 4:08 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippi lobbyist Austin Barbour has been extremely involved in the Mitt Romney campaign serving as one of his National Finance Chairmen. Now we are starting to see how much.
The Romney campaign went after Mr. Gingrich once before, in Iowa, when Mr. Gingrich experienced a brief surge, but not so aggressively. Though Mr. Romney and his campaign have also been pressing their case against President Obama, they plan to keep the pressure on Mr. Gingrich.
“We lost (in South Carolina), and when you get back on your heels, you start to re-evaluate and say, ‘We need to pivot and we need to get on the offense,’ and we got on the offense against Newt,” said Austin Barbour, a national finance chairman for Mr. Romney. “If we win on Tuesday, we put him in a really difficult situation. He doesn’t have some huge staff, and you’re really putting a heavy burden on a slimmed down campaign to be able to run effectively in all those states.”
Posted February 2, 2012 - 1:51 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Gov. Phil Bryant has named Carey Webb as State Aid Engineer. Webb was promoted to State Aid Engineer after serving as Assistant State Aid Engineer since May 2002. Webb assumed duties effective Feb. 1, 2012.
“I am pleased that Carey accepted this appointment,” Bryant said. “He has extensive engineering experience and has served Mississippi well for many years. I am confident that he will provide great leadership in managing our infrastructure.”
As State Aid Engineer, Webb will direct the Office of State Aid Road Construction. The office administers Mississippi’s State Aid Road Program, which assists counties with the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges. The office also helps local jurisdictions maintain the safety and integrity of non state-owned bridges through the Local System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program.
“I have worked with Mississippi counties for many years and am proud to have such a great opportunity to help local jurisdictions improve their roads and bridges,” Webb said.
Webb has held county, municipal and private-sector engineering positions. He also served as District Engineer at the Office of State Aid Road Construction from 1989 to 2002.
Webb holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University and also holds the designation of Professional Engineer.
Governor Phil Bryant Press Release
2/2/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 11:10 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Statement from Secretary Hosemann on Proposed Congressional Redistricting Map
“The Congressional redistricting plan proposed by the Federal Panel will allow us to proceed with the 2012 Elections without preclearance from the Department of Justice. The Federal Panel has decreased the number of split counties from eight to four, did not split any precincts, and generally followed county lines existing for Congress. The Secretary of State will not file an objection to the Plan.”
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann
2/2/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 9:58 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippi Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood woke up this morning, let out a big yawn, stretched high to the sky, stepped out of his house and... you guessed it - he saw his shadow.
We'll have six more weeks of pardons.
On Wednesday, the Mississippi Supreme Court agreed to take up the challenge to former Governor Haley Barbour's pardons. Barbour issued these in the waning hours of his expiring term, drawing ire from both sides of the aisle.
Democrats, now in the minority at every level of state government for the first time in 140 years, have sought to slap these pardons across the backs of the new Republican majority while many Republicans have distanced themselves from the legendary ex-Governor.
There was to be a hearing at the lower court level this Friday, but with the Supreme Court stepping in, that hearing will not take place. Now, a hearing before the High Court has been set for February 9th with the Court noting that it would try to rule quickly.
I would expect the Supreme Court to explore just who knew what and when. Barbour will not be the only one interrogated; Hood's office will have to account for their actions as well.
From a purely political standpoint, this has to deflate Hood's sails just a bit. The longer he was able to keep these pardons in the news, the better it was for him and his political future. With the Supreme Court now in the mix and seeking to issue a ruling in short order, Hood's political play clock is running out.
With the new Republican majority in the Legislature, the pardons have been a nice distraction for Hood and the Democrats. But soon, the magnifying glass will once again descend onto Hood as conservative legislators take on the Attorney General's friendly contract practices, something Hood has made headlines for even in the national media.
Hood better make the most of this saga for the next six weeks; after then, he will be under the spotlight himself as he seeks to defend these questionable contract practices.
Oh, in case you're wondering, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, too. What does that mean here in Mississippi? Not much. Winter never really set in and spring has seemingly sprung.
And no, Punxsutawney Phil wasn't hiding in Donald Trump or Jim Hood's healthy heads of hair.
Posted February 2, 2012 - 8:17 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Gov. Phil Bryant's plans to sell one of the state's planes might save the state a little money, but when it comes to a serious budget plan to fund state government, his Executive Budget Recommendation just won't fly .
Bryant's FY 2013 budget recommendation calls for cuts to state agency budgets of 5.53 percent and cutting K-12 schools by 3 percent.
He also called for suspending Personnel Board rules, which would allow agency heads to more easily fire state workers.
Clarion Ledger Editorial
2/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 8:13 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
If the latest pronouncements from Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves are any indication, more charter schools soon will be cropping up across Mississippi.
Expanding charter schools is one of the top items on Reeves' legislative agenda that was outlined Wednesday.
Under the Reeves plan, charter school legislation would expand dramatically across the state as parental groups seek to establish the new schools as an alternative to traditional schools that are failing.
1/2/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 8:11 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippi can catapult out of the doldrums, Gov. Phil Bryant says.
One emphasis will be assisting the growth of Jackson's array of medical facilities. St. Dominic, Baptist and University medical centers could be the core of a regional health care supercenter.
Bryant has seen the numbers on Houston's hospitals and clinics and their economic impact in Texas. We're talking thousands of jobs, billions of dollars.
Another will be offshore energy exploration, which could be almost as big - but will be controversial.
Clarion Ledger
1/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 8:07 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Parents of students attending public schools that lose accreditation will be able to send their children, and the related tax dollars, to another school under a plan Mississippi's education chief outlined to lawmakers Wednesday.
Officials at the school where the child would enroll would have to consent, state Superintendent of Education Tom Burnham told House Education Committee members.
He said he and his staff plan to take to the state Board of Education this month a policy recommendation on granting school choice when accreditation is withdrawn.
Clarion Ledger
1/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 8:04 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Charter schools gained traction Wednesday as Lt. Governor Tate Reeves embraced the creation of these schools statewide.
Reeves, flanked by his committee chairmen, outlined five proposals included in his 2012 legislative agenda at the state capitol. Among them, significant school district consolidation. Reeves said, "The one item I think we should do quickly soon is the consolidation of the three school districts in Sunflower County into one. Currently Indianola, Drew and Sunflower districts are all under conservatorship."
WLBT
1/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 7:59 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The state House today could consider legislation that would add changes to the reporting of suspected child sex abuse and place additional restrictions on abortion providers.
Dubbed the "Child Protection Act," the proposal is among several priorities Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves identified in his legislative agenda on Wednesday, so if it passes the House it is likely to see strong support in the Senate, as well.
Clarion Ledger
1/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 7:58 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo is expecting a big turnout for his re-election campaign kickoff reception and fundraiser Saturday night, which features Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia.
“As a member of the House leadership team, I’ve taken every opportunity to highlight the valuable resources we have in South Mississippi, including our conservative, common-sense values … ,” Palazzo said. “… We’re looking forward to a lot of South Mississippi being able to meet the majority leader.”
Tickets for the event are $50 each, available through Palazzo’s campaign offices and website. It will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Gulfport Yacht Club.
Sun Herald
1/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 7:52 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
A former lawn care provider for Rankin County schools has pleaded guilty to two counts, fraudulent statements submitted and wire fraud.
Malcolm Sanders was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, five of which have been suspended, according to the state auditor’s office.
Sanders, along with his wife, Dolister, was arrested April 11 after an investigation found the couple were not performing the work nor providing the purchased product as detailed in his contract or invoices submitted to Rankin County Schools, according to a news release from the auditor’s office.
Clarion Ledger
2/1/12
Posted February 2, 2012 - 7:46 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
LT. GOV. REEVES URGES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, NEW APPROACH TO EDUCATION
Reeves presents legislative agenda for 2012 session
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves today unveiled a legislative agenda that focused on fiscal management, education reform and strengthening laws that protect Mississippi’s children.
