Bill limiting AG's power dies

A bill to limit Attorney General Jim Hood's power died Thursday after it was found to violate parliamentary rules in the Mississippi House. But Hood is not in the clear yet.

House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said he had no choice but to kill his own bill, after experts found that it was written in a way that broke rules.

Gunn said he will refile a corrected bill and that the Judiciary A Committee is likely to consider the new version Monday.

Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, raised the objection that killed House Bill 122, after Democrats spent nearly two hours questioning House Judiciary A Chairman Mark Baker, R-Brandon.

"My desire is to follow the rules and the point of order was taken, even though it was my bill," Gunn said after the ruling.


Clarion Ledger
2/10/12

Pardons: Governor's power is issue

Despite the offensiveness of Barbour's actions, to undermine the executive authority would be more offensive. The people of Mississippi might disagree with Barbour, and it is safe to say most do, but the constitution gave him that clear authority.

If the people want to change it in a constitutional amendment, that is another issue. But it is important to look past the bad decisions of one governor to the need for power of a governor, any governor, to grant clemency without court overview.

The Supreme Court should not undermine that authority.


Clarion Ledger Editorial
2/10/12

EDITORS NOTE - Big "ups" to Kingfish and it is awesome that he did this. The news (print and TV) could learn a thing or two from just making the info available like he did.

Go to the page and check out all 6 videos. We have included one here.

Clarion Ledger opines that Sunshine law a waste of time

...

Taxpayers should understand that this is purely a partisan political fight with little, if any, substance policywise. With the GOP in control, Hood is getting a spanking.

In other words, it is a tremendous waste of legislative time and effort.

The bill most likely is unconstitutional, but even if not, allowing each agency to hire its own politically favored law firm will be costly and will tend to create the problem GOP lawmakers say they are trying to solve. It will be costly and fraught with political favoritism.

Payback may be sweet to GOP lawmakers, but taxpayers expect a more serious agenda. Political chest-beating is best left to the campaigns, not the serious business of the House of Representatives.

Clarion Ledger
2/8/12

State Supreme Court hears pardon arguments

Feuding attorneys asked the Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday to determine the validity of pardons that Haley Barbour gave to convicted killers and other convicts during his final days as governor.

Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. said the court would not rule the same day, but he didn't say when a decision would come.

"We want them to take enough time to do it right," said Randy Walker, who objects to the pardons. Walker was shot in the head in 1993 by one of the men Barbour set free last month. That former inmate, David Gatlin, also fatally shot his own estranged wife as she held the couple's baby.

AP
2/9/12

Disputed bill stalks child predators

Ryan Pettit was in eighth grade when he confided to a camp counselor that a relative had sexually abused him.

"Most adults can't even come forward and talk about that," said Ryan's mother, Mimi Pettit of Verona. "It took so much strength on his part."

The abuse led to 18 years behind bars for Buddy Prince, Ryan Pettit's uncle by marriage - a popular Tupelo High School teacher and coach.

But Mimi Pettit believes it also led to her son's suicide in 2010.

Clarion Ledger
2/9/12

Daily Mail - Gulf of Mexico? That's the Gulf of America, to you! Mississippi legislator pokes at opponents with bill proposing name change

Mississippi state Rep Steve Holland wants to reclaim the Gulf of Mexico from the Mexicans. A better name, he says, is the Gulf of America.

Sound ridiculous? Holland, a Democrat, says it's no more ridiculous than the political agenda of the Republicans who recently took control the state legislature.

The funeral home director from a small town outside Tupelo submitted a bill that would change the name of the the gulf 'for all official purposes within the state of Mississippi.'

2/9/12

AP - Miss. lawmaker: ‘Gulf of America’ bill was a joke

All the people outraged about the Mississippi bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America’’ have missed its satirical intent, the sponsor said Thursday.

State Rep. Steve Holland, a populist Democrat known for over-the-top gestures, said he was tickled that his provocation had rocketed across the Internet.