“Through eliminating government waste, responsible spending and new, innovative approaches to education and protecting our families, Mississippi will be prepared to emerge from this national economic slowdown even stronger than before,” Reeves said.
Reeves’ agenda includes:
- Improve education efforts by passing a charter school law giving parents a choice in their child’s education and combining school districts under conservatorship in Sunflower County,
- Shrinking the state’s credit card by issuing less debt and requiring bond repayments to be applied to debt service,
- Allow state agencies to share services and reform purchasing practices for more efficient buying power, and
- Approving a child protection laws that better protects children from sexual and/or physical abuse and tightens abortion regulations.
Lt. Gov. Reeves’ full legislative agenda is attached.
Bryant's proposal would fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program at $2.02 billion, but $72.9 million of that amount would have to come from local school district reserves.
Local educators often say they do not have reserves, but rather have operating funds that come after local property owners pay their taxes.
The Bryant budget plan falls $73 million short of full funding by relying on local school districts to come up with that amount, said state Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, and former vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
"You've got to realize that school districts get their property tax money in January, February and March. By the end of the year in December, they've spent down everything," said Brown, a certified public accountant.
"It's like you only get paid three times a year -- January, February and March -- and you've got to live on that the rest of the year."
Commercial Appeal
2/1/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 9:13 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The ongoing legislative battle over the so-called "outside counsel," or contingency fee law, remains a political cold war between the state's trial lawyers and business and medical interests - and it's a story that has two sides.
Tort reform opponents have consistently used the outside counsel issue to rail against the highly questionable activities of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in state judicial politics. But in doing so, those same opponents just as consistently ignored the role of some of the state's high-profile trial lawyers in the escalation of a campaign finance arms race in Mississippi.
Sid Salter
1/31/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 9:02 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
A New York City nonprofit and the state NAACP chapter are calling on the state to make broadband Internet more available in rural areas where minorities often have rudimentary Web access.
The Center for Social Inclusion and the state NAACP released their findings Tuesday.
The groups call for state leaders to invest in broadband development projects that improve the speed and range of mobile wireless systems.They also want carriers to provide data on how much they've spent to upgrade broadband and where, to identify areas needing better access.
Clarion Ledger
1/31/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:59 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
A bipartisan effort to permanently ban earmarks has split Republicans, putting a large group of them at odds with GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney.
The Senate legislation, which could be voted on soon, presents an awkward position for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
....
Some prominent Republicans think the earmark moratorium should be lifted. They argue that it would help promote bipartisanship in the Senate by giving lawmakers more incentive to support various bills.
“We had earmarks to help lubricate the process and I hope someday we’ll find a way to come back to that,” said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) during an event sponsored earlier this month by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The Hill
1/31/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:51 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Reporting from Washington—
Republican senators warned Richard Cordray, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that they believe his controversial recess appointment is invalid and legal challenges will lead to uncertainty for businesses about whether agency rules would be invalidated.
"I can’t imagine how anybody could maintain under the circumstances that your appointment and your service is valid," Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) told Cordray on Tuesday at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.
"And I can’t imagine then … how the actions you are taking will be upheld and I think that’s a very, very serious consequence for our nation," Johanns said.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) added, "There's no question there's going to be constitutional challenges" to Cordray's appointment this month by Obama, which will add to the uncertainty faced by businesses in the struggling economy.
L.A. Times
1/31/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:45 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippi's budgeting process has drifted far, too far from the bottom line.
As a prime example, we cite the state Department of Health, which contends it needs at least $30 million to meet basic needs and an additional $6 million from the state to match a $13 million grant for life-saving medications.
Yet some members of the Legislature have countered with a proposed budget of less than $21 million. That would be the smallest amount the Health Department has received from legislators since 1990.
...
Jan. 27
The Greenwood (Miss.) Commonwealth on missing Barbour pardon files:
Former Gov. Haley Barbour's pardon fiasco is getting more intriguing and mysterious by the day.
In the latest development, The Associated Press reported that some of the files for the 198 pardons issued by Barbour in his last few days in office are missing. Among the missing files are those for the five inmates, including four murderers, who worked as trusties in the Mississippi Governor's Mansion.
The attorney general, Jim Hood, who is challenging the legality of the majority of Barbour's pardons, says his office doesn't have them. Barbour's spokesperson says the former governor doesn't have them. The Parole Board says it doesn't have them either.
...
Jan. 26
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss., on reducing state teen pregnancy:
In his State of the State address, Gov. Phil Bryant set out as a policy for his administration to tackle the issue of teen pregnancy — a formidable goal.
"Without hesitation, we must begin the public discussion of how to reduce teen pregnancy in Mississippi," Bryant said. "As you know, we lead the nation in teen pregnancy and consequently, low birth weights and high infant mortality rates. We know a child born to a teen mother almost always has a difficult path to success."
Even so, we'll have to wait a bit more to see what the new governor intends to do about it. ...
We know what doesn't work!
AP
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:42 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
JACKSON, Miss. – Attorneys on both sides of the battle over former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's pardons are criticizing each other for distracting from the central constitutional issue with unimportant, unsubstantiated claims.
In a hearing scheduled for Friday, Attorney General Jim Hood's office aims to overturn most of the 203 pardons Barbour granted during his two terms.
Tom Fortner, the attorney for four of the five pardoned criminals who worked as trusties at the Governor's Mansion, filed a petition Monday asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to give immediate consideration to the case.
Clarion Ledger via USA Today
1/31/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:40 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Palazzo (R-MS), member of the House Armed Services Committee the only noncommissioned officer concurrently serving in Congress and the National Guard, released a statement today following the Obama Administration’s new defensive strategy and military posture:
“I have some serious concerns that the president’s cuts could significantly weaken our national security,” Palazzo stated.
“I have joined with other Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee to put forth H.R. 3662, The Down Payment to Protect National Security Act. With this bill we could prevent the initial round of cuts.
“While I am encouraged by the emphasis Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey placed on ships that are built in South Mississippi, the president’s plan also indicates there could be delays in schedules to other ships. I’ll have some tough questions for military leadership at hearings in the coming months.”
###
Palazzo Press Release
1/26/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:37 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Republican budget cuts education and asks local schools to make up the difference
Today, Brandon Jones, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Trust, joined Democratic members of the House and Senate to highlight the impact of cuts to K-12 education under the 2013 Republican budget. The Republican budget plan, introduced today by Governor Phil Bryant, calls on school districts to contribute $72.9 million of their reserve funds to fill out the state education budget.
Jones said, “The Republican plan for education is simple: punish those school districts that have been prudent with their resources.” Jones added, “During the campaign, Governor Bryant claimed to support full funding for public schools. It is disappointing that his first budget as governor not only fails to provide full funding for our schools but comes in $73 million shy of level funding.”
Rep. Kelvin Buck (D-Holy Springs) (sic) said, “This budget represents a major step backward for Mississippi children. With revenue up $85 million over estimate, it’s irresponsible to make deep cuts to education and ask our local schools to make up the difference.”
MS Democratic Trust Press Release
2/1/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:01 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Alan Nunnelee (MS-01) issued the following statement regarding the annual Budget and Economic Outlook released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that projects 2.2% real economic growth, 8.8% unemployment and $16 trillion in total debt:
“The newest projections from the CBO confirm what the people of Mississippi already know; the President’s policies have failed. You cannot spend, borrow, tax, and bailout your way to a thriving economy. Four consecutive years of $1 trillion deficits and mountains of red tape have led to the weakest economic recovery of the post World War II era. It is time to chart a new path, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to advance an agenda that restrains spending, reforms the tax code, develops American energy supplies, and repeals the biggest job killer of them all, Obamacare.”
Congressman Alan Nunnelee
2/1/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 8:00 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Statement on Governor Bryant’s Executive Budget Recommendation
“The Governor has recommended a 5.53% decrease in funding for State Agencies and proposes a 6.50% cut from his own. The Secretary of State’s Office has already reduced its budget by $1.4-Million per year since I took office and will make further cuts, as proposed by Governor Bryant,” says Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.
“To do so, however, it is imperative we follow the Governor’s recommendation that state agencies have the flexibility to manage their funds to make these necessary cuts.”
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann Press Release
2/1/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 7:57 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Among those vying for the 1st District congressional seat, only Republicans Alan Nunnelee and Henry Ross had filled their war chests prior to the new year, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Ross, an attorney and former Eupora mayor, had raised $60,696 - including a $58,000 loan from himself - and had spent $9,265 last year. Of that, $1,300 was raised in the fourth quarter of 2011.
The freshman incumbent, Nunnelee, had earned $191,960 in the fourth quarter of 2011 and had $433,634 cash on hand as of Dec. 31. His total 2011 campaign earnings were $633,810.
Tuesday marked the deadline for filing fourth-quarter 2011 campaign finance figures for congressional races, but only Ross' report was available on the FEC website as of that evening. Nunnelee's report had been filed but wasn't yet available online; campaign manager Morgan Baldwin provided a summary to the Daily Journal.
No reports were available for Republican Robert Estes, Democrat Brad Morris or Libertarian Danny Bedwell.
NEMS
2/1/12
Posted February 1, 2012 - 7:55 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
BRYANT RECOMMENDS A BUDGET WITH NO NEW TAXES, NO DEFICITS AND SAVINGS PLAN
Bryant: ‘We must spend prudently, save for the future and identify core functions of government’
JACKSON – Gov. Phil Bryant unveiled his Executive Budget Recommendations for fiscal 2013, providing legislators with the framework for a balanced budget that has no new taxes, no planned deficits, reduces dependence on spending one-time monies for recurring expenses and sets aside two percent of the state's revenue for the "rainy day" fund.
Bryant made the announcement Tuesday from the former Supreme Court Chamber inside the Capitol.
“Putting this budget recommendation together was no easy task, but it contains some sweeping changes to the way money has traditionally been budgeted in the past,” Gov. Bryant said. “This budget spends $168.4 million less in one-time money for recurring expenses than was used in fiscal ’12. Total state support spending is $26 million less than last year and I am committed to doing more with less, making necessary cuts before raising taxes.”
The budget recommendation calls for state agencies to be granted "lump sum" spending authority and to be exempted from State Personnel Board requirements for the next four years. Similar legislation was supported by Bryant as lieutenant governor and always passed the Senate but failed adoption by the House.
"These flexibility measures will allow agency heads to prioritize their budgets, instead of having spending arbitrarily dictated by the legislature," Bryant said. "I see these measures as a way to build a more efficient state government and maximize our output."
The budget recommendations are based on a $5.49 billion state budget for fiscal 2013 and include $4.56 billion in projected General Fund revenue. Bryant’s budget uses $274.3 million of the state’s available $280.7 million in cash reserves. If the Legislature agrees with setting aside the 2 percent, it is anticipated that the state would build more than $100 million available to weather fiscal ‘14.
Bryant’s budget recommendation calls for a 5.53 percent cut to all state agencies with the exception of court-ordered settlements, debt service, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Academy, Military Department, Veteran Affairs Board, District Attorneys, Mississippi Department of Corrections, Student Financial Aid, Board Certified Teacher Program and Mississippi Adequate Education Program. It also recommends a 6.5 percent cut to the Governor’s Office and the Legislature.
Bryant proposes smaller cuts to the Mississippi Development Authority and the Department of Human Services.
Some highlights from Gov. Bryant’s budget recommendation include:
• Level funding MAEP using $1.95 billion in state funds and $72.9 million in local reserve funds. (School districts had in excess of $615 million in reserves as of 06/30/11.)
Other education spending ($27 million):
• $6 million to Emergency Bridge Loan Fund.
• $3.7 million increase above FY2012 to Chickasaw Interest, as required by law.
• $12 million total to Teach for America and MS Teachers Corps.
• $5.7 million to fully fund high growth districts.
Community Colleges and IHL:
• Student Financial Aid level-funded ($26.9 million).
• Existing $27 million appropriation made to DOE for workforce development now goes directly to community colleges that administer programs.
Medicaid:
• Fiscal ‘13 appropriation is level to FY12 at $763 million.
• Center for Medicaid Services projects 36,000 new eligible enrollees this year.
• Without proposed reform the potential cost to Mississippi taxpayers in fiscal ’13 is over $100 million more than in fiscal 2012.
• Medicaid must have more flexibility to set reimbursement rates, or Mississippi must add more than $100 million to Medicaid’s General Fund appropriation.
• Adding more than $100 million without giving Medicaid more flexibility will result in drastic reductions to state agency appropriations.
Gov. Bryant also reiterated his frustration with the current budgeting process and called for the passage of the Smart Budget Act, a performance-based budgeting system that requires budget decisions to be made based on results.
“I am not a fan of the current antiquated budgeting system. Deciding how much to spend before we even know how much money we have is not a good practice, and the time for reforming the process is now. Confronting expenditures with a fact-based budgeting system that Mississippi addresses needs affordability.”
Governor Phil Bryant Press Release
1/31/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 4:13 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Former State Representative Brandon Jones is movin' on up... in the state, that is.
Just like the Jeffersons.
In Monday's Mississippi Press "Political Skinny," nestled in the back of Section C, a rumor was confirmed that has been festering for a few weeks now - that former Democratic state representative Brandon Jones didn't waste any time in cutting ties with his hometown after his recent loss.
The Mississippi Press reports, "Brandon Jones, formerly a Pascagoula lawyer and representative for House District 111, has moved to Madison and is practicing law there..." Jones told the Press that, "...his family will be joining him around Valentine's Day."
It is interesting to note that Madison is by and large a Republican suburb of Jackson; the symbolism of such a move cannot be overlooked.
Of course, many around the state will remember Jones as winning the HD 111 seat in 2007 by only 11 votes and then handing the gavel to former Democratic Speaker of the House Billy McCoy, giving McCoy that one vote margin he needed to claim power. McCoy subsequently used his position to routinely block conservative legislation and keep Republicans at bay.
Jones was again in a tight race this past fall as he lost the HD 111 seat to Republican newcomer Charles Busby by some 33 votes after challenging the results in one precinct his campaign team believed to be in error based on their election night tally. Assisting Jones in the challenge were trial lawyer friends Matt Eichelberger (of CottonMouth fame) and P.J. Lee.
The Press article also notes that Jones, "...plans to stay involved in politics.” That’s likely a pretty big understatement. The article continues, “As chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Trust, Jones, along with Jackson attorneys P.J. Lee and Matt Eichelberger, is working to 'define and better articulate the vision of Democrats for the future of Mississippi.'" Both Eichelberger and Lee work in the heart of downtown Jackson; not exactly Madison.
Jones is what many from the Coast call a "Gene Taylor Democrat," someone who straddles the fence just enough on political and social issues so as not to turn conservatives off while carefully and strategically pursuing their true liberal agenda as espoused by their national Democratic counterparts. Liberal to the core, yet tactful enough to pacify and fool conservatives.
For the most part, Democrats around the state seem to like Jones. He is a smart, likable enough guy, someone that could soon be playing a much larger role in his floundering political party of choice, and that just may be what this move signals.
However, his ambition for bigger and better things politically is so naked that it can be a little scary. Billy McCoy had been building him up for leadership and Jones was undyingly loyal to McCoy. Jones even gave the Democrat Response to then Governor Barbour’s State of the State address in 2009.