Holland says the measure is meant to mock other bills that would crack down on illegal immigration. At least six such bills have already been assigned for committee consideration in the state’s current legislative session, and more could be on the way.

AP
2/9/12

Miss. Biz Journal - Miss. beer legislation supporters are being cautiously optimistic

Lawmakers and grassroots organizers who have unsuccessfully pushed for legislation to modernize Mississippi's beer and brewing laws are optimistic their efforts stand a better chance of paying off this session.

As he has the past few sessions, Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, has filed bills that would increase the state's alcohol-by-weight limit in beer, and potentially pave the way for the state's lone brewer to expand while encouraging new breweries to open.

One bill would raise the state's current cap — the lowest in the U.S. — of 5 percent ABW in beer made and sold in the state to 8 percent.

The other two bills would allow Hancock County's Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. to offer certain samples to folks who tour the brewery, and to brew beer whose ABW is above 5 percent as long as it's shipped and sold out of state. The last would legalize homebrewing.

Mississippi Business Journal
2/9/12

AP - Bill limiting AG Jim Hood's power dies for breaking rules

A bill to limit Attorney General Jim Hood's power died Thursday after it was found to violate parliamentary rules in the Mississippi House. But Hood isn't in the clear yet.

House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said he had no choice but to kill his own bill, after experts found that it was written in a way that broke rules. Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, raised the objection that killed the bill, after Democrats spent nearly two hours questioning House Judiciary A Chairman Mark Baker, R-Brandon.

"My desire is to follow the rules and the point of order was taken, even though it was my bill," Gunn said after the ruling.

The bill would have let statewide elected officials and agency heads hire their own lawyers when they found that the attorney general couldn't adequately represent them. It would have required legal contracts worth $100,000 or more to be posted on the Internet. Bills to limit Hood's powers also have been filed in the Senate.

Republicans have been trying for years to limit the power of Hood, now the lone statewide elected Democrat.

AP
2/9/12

Dear Friend,

Efforts to put the federal government on a path to a balanced budget and pay down the debt continued in the House this week with the passage of two bills that aim to streamline federal accounting.

In times past, both political parties have failed to improve Washington’s spending ailments. These common-sense bipartisan bills enhance budget accuracy and target wasteful spending, giving taxpayers confidence that Congress is serious about improving America’s fiscal health.

The “Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2011,” which moved Tuesday, increases transparency in federal budgeting by reforming the way certain costs are calculated. This plan requires fair value accounting for federal credit and mandates that agencies must make public their budgetary justification documents prepared in support of their request.

House lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday that provides the current and future occupant of the White House with line-item veto authority, which devotes all savings to deficit reduction and requires discretionary spending caps to reflect each decrease. The bipartisan “Expedited Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011” includes conditions the president must meet – such as the dollar amount to be rescinded and the federal account from which the cancellation will occur – and provides Congress with expedited floor procedures to accelerate legislative consideration.

To learn more about what is happening in my congressional office, please join my Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

God bless,


Gregg Harper

Member of Congress

Ad can also be heard here.

BRIAN PERRY - Reeves: 'We're not raising taxes'


Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves joked the turn out at the Stennis-Capitol Press Luncheon for his first appearance there as Lieutenant Governor showed a much larger turnout than when he spoke with the group as Treasurer.

I recall one meeting - held I believe at Galloway Methodist Church in downtown Jackson - where Reeves spoke to less than a dozen people, including a couple of print reporters and his staff.

Monday afternoon at the Capital Club in Jackson, the turnout was much different as a packed room of reporters (print, television, etc), lobbyists, elected officials, political operatives and interested members of the public gathered to listen to the new head of the state Senate. Reeves teased he was not as nervous speaking to the press this time as he was recently at the Mississippi Press Association's Roast of Reeves last month, when he had to follow the entertaining anecdotes and ribbing of Sen. Terry Brown of Columbus.


Madison County Journal
2/8/12

Media dynamic changing for state government fans

This may sound like a commercial for a radio network. It's not meant to be.