Longtime Democratic columnist and campaign advisor Jere Nash, formerly of the Red/Blue Blog, dropped Jones' name at least three times in a recent forum of the state's municipal leaders. Nash was discussing politics in Mississippi with Republican colleague Andy Taggart.
Jones' sudden exit from the district he once represented and recently ran for reelection to represent again says a few things:
1) A move to Madison allows Jones to be able to be in and around the Capitol, something he will need to do as he seeks to stay relevant. If he hopes to have a voice now that he's out of office and his party is in the minority, being in the proximity to power (even if it’s commuting from the Jackson suburbs) is what Jones must do to survive and thrive if he wants to be relevant in the future.
2) He will be active in Mississippi Democratic Party politics, perhaps even seek a role within the party. Party Chair Jamie Franks is on his way out and Executive Director Rickey Cole is a retread, meaning if the Democrats are going to right their sinking ship they will need new, innovative, tactful leadership, something Jones is seen as able to provide.
3) It is no secret that the Democratic bench is slim; just recall the last round of state elections where liberals did not field candidates for all statewide offices. Jones' thoughts of running for statewide office were diminished while he resided on the Coast; Coast candidates just do not fair well in statewide elections. If Jones wants to seek statewide office, this move is strategic in that it separates him from the Coast and gives him four years to build ties to Central Mississippi Democrats.
4) He plans to milk this new Mississippi Democratic Trust for all its worth, meaning he will attempt to get whatever mileage he can out of press releases, policy statements, and fundraising to increase his name within the Democratic ranks. Watch for liberal blogs and even the state's mainstream media to fall head over heels for Jones' releases. Oh, and I’ll offer a piece of advice to any Democrat thinking of contributing to this Mississippi Democratic Trust: Democratic contributors may want to follow Jere Nash’s lead and send any campaign or political donations outside Mississippi.
Perhaps Brandon Jones got the message in November that conservative HD 111 just hasn't come around to his fence straddling political ways. Maybe he decided to find a place where he's closer to his friends that think as he does.
Perhaps he sees an opportunity to help rebuild the liberal party he loves and act as a voice for the Democrats; somebody needs to offer some direction.
Or perhaps he's planning for the future, laying the ground work to run for statewide office.
As Gene Taylor and Travis Childers conclusively proved in 2010, Mississippians have gotten wise to what “conservative” and “Mississippi Democrat” really mean. Saying one thing and doing another no longer flies in Mississippi politics, and it will be interesting to see if Brandon, hot off losing an election where he never once identified himself as a Democrat, will be honest about that or retread another political failure.
Posted January 31, 2012 - 12:20 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
COCHRAN, WICKER COSPONSOR NEW LEGISLATION TO AUTHORIZE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE TO GULF COAST REFINERIES
Measure Would Approve Pipeline Construction Through Congress’ Constitutional Authority
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker (R-Miss) today announced that they have cosponsored legislation to authorize the construction of an energy pipeline between Canada and the Gulf Coast, a new effort to revive the major construction project following the Obama administration’s decision to halt it.
The Mississippi Senators are among 44 cosponsors of the legislation introduced Monday that would authorize the Keystone XL pipeline project under authority granted to Congress through the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The new legislation was drafted in response to President Obama’s Jan. 18 decision to halt the pipeline construction permit due to his claim that it is not in the best interest of the nation. Its primary sponsor is Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.).
“The Keystone XL pipeline has been reviewed for years and is ready to go. If the President wants to shy away from an energy project with so many benefits for the country, then so be it. This legislation represents another way to try to move this venture forward,” Cochran said.
“At a time when nearly one in ten Americans are looking for work, we need to encourage job creation, and the Keystone XL pipeline could spur more than 100,000 jobs,” said Wicker. “The President’s opposition to a truly ‘shovel-ready’ opportunity amounts to an outright dismissal of our urgent need to put Americans back to work now. This bi-partisan legislation would make the Keystone XL pipeline a reality.”
In a recent report, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service confirmed the authority of Congress to authorize the pipeline under Commerce Clause, Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. The Senate measure was crafted around that constitutional authority, as well as an Environmental Impact Statement completed in August 2011 by the U.S. Department of State after three years of environmental analysis.
In addition, the pipeline bill includes provisions to allow Nebraska to determine an alternative pipeline route through that state. It also requires strong environmental and safety requirements, while protecting state and local laws regarding private property rights.
Congress had given President Obama until Feb. 21 to decide whether to allow the Keystone XL project to advance. The President rejected the permit, saying that the deadline did not give him sufficient time to review the project.
The proposed pipeline would transport more than 700,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada and the U.S. Bakken region to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast in Texas. Tens of thousands of Americans jobs are projected to be created to build the 1,800-mile pipeline that will cost an estimated $7 billion. The Keystone XL pipeline remains the nation’s largest ready infrastructure project.
Canada’s oil sands are among the largest oil reserves in the world. As global demand for oil surges and Canada increases production, the addition of the Keystone XL pipeline would ensure that Americans benefit from reliable and secure oil from our largest trading partner.
In addition to Cochran and Wicker, other Senators cosponsoring the Hoeven legislation include: Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), David Vitter (R-La.), Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.); Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Patrick Toomey (R-Penn.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).
Joint Release of Senators Wicker and Cochran
1/31/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 10:31 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- A spokeswoman at the state auditor's office confirmed Monday an agent is investigating the amount of taxpayer money spent enhancing private parcels on Pat Drive and Brown
Road and the circumstances surrounding the work performed by city employees.
"The main thing we are trying to determine is who executed the transactions," said Lisa Shoemaker, communications director for State Auditor Stacey Pickering.
The allegations are the result of employees replacing 60 feet of sewage pipes at a home on Pat Drive and clearing 8 acres on a Brown Road parcel.
Mississippi Press
1/31/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:44 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
In his first visit to Harvard since the University’s official recognition of the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in March, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus spoke about the Navy’s commitment to alternative energy at Harvard Business School on Monday evening.
At the event sponsored by the Harvard Business School Association of Boston, Mabus presented plans to decrease the Navy’s dependence on foreign oil, which he said has made its operations susceptible to fluctuations in global prices.
“When you run a military organization...you look for vulnerabilities,” Mabus said. “Our energy dependence jump[s] out as one of the biggest vulnerabilities we have today.”
The Crimson
1/31/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:40 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The current state law allowing charter schools is so restrictive that it has made legitimate efforts to create innovative charter schools almost impossible.
That most likely will be changing soon because charter schools are one of the education priorities of Gov. Phil Bryant and the new Republican-majority House and Senate.
Charter schools is not a be-all, end-all solution to Mississippi's education issues, but it could be part of a mix in addressing low-performing schools.
Clarion Ledger
1/30/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:36 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippi legislators introduced a bill last week that will change how the welfare system works in the state.
Senators John Polk and Nancy Collins authored the bill known as Senate Bill 2224.
If it passes, the bill would require anyone who receives public assistance to "comply with mandatory community service."
Those included in the bill are people who receive Medicaid benefits, public housing or transfer payments such as food stamps.
For Mississippians who qualify for programs as such must complete 20 hours of community service per week at a non-profit organization, a church where they aren't members or a public or private school.
If a person receiving federal, state or local public benefits doesn't comply, he or she will be ineligible to receive benefits for up to a year's time.
studentprintz.com
1/30/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:32 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippi: At least one lawmaker in Mississippi is trying to drag the state into the 21st century. Rep. David Baria introduced legislation that will raise the allowed limit of alcohol by weight on beer from 5 percent to 8 percent. It’s still not very high, considering the increasing number of craft beers with upwards of 10 percent alcohol by volume, but it’s a step forward. The folks at the non-profit outfit Raise Your Pints Mississippi have been fighting for years to remove the cap as well as officially decriminalizing home brewing in the state.
openmarket.org
1/30/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:28 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Embattled Southaven, Miss., mayor Greg Davis called a press conference Monday to say he has no intentions of resigning, in spite of calls from his board of alderman to step down.
WMC-TV reports Davis delivered a two-minute statement and avoided discussing many of the allegations he faces, including an investigation by the Mississippi State Auditor into questionable spending. The auditor has demanded Davis pay back $170,000 in city funds used inappropriately on liquor, vacations and at a gay sex shop in Canada.
Memphis Business Journal
1/31/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:23 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), David Vitter (R-La.) and a total of 44 senators, including Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, announced on Monday that they will introduce legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project under Congress’ authority enumerated in the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8.
The bipartisan group of senators committed to working together to advance this critical project for the United States. Senators Hoeven, Lugar and the other senators have been working with colleagues in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to ensure that this vital project is advanced.
chattanoogan.com
1/30/12
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:16 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
It is unfortunate that former Governor Barbour has made some misrepresentations about the role of our attorney assigned to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. At no time did our Assistant Attorney General assigned to MDOC advise the Governor or any of his assistants that there was no requirement for publication. The comments by former Governor Barbour are a shameful attempt to deflect blame for his office’s failure to confirm that the requirements of the Constitution had been met.
First, the special assistant attorney general, David Scott, who the governor has supposedly relied upon, has only one client, the DOC; he is housed there and works together daily with the Commissioner of Corrections, Chris Epps. He is the MDOC lawyer. Scott is not counsel to the Governor who had his own three staff attorneys advising him.
On November 28, 2011, Scott texted Daryl Neely with the governor’s office and said, “please refer to Section 124 of Constitution regarding pardons and notice”. So, the governor and his staff and his attorneys were given the law at that time and had plenty of time to make sure publications were done properly before his term expired. So what did the governor and his staff do? Nothing. In fact, Daryl Neely told David Scott on November 29th that the governor’s staff had discussed the Constitutional publishing requirements and “decided it wasn’t necessary.”
Not until December 6, after 5:03 p.m., (31 days before the pardons were issued), did Neely text back to David Scott that ““top guy” wants to go ahead and run notices” for mansion trusties, and a few minutes later provided a list of names. The next day, December 7, 30 days before the pardons were actually issued, David Scott confirmed for his client, MDOC, that MDOC would take care of publication for the in-custody inmates. David Scott’s job was to advise MDOC, and their job is to run prisons, not to issue pardons.
Neither David Scott, nor the AG, nor any AG staff ever talked to an inmate or provided legal advice to an inmate. At the direction of DOC, David Scott did in fact refer the Governor’s Office to Section 124, which the Governor chose to ignore. Later, David Scott passed along the ‘Top Guy’s” last minute request that MDOC do the task of getting the publications done.
Finally, the Constitution puts the duty on the convict to make the newspaper publication, saying “no pardon shall be granted until the applicant therefor shall have published for thirty days, in some newspaper in the county where the crime was committed…his petition for pardon….” The failure to comply cannot be excused because the governor took it upon himself and an agency he controls to do the required publications, then botched the job. And his attempt to shift the blame for his failure to a career staff attorney for MDOC, who advised him well in advance of the law’s requirements, is shameful .
I am disappointed to see the former governor out in the national media making untrue statements. This is a sideshow by Tom Fortner and the former Governor to divert attention from the fact that the former Governor has loosed his favored murderers upon the public without any legal authority to do so. These untruths and mischaracterizations are indeed the sign of a desperate man.
Posted January 31, 2012 - 8:14 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
That Bryant would embrace merit pay for teachers is not surprising. When he was a freshman state representative from Rankin County in 1996, the Democratic leadership in state government -- House Speaker Tim Ford, Lt. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Charlie Capps -- had an ambitious $52 million teacher pay hike plan on the agenda as the 1997 session took shape.
One of the mightiest voices opposing that plan was then-Gov. Kirk Fordice.
Fordice was a proponent of merit pay for teachers, writing in a 1997 veto message: "Philosophically, I do not believe that spending more money on public education will automatically result in higher student test scores. Even the most ardent promoters of increased education funding must admit that a district's funding level is only one factor that influences the success of its students."
Fordice was Phil Bryant's Republican political godfather.
The merit pay concept is one that's been a favorite of legislative conservatives for more than 20 years in Mississippi politics. Now, Republicans control both houses of the Legislature and the governor's office.
Bryant's proposed education reforms line up with reforms proposed by other GOP governors across the country.
Sid Salter
Mississippi Press
1/30/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 1:45 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
If the race between Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum remains close in the next few weeks, Mississippi's March 13 primary could be pivotal.
"Usually by the time it gets to us it's pretty much already etched in stone, but I don't think that's going to be the case this time … and that's an exciting thing for Mississippi," said U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., who also faces opposition — Robert Allen of Sturgis — in the GOP Primary for his seat in the Third Congressional District.
"You also have to think, 'What happens if we get to the convention and it's not locked up?' That would be quite an exciting convention in Tampa," Harper said. "Only a small portion of the delegates have been involved … so this is going to be a long haul."
Meridian Star
1/30/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 1:42 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
As the number of tort reform cases before the Mississippi Supreme Court keeps growing, state lawmakers don’t seem quite as concerned about the court’s rulings as are Mississippi’s legal and corporate communities.
The deadline to file bills for consideration in the Legislature’s 2012 session is Feb. 20. That’s plenty of time to get tort laws thrown into a bill to use as a vehicle to deal with whatever issues — if any — the Supreme Court creates.
Sen. Briggs Hopson II, R-Vicksburg and chairman of the Senate Judiciary A Committee, said there hasn’t been a lot of discussion about tort reform.
“There’s still time left until Feb. 20,” Hopson said.
The same is true on the House side.
MBJ
1/30/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 10:13 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The Mississippi Governor's Mansion is getting a $425,000 face-lift.
The mansion is expected to be closed through April 15, as the Department of Finance and Administration works to make significant repairs and upgrades to the 170-year-old building.
Gov. Phil Bryant, who was sworn in Jan. 10, had been preparing to move his Rankin County family into the mansion after taking office.
"The Bryants are certainly looking forward to moving into this historic landmark once these critical repairs are made," Bryant's spokesman, Mick Bullock, said.
Former Gov. Haley Barbour has occupied the mansion for the past eight years.
Clarion Ledger
1/29/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 10:05 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The Department of Defense’s proposed cost-cutting measures could have major implications for military shipbuilding in South Mississippi and other parts of the country, as some new vessels could be shelved, scrapped or delayed over the next decade.
A few broad details that cover the first five years of a 10-year cost reduction plan were released Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other officials, but more information is expected on Feb. 13, when President Obama sends his full budget proposal to Congress. The defense cuts could meet strong resistance and could lead to an election-year showdown with Congressional Republicans.
The proposal released last week calls for a one year delay in the start of construction on a LHA large-deck amphibious vessel, which is to be built by Huntington Ingalls in Pascagoula. The proposal also calls for proceeding with the Navy’s plans to buy more Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers from Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics. Pascagoula shipyard officials declined to comment on how the plans could affect the shipyard’s future, calling the announcements made last week the “first step in a long and complex process.”
Sun Herald
1/29/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 10:01 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Gov. Phil Bryant said he plans to continue activity with a Christian group promoting racial reconciliation.
Mission Mississippi honored Bryant on Friday, hosting the Governor's Prayer Luncheon at the Jackson Convention Center.
Neddie Winters, president of Mission Mississippi, said that Bryant, a white Republican, and Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree, a black Democrat, set a strong example in the governor's race in 2011 by avoiding racial
AP
1/29/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:59 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Cottonmouth is at it again. The mouthpiece for Mississippi Democrats went into hysterics last week over PERS yet again. Senator Fillingane filed a bill about PERS. What sent Cottonchicken over the edge was some language about mortgage-backed securities (MBS):
"My favorite part, though, is the language that would let PERS retirement funds be invested in mortgage-backed securities (see lines 1241-1243). You may recall mortgage-backed securities as the investment vehicle that nearly ended America in 2008."