It's just that how and where state government junkies get information has changed. Jackson-based SuperTalk Mississippi is in the driver's seat. That's worth talking about.

And talk, of course, is what they do.

The nine FM radio stations in the network blanket the state. For those who can't pick up a signal - or who want to see the show in addition to hearing it - SuperTalk is on the Internet.

The talk starts at 6 a.m. with The Gallo Show. Paul Gallo's interview and call-in program wasn't the first in Mississippi, but has been the first to gain traction over the past few years, and it has gained serious traction.

Charlie Mitchell
2/8/12

Eyes of beer lovers across Mississippi now on Rep. Jeff Smith (R - Columbus)

For years, Mississippians have been clamoring for the Legislature to raise the limit on beer's "alcohol by weight" measurement. Mississippi has the lowest limit in the nation, and it prohibits the sale of a large number of craft beers in the state. Craft beers offer a wider range of tastes than the beers produced by the mega breweries like Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, and sales related to craft beers are pumping tax dollars into suffering economies across the country. Further, the craft beers have a lower proof than liquor, so it's not as if selling craft beers would effect drunk driving rates.

Past efforts to change the limit have previously died in the Senate Finance committee, which had been chaired by Sen. Dean Kirby (R - Pearl). This year, the battle has moved to the House, where Rep. David Baria (D - Bay St. Louis) has introduced legislation that would raise the limit to 8%. HB 26 has been referred to the Ways & Means committee, which is chaired by Rep. Jeff Smith (R - Columbus). Smith may now kill the legislation all on his own by not calling the bill up for a vote.

...

CottonMouth
2/8/12

House gives Mississippi Attorney General cold shoulder

State Atty. Gen. Jim Hood called out House Judiciary Committee leaders Tuesday after he showed up for a hearing, but didn't get to speak, on legislation allowing all statewide elected officials and department heads to use outside lawyers without his approval.

Hood, the state's highest elected Democratic official, said the legislation would violate the state Constitution, which he said gives the attorney general sole authority to appoint outside lawyers.

Freshman state Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia and one of the bill's three sponsors, did not return phone calls for comment on Hood's comments.

Commercial Appeal
2/8/12

John Arthur Eaves Jr. to sue cruise ship owner over wreck in Italy

ROME (AP) - A U.S. lawyer for compensation-seeking survivors of the Costa Concordia capsizing said Wednesday he will push for changes in maritime laws and technology to make the cruise ship industry safer.

John Arthur Eaves Jr. said that in about two weeks he will file lawsuits against Miami-based Carnival Corp., the parent company of Costa Crociere, SpA., the Italian cruise line whose ship rammed a reef off a Tuscan island on Jan. 13 and capsized. At least 17 people were killed and 15 remain unaccounted for.

The lawyer said his 70 clients want to sue Carnival, including ones from the United States, Italy, Germany, Britain, Russia and Switzerland. He did not identify them by name.

Eaves, who lost an election for governor of Mississippi in 2007, was among the lawyers who obtained settlements of nearly $2 million apiece in 2000 for families of 20 people killed in Italy when a U.S. Marine jet clipped a ski gondola's cable two years earlier.

AP
2/8/12

Miss. Health Dept. seeks $6 million increase in funding as it spends down reserve accounts

The Mississippi Health Department told lawmakers Wednesday that it needs more money in the coming budget year or it may have to close clinics and reduce AIDS drug purchases.

Dr. Mary Currier, the state health officer, told the House Appropriations Committee that the department has been draining internal reserves to stay afloat last year and this year. She said the Health Department is spending about $4 million from reserves this year and said accounts will be almost empty when the current budget year ends June 30.

"For the past several years, we have spent down cash reserves to keep our doors open," Currier said.

The department needs $32.5 million in state money, she said, well above the $26.5 million it's getting now. Legislative budgeters recommend $20.7 million for the coming year, while Gov. Phil Bryant recommended about $25 million.