Um, no Cottonchicken. It was not the MBS's that nearly ended America, it was the fact the credit ratings agencies were grading them AAA instead of what they should have been - B,C or junk. Text of bill. The language merely authorizes PERS to purchase a long and diverse list of securities, of which MBS's are merely one item. However, once again, Cottonchicken has no clue about what he is talking about because PERS HAS BEEN PURCHASING MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES for quite some time.
Here is the report from the August meeting of the PERS investment committee. Look at Page 10 of this report on the PIMCO II fund. 25% of the fund is........ mortgage-backed securities. Page 14 of this report shows the fund at the time of the committee meeting had a balance just over $27 million. OH MY GOSH!!! HELLLLPPPP!!!! RUN FOR THE DELTA!!!!!!!!! PERS has mortgage-backed securities in its portfolio!!!!
Jackson Jambalaya
1/30/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:47 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
One of the three city sales negotiated by Davis put $45,000 in Roberts' pocket for a single day's work. Records show the city paid $370,000 in March 2010 to Roberts' firm, RH Holdings, for land he'd bought the same day for $325,000.
"It stinks,'' said landowner Jimmy L. Dodson, who sold the land to Roberts.
Dodson first learned from a reporter last week that Roberts turned around and sold his 20 acres along Swinnea Road to the city.
Dodson said he also had no idea the city was eyeing his land for a large drainage project to ease flooding.
In addition to the land sales totaling $3.4 million, Roberts received $116,510 from the city between 2002 and 2010 through an apparent leasing arrangement that city officials found difficult to explain.
"I don't have any documentation on that,'' said CAO Chris Wilson. "One guy (the mayor) was doing these deals,'' he said, referring questions to Davis.
Commercial Appeal
1/29/12
hattip - Kingfish
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:46 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
A user-friendly Internet website that reveals how county and state agency tax dollars are spent is getting kudos from the Mississippi Center for Freedom of Information.
The site, http://www.seethespending.org, a creation of the Jackson-based Mississippi Center for Public Policy, was recognized Thursday in Jackson during a "roast" of Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves to benefit the Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation.
Forest Thigpen, the center's executive director, accepted the award from the Mississippi Center for Freedom of Information, a coalition of private- and public-sector individuals and organizations housed at the University of Mississippi's Meek School of Journalism and New Media.
Clarion Ledger
1/28/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:45 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
You’d think from what columnist Sid Salter wrote last week that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s $1 million (or more) incursion into Mississippi’s 2000 Supreme Court races was akin to guardian angel sent to save the state from “jackpot justice.”
The USCC is certainly no guardian angel. It’s the biggest lobbying organization in the world. Its agenda is to rig the laws — state and federal — to suit corporations and big business, and with its bulging money bags, elect office holders who dance when they say dance. In 2000, the Chamber targeted state elective high court judges in Mississippi and three other states.
For the Chamber to aim its juggernaut at little Mississippi — a state heavily inhabited by the poor — deserves to be branded for what it was: a takeover of our democratic electoral system. Contending its TV ad spots to elect three hand-picked state supreme court candidates were merely “issue ads” the Chamber totally ignored compliance with Mississippi’s mild 1996 campaign finance law calling for disclosure of sources of political funding.
Bill Minor
1/27/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:35 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
As colleagues honored Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., on her resignation from Congress on Wednesday, there was a familiar figure on the House floor: former Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis.
“I just wanted to be there,” Taylor said. He was in Washington for a board meeting and to do consulting work when he learned the House was going to pay tribute to Giffords, who had been shot in the head a year ago by a man who killed six people in Tucson.
“She’s such a wonderful person. I was lucky enough to be there.
Sun Herald
1/27/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:31 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The president delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday offering the familiar rhetoric of his failed record. The Republican-led House has advanced nearly 30 jobs bills that aim to meet some of the exact goals outlined in the president’s speech. However, these bills are being stalled by the president’s political allies in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
President Obama: “A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. … an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.” (State of the Union, January 24, 2012)
Fact: One week ago to date, the White House denied a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would create American jobs and energy. Time and again the House has moved bills to eliminate the administration’s bureaucratic delays that continue to stall American energy production.
H.R. 1938 the “North American-Made Energy Security Act,” pushes for final approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that potentially brings nearly 1.3 million barrels of oil from Canada and North Dakota to U.S. refineries each day and creates more than 100,000 jobs
H.R. 1229, the “Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act,” speeds up the permitting process for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and helps put Americans back to work in the Gulf of Mexico
H.R. 1230, the “Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act,” requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct more offshore oil and gas leases and reduces federal government spending by roughly $40 million over the next decade
H.R. 1231, the “Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act,” directs the Department of Interior to proceed with exploration and production in areas estimated to contain the most oil and gas and reduces the deficit by $800 million
H.R. 2021, the “Jobs and Energy Permitting Act,” eliminates the administration’s bureaucratic delays that have stalled offshore energy production in the Outer Continental Shelf, brings billions of barrels of domestic oil online and creates tens of thousands of American jobs
President Obama: “Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. … There’s no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly.” (State of the Union, January 24, 2012)
Fact: The House has advanced a series of bills to shrink the size of the federal government and remove barriers small businesses face from excessive federal regulations.
H.R. 10, the “Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011,” requires Congress to take an up-or-down vote on regulations that have an economic impact of $100 million or more before they can be imposed on the American people and businesses
H.R. 527, the “Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011,” closes loopholes that the agencies are exploiting to avoid the requirement that they analyze the effect new regulations would have on small businesses
H.R. 1633, the “Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011,” temporarily prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing any new National Ambient Air Quality Standard for coarse particulate matter, also known as dust, for at least one year
H.R. 2250, the “EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011,” delays regulations that would affect hospitals, factories, colleges and thousands of other American employers who use boilers to generate heat and electricity. This bipartisan bill provides the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with at least 15 months to re-propose and finalize the new rules and gives employers an extended compliance period
H.R. 2273, the “Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act,” provides a regulatory alternative to the Obama administration’s proposed coal ash rules, protecting both jobs and the environment
H.R. 2401, the “Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011,” establishes an interagency committee that would report the economic costs of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that impact energy and manufacturing
H.R. 2587, the “Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act,” prohibits the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from restricting where an employer can create jobs in America
H.R. 2681, the “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011,” provides a 15 month legislative stay for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to redraft the newly imposed cement requirements in an effort to lighten the compliance burden on American’s cement manufacturers
H.R. 3010, “Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011,” requires advance notice of proposed rulemakings to increase public participation and input before costly agency positions are proposed, mandates agencies to use the best science and choose the lowest cost rulemaking alternative and permits costlier rules when there are needs to protect public health, safety or welfare – if justified
H.R. 3094, the “Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act,” preempts National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposed rulemaking that will significantly change procedures that govern union elections by providing employers just seven days to find legal counsel and prepare their entire case to be presented at a NLRB pre-election hearing
Instead of painting House Republicans as obstructionists, the president should adopt our proposals to create jobs, increase energy production, approve the Keystone XL pipeline and remove excessive federal regulations.
1/27/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:21 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
"The Republican Party primaries have narrowed the field to four candidates. Each one has unique strengths and are assets to the future of our country. However, only one can be President. Considering the economic and security issues facing our country, I believe that person is Mitt Romney, and I will support his nomination by the Republican Party for President."
"Our country and our State face economic issues, healthcare issues, and our service men and women continue to depart overseas to defend our country. Our current governmental course does not provide a needed solution to our nation's issues. Of the remaining candidates, Mitt Romney possesses the character and skill to provide the greatest opportunity for that solution."
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann Press Release
1/30/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:20 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Mississippians require access to affordable, reliable energy to power our homes and support the businesses and industries that fuel our economy. And to maintain Mississippi's enviable below-the-national-average electric rates while ensuring we can meet growing future needs, we need long-term, planning backed by careful analysis.
One such initiative is Entergy Mississippi's plan to join the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO), a nonprofit, regional transmission organization (RTO).
Entergy Mississippi spent several years analyzing its options and found joining MISO would result in up to $284 million in cost benefits for its customers over the first 10 years alone. Those are savings that over time will benefit our state's economy.
Those savings are largely due to how MISO facilitates the efficient distribution of electricity among members to enhance and ensure reliability, recommend prudent infrastructure improvements and coordinate power purchases.
Glenn McCullough
Clarion Ledger
1/28/12
Posted January 30, 2012 - 9:05 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Lee County Justice Court Judge Rickey W. Thompson was suspended from office for 30 days without pay, effective Thursday.
The Mississippi Supreme Court announced the suspension and that Thompson will be fined $2,000 and assessed a $100 fee before he's publicly reprimanded in circuit court.
In August 2009, Thompson was accused of "willful misconduct in office" by the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, which recommended the penalties to the Supreme Court.
djournal.com
1/27/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 9:03 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Each day, Cynthia Jackson of Canton drives past Madison County schools, where she wants to send her 11-year-old son but can't.
"I could do it illegally, but then you'd be trying to arrest me," she said during a luncheon Thursday at the Capitol led by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy and the Black Alliance for Educational Options.
Jackson said she wants a choice.
"I want the option where I can take my child to a district that is performing well," she said. "It's in the same county. My taxes are going to the same county, and I don't understand why I can't take him down the road."
Clarion Ledger
1/26/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 8:57 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Bryant set out as a policy for his administration to tackle the issue of teen pregnancy - a formidable goal.
"Without hesitation, we must begin the public discussion of how to reduce teen pregnancy in Mississippi," Bryant said. "As you know, we lead the nation in teen pregnancy and consequently, low birth weights and high infant mortality rates. We know a child born to a teen mother almost always has a difficult path to success."
Even so, we'll have to wait a bit more to see what the new governor intends to do about it.
As he stated: "I have asked the director of the Department of Human Services and the state health officer to provide me, within 30 days, an aggressive plan to address our teen pregnancy rate and suggestions on how to curb it. We can no longer pretend that teen pregnancy and illegitimacy are non-issues - we must boldly confront the facts and address them."
We know what doesn't work!
The state's "abstinence only" sex education
Clarion Ledger
1/26/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 8:48 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Alexander had filed a complaint against Attorney General Jim Hood for a campaign ad that featured Manieri's case. The commercial was an attack ad against Hood's then opponent, Steve Simpson. It featured pictures of Manieri with the following script:
"As a Judge Simpson let them out early like this convicted child molester…Then, the child molester murdered a 70-year-old priest in cold blood."
Alexander says that commercial set back any defense of his client by condemning him long before the case could see a jury. Because it was aired statewide, the attorney says it tainted any potential juror and made it impossible for Manieri to receive a fair trial.
Even after his client's death, Alexander says he will continue to pursue the complaint.
"It's far bigger than Jim Hood. It's far bigger than Jeremy Manieri. So, on principle, I feel it is important we proceed with that," said the attorney.
Alexander went on to say that Hood's recent actions against former Governor Haley Barbour's pardons, claiming they violated constitutional procedure, were hypocritical because he believes the ad is unconstitutional.
"Jim Hood is chastising the governor Barbour about the constitution? I don't think Jim Hood can spell the word constitution," said Alexander.
WLOX
1/26/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 8:41 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on Thursday afternoon said he would boycott a planned hearing next week in which Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray will testify, as a way of protesting Cordray's recess appointment to that post when the Senate was not in recess.
"Let me be explicitly clear," Wicker said on the Senate floor. "Richard Cordray is not the duly constituted director of the CFPB. His purported recess appointment does not comply with the Constitution, and is in fact a nullity.
"I will not provide the administration with the appearance of legitimacy in this action, and I will therefore not be in attendance at next Tuesday's hearing."
The Hill
1/26/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 8:36 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Details for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new hospital in Choctaw County have been released.
“Beginning at 2 PM on Friday, January 27th, representatives from Pioneer Health Services, Johnson Construction, the Choctaw County Board of Supervisors and the Choctaw County Medical Foundation will join special guest, Congressman Alan Nunnelee at the site for the groundbreaking,” stated a press release from Pioneer Community Hospital of Choctaw.
“A reception will follow at the Ackerman Community Center. The public is invited to attend and celebrate this exciting milestone. Congressman Nunnelee will be the featured speaker and refreshments will be provided,” stated the press release.
The Choctaw Plaindealer
1/26/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 8:32 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
US Airways will begin non-stop service from Jackson to Washington D.C. in early March.
The direct service will go from Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, announced Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Glenda Glover, chairman of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority.
Delta Airlines is currently the only carrier offering direct service from Jackson to the nation’s capital, but recently announced it would stop this route March 2.
WLBT
1/26/12
Posted January 27, 2012 - 8:30 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
To become a federal judge, an attorney must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Washington insiders with experience about such appointments were hesitant to speak publicly so soon after the judge's death.
But a University of Mississippi journalism professor with longtime political perspective said anything can happen in a presidential election year, even in a very Republican-voting state with a Democrat seeking re-election.
"In an election year, with Republicans hoping to regain the White House, they're hardly inclined to give serious consideration to any judicial nomination that Obama or other Democrats might be pushing," said Joe B. Atkins.
"Back in the days of Boll Weevil and Blue Dog Democrats, there was more of a chance. Those days are gone. So, my guess is it's a wait-and-see-till-November situation at the least."
NEMS
1/26/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 3:17 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
No action on redistricting, but it's on 'radar screen'
No official action has been taken thus far on legislative redistricting, which both Republican and Democrats say is one of the top priorities facing the 2012 session.
"All members have it on the radar screen," said Sen. Merle Flowers, R-Southaven, who was tabbed by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves to head up the redistricting effort on the Senate side.
Flowers said he anticipates the Joint House and Senate Redistricting Committee will meet soon to officially begin the process of redrawing the 52 Senate districts and 122 House districts to adhere to population shifts found by the 2010 census.
djournal.com
1/26/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:57 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
ealth dominated several discussions at the Capitol on Wednesday - a day after Gov. Phil Bryant called for more attention to personal health care issues.
From a campaign to encourage healthier eating habits to continued talks over a new medical corridor in Jackson, improving health in the state could be a key focus of the Legislature this session.
Mississippi often ranks at the top among health disparities, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
In his first State of the State speech, Bryant on Tuesday said that it is incumbent on citizens to make health care a priority.\
Clarion Ledger
1/25/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:51 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Madison County is presenting a unified front to Mississippi's congressional delegation to lobby for projects that will benefit the entire county.
A group of 30, including eight elected officials, has a full schedule in Washington, D.C., next Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with senators, representatives and their aides to push for funding for economic development, transportation and utility improvements.
"This sends a strong message to Washington that we're working together, from county and municipal officials to the private sector," said Gina Daniels, executive director of the Madison County Foundation.
Madison County Herald
1/26/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:45 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation has frozen funding for all new MDOT projects in Southaven because of the ongoing auditor's investigation into Mayor Greg Davis' spending.
"We are trying to be good stewards of taxpayer money, so until the city gets a clean bill of health from the state auditor's office, the funding will be delayed," said Randy Battey, assistant chief engineer of operations for MDOT.
Earlier this month, MDOT officials said funding for an $850,000 state grant the city was set to receive to construct a nearly 3-mile bike path and walking trail system linking the city's two largest parks was not in any danger.