AP
2/8/12

Miss. Democrats vent displeasure over GOP tax claims

Democratic bitterness over Republican campaign tactics in last year's Mississippi legislative elections erupted Wednesday in a debate over an otherwise routine local bill.

Several Democrats said opponents sent mailers claiming they voted for a large number of tax increases, unfairly counting times they voted to raise or renew taxes requested by individual cities and counties.

"The very first mailer showed me in a little red convertible and talked about how many times I voted for taxes, and I could not figure out what it was talking about," said Sherra Lane, D-Waynesboro, at times fighting back tears.

Clarion Ledger
2/8/12

Steve Holland introduces bill to rename Gulf of Mexico

Riding upon a chariot of Hummers driven by bald eagles, Mississippi Rep. Steve Holland filed a guns blazing cowboy steak of a bill, proudly waving our nation's red, white and God-fearing blue to protect our American coastal waters. This week, Holland introduced H.B. 150 to Mississippi's House of Representatives Marine Resources Committee — a bill that, in summary, would "for all official purposes" rename the Gulf of Mexico (or "body of water south of Mississippi") the "Gulf of America."

For all official purposes within the State of Mississippi, the body of water that is located directly south of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties shall be known as the "Gulf of America." ... This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2012.

Best of New Orleans
2/9/12

FEMA prepares to mail Katrina disaster aid waivers

The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to mail letters next week to 90,000 individuals and households letting them know that it will waive repayment of disaster assistance funds that FEMA erroneously distributed after Hurricane Katrina.

Residents could qualify for the waiver -- if they earn less than $90,000 a year and were paid the funds due to FEMA error -- under a provision that Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., pushed to include in a federal spending bill in December. The office of Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., announced this morning that FEMA has since developed a plan for repayment waivers.

Residents must respond to FEMA within 60 days, certifying that they meet the waiver qualifications and appropriately spent the disaster funds.

Sun Herald
2/8/12

Romney Brushes Off Tuesday Losses

Southern states were Mr. Romney’s Achilles’ heal in 2008, and Wednesday afternoon he took to Mr. Gingrich’s home turf of Georgia for a campaign stop.

Austin Barbour, a Mississippi resident who sits on Mr. Romney’s national fund-raising team and is aiming to rally support for Mr. Romney down South, said voters there will come around to whoever wins the nomination.

“Voters in those states are going to pivot to vote against Barack Obama and support our nominee,” said Mr. Barbour, the nephew of former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

But of the prior night’s performance, he added, “[I’m] certainly disappointed that we lost Colorado, I think surprised that we lost Colorado.”


Wall Street Journal Washington Wire
2/9/12

AG: GOP 'payback' a waste of effort


At issue for Republicans is Hood's practice of hiring outside counsel, trail lawyers who have reaped large attorney fees from the lawsuits. GOP critics say Hood's outside counsel system awards friends and should be more open with fees and awards subject to legislative approval. On the political side, trial lawyers have been major Democratic contributors, which GOP leaders would like to cut off.

Hood contends the process is open with all contracts public. He says fees are less than standard, are awarded by the courts and don't cost taxpayers anything. On the political side, by accepting campaign contributions from those lawyers Hood has left himself open to attacks as this bill.

Taxpayers should understand that this is purely a partisan political fight with little, if any, substance policywise. With the GOP in control, Hood is getting a spanking.


Clarion Ledger Editorial
2/9/12

Mississippi is normally one of those states Presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle tend to overlook, if for no other reason than that the major party nominees are pretty much a lock by the time Magnolia State voters cast their ballots.

That is not the case in this year's Republican Presidential Primary. Mississippi matters.

Republican Presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are all still seeking front runner status. Just when one of them seems to have the edge, another swoops in and steals the thunder.

Some say SuperPACs are the reason for the numerous momentum changes. I disagree.

Conservative, Republican voters are simply not overwhelmingly enamored with any of the final four, meaning as the vetting process continues down the stretch, voter sympathy is shifting as they attempt to find that right candidate. Voters are trying to balance their values with defeating Obama.