But Wednesday afternoon, Battey said that was not the case.
Commercial Appeal
1/26/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:43 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., issued this statement from Washington: "With the budget situation being what it is, cutbacks have to be made all across the federal government.
"The important thing is to make smart cuts that consolidate costs while maintaining effective service for our agriculture community," he said. "I'll continue to work closely with USDA to make sure that's what happens."
A county resolution urging DeSoto be pulled from the list of eight FSA "consolidations" across Mississippi looks all but certain. Medlin, of the Olive Branch area, was joined at the meeting at Hernando's Gale Center by three of the other four supervisors: Harvey Wayne Lee of Hernando, Lee Perkins Caldwell of Nesbit and Mark Gardner of Southaven.
Commercial Appeal
1/26/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:32 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
The three-term congresswoman cast her final vote on a bill that she and U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake introduced to try to crack down on illegal drug smuggling across the U.S. border. After casting her vote, Giffords looked up at the vote board in the chamber to see the green light next to her name.
The bill passed unanimously. After its passage, Giffords remained in the chamber as members lined up to say farewell, including former Rep. Gene Taylor, a Mississippi Democrat who lost in 2010. Taylor waited in line to hug Giffords.
...
CNN
1/25/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:26 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
When Calisolar announced its intention to open a plant in Columbus, people from across the state might have thought: what, them again? Envy is one of the byproducts of success, and when it comes to big industrial projects no other part of the state has been more successful in recent years than Lowndes County. But, as with most industrial projects these days, the state legislature passed an economic package to incentivize Calisolar's arrival. Getting this package passed required navigation through treacherous political waters, water full of waves ready to crash it.
Luckily, the recent appointments of Sen. Terry W. Brown and Rep. Jeff C. Smith mean Columbus will have a hand in steering the ship for the next four years. Brown, a state senator since 2003, was selected by Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves to be senate president pro tempore. This position makes Brown second in command in the senate, and means he presides over it in the lieutenant governor's absence.
Commercial Dispatch
1/25/11
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:24 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Philip Gunn, the new speaker of the house, is taking a refreshing approach to managing the lower chamber of the Mississippi Legislature.
When the Republican from Clinton announced who would chair 40 committees, 10 of those named were Democrats. That’s a sharp break from the former Democratic speaker, who had ousted all his Republicans chairmen.
Gunn also was generous to the Coast, increasing from five to eight the number of South Mississippians chairing a committee.
Sun Herald
1/24/12
Posted January 26, 2012 - 8:21 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
As Democrats are attempting to reconcile their current and likely future status as the faithful opposition, a couple of interesting dynamics are emerging.
First, there’s a real struggle for who’s in charge. You have the party, ostensibly led by Rickey Cole, putting out one set of messages. House Democrats, led by Bobby Moak, seem to be seeking to have their own voice with little to no coordination whatsoever with the “Party”, but rather an outside group led by a defeated state representative.
Rickey Cole, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Party, issued a statement after Republican Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn handed out the House committee assignments on Friday calling Gunn’s appointments “lipstick on a pig.”
Cole is upset that Gunn did not appoint former Democratic Speaker McCoy’s closest, most loyal allies to their prior committees with many not receiving a chair or vice chair (although a few still did). McCoy’s boys – Johnny Stringer, Bobby Moak, Steve Holland, Cecil Brown, Percy Watson, Tommy Reynolds, Tyrone Ellis – all participated in and proudly carried out the extreme partisanship the former Speaker established in the House, practices that were soundly defeated and expunged by Mississippi voters in November 2011.
Yet, Cole, ever the opportunist, said:
“That these experienced public servants were not appointed to the chairmanships of their former committees does not come as a surprise, but to keep them completely off of the committees where their knowledge would have been of tremendous value sends a clear message that all that talk we heard from Speaker Gunn about ‘bipartisanship’ two weeks ago really meant “bipartisanship in name only.”
Cole added, “There’s a big difference between seeking out the best people available to help solve Mississippi’s problems and throwing up a smoke screen for the sole purpose of providing political cover. We shall see how well Speaker Gunn’s appointees, many of them inexperienced, will handle the responsibilities he has handed them.”
Cole and the Democrats are working under the assumption that what they have done for the State of Mississippi for the past 140 years has worked and that despite the recent election, voters are happy with their leadership.
If Gunn had appointed these Democratic representatives to their former committees there would have been no possibility of true change in the House; that move would have given these McCoy allies the ability, not to positively impact legislation, but to be a stumbling block on the road Mississippi voters endorsed.
And if Cole wants to point a finger at any of these new House committee chairman and call them “inexperienced” he should blame McCoy and his boys for not cultivating the skills of the Republicans.
For Democrats, it is indeed hard to reconcile that their ideology simply is not relevant at the present moment.
The big issue going forward for Democrats is how will the party of Obama fare in Mississippi? Playing small ball and issuing poorly worded press releases about inside baseball politics isn’t going to get them back to the Promised Land. Ultimately, they’ll have to reconcile themselves with the conundrum of swearing allegiance to the national Democrats (which are completely out of touch with Mississippi politics) and finding a core set of real issues that resonate with Mississippi voters that substantially differ from the GOP. Not an easy task.
The myth of a “Mississippi Democrat" - that they are somehow different than other liberals a la Travis Childers and Gene Taylor - has been eliminated and that trend is moving down to the local level.
Steve Holland and Tyrone Ellis are two struggling to find their new place. It’s certainly not surprising given that they were among the top McCoy lieutenants that ruled with an iron fist the past four years. Holland is quoted in the Daily Journal as saying, “I don’t have a problem with my assignments in that they are good committees, but the one walking encyclopedia on health care has been barred from input except on the floor.” Ellis said in the same article, “The former majority leader in the House… You have to punish him.”
But Cole, Holland and Ellis aren’t the only Democrats attempting to slap Gunn around a little.
In a recent tweet, Democratic Rep. David Baria asks, "My boss has hired the guy who worked for my opponent and is paying him with my constituents' $$. How I am supposed to reconcile that?"
Yes, Gunn did recommend and the House Management Committee did hire Nathan Wells as his Chief of Staff. Wells did help Baria's opponent during the 2011 election cycle. But it sounds like Baria is having a hard time reconciling his own sour grapes despite admitting that Gunn gave him committee assignments he requested. Another of Baria’s tweets reads, “My committees: Agriculture, Gaming, Judiciary B, Marine Resources, and Ports and Harbors. All but Ag were among my requests.”
At least one House Democrat found a place in his heart to show an inkling of appreciation to Gunn. Rep. John Hines, who was named chairman of the House Youth and Family Affairs Committee, was quoted in the Clarion Ledger as saying, "I am humbled to be given such a large responsibility at a time when issues of youth and family are at an all-time high in importance.” Not an official, “Thank you, Mr. Speaker” but it’s as close as a House Democrat is going to get at this point.
Here's to hoping that Mississippi Democrats learn to reconcile their new roles and seek to be a positive player for their constituents and the state as this session moves forward, not just liberal talking heads spewing the same, tired liberal rhetoric their national counterparts readily practice.
And maybe one day we’ll find out just who is actually leading the fractured Democratic Party.
Posted January 26, 2012 - 6:38 am
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Foley Products Company, manufacturer of precast concrete products, is opening a facility in Prentiss. The project represents a company investment of more than $7 million and will create 40 new jobs, according to the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA).
“Mississippi is a key component of our southeastern strategy. We plan to have our facility online in 2012 so we are ready for the economic growth we see on the horizon. We look forward to being a strong, responsible precast concrete products supplier to Mississippi and the entire Gulf Coast market area,” said Foley Products vice president of operations Chris Davidson.
MBJ
1/25/12
Posted January 25, 2012 - 2:48 pm
YallPolitics.Com now uses Facebook for comments. Log into Facebook to comment here.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