The problem with that is these four are attacking each other so ferociously that President Obama can simply sit back and watch the circus. The longer the Republican Primary season drags on without a clear front runner, the easier it will be for Obama to control the narrative; Republicans are fueling Obama's general election fire.

Here in Mississippi, Romney has received a slew of endorsements from a variety of state and legislative officials. Such endorsements are curious in that Romney has been routinely questioned on his conservative credentials. If Mississippi truly is the most conservative state in the union, what do these endorsements say to Mississippi voters?

The average conservative does seem to have a question about Romney's allegiance to the conservative cause. It is not all media hype. People do not seem content to concede that Romney is the best Republicans can do.

There are two schools of thought in this vein. One, often expressed by former Gov. Haley Barbour, is that purity is a loser. The other says that compromising our principles has gotten us in this mess; continuing to do so is not an option.

For Mississippi conservative voters, the decision on March 13th comes down to this: Santorum vs. Romney, Gingrich vs. Romney, or Paul vs. Romney. Once we get past that, voters will have to reconcile who can best challenge Obama's liberal policies and outline a vision for America that supports our core conservative principles, those of limited government, a strong national defense, traditional family values, and fiscal sanity.

Santorum looks to be the candidate that best aligns with a majority of Mississippi's conservative voters, but the jury's still out. Gingrich seems to be the smartest candidate but he just can't convert his big ideas into votes. As for Paul, well, he's Ron Paul.

Mississippi may very well turn out for Mitt Romney, but if they do I seriously doubt it will be because they believe him to be the candidate best aligned with their conservatives values. If Mississippi goes for Romney, it's because people are fed up with Obama and see Mitt as the best shot to make the Democrat a one termer.

Either way, Mississippi matters March 13th.

Posted February 9, 2012 - 5:57 am

Gov. Phil Bryant issued the following statement regarding the execution of Edwin Hart Turner.

“After reviewing the facts associated with Mr. Edwin Hart Turner’s case, I have decided not to grant clemency for his violent acts. Mr. Turner has been convicted by a jury of his peers and I see no reason to delay this execution.”

Governor Phil Bryant Press Release
2/8/12

STATE SENATE APPROVES BILL TO CONSOLIDATE SUNFLOWER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Legislation to consolidate administrations of three Sunflower County school districts passed the Mississippi Senate today, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves announced. The measure is the first item from Lt. Gov. Reeves’ legislative agenda to be considered by the Senate.

Senate Bill 2330 combines the administrations of Drew, Sunflower and Indianola school districts, which are currently under conservatorship at the state Department of Education, and requires an appointed superintendent to lead the new district. The bill heads to the Mississippi House for consideration.

“By combining these failing school districts into one, we can give students in Sunflower County an opportunity for a better education,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said. “By eliminating duplicative functions, this new school district could be able to spend more than $1 million more on classroom needs.”


Lt. Governor Tate Reeves Press Release
2/8/12

MS GOP Precinct Caucuses and County Convention

Attorney General Jim Hood today is warning that House Bill 122 (EDITOR - link added) introduced last night under the cover of darkness and passed out of the House Judiciary A Committee early this morning by Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton and Representative Mark Baker of Brandon violates the constitution which gives the Attorney General the sole authority to speak in court with one voice on behalf of the state. The bill would allow state officials, agencies, boards, commissions, departments or institutions to hire their own outside attorneys over the Attorney General.

General Hood, who had a budget committee hearing this morning at 8:30 before the Senate, asked Mark Baker, Chairman of the House Judiciary A Committee, to give him a day to read the bill before he held a hearing on it, but Baker refused. When General Hood asked Baker to at least wait until he could finish his Senate budget hearing, Baker refused. When General Hood was allowed to leave the Senate Appropriations sub-committee hearing early, he went into the House hearing, but Baker refused to recognize General Hood so that he could advise the Committee members of the constitutional problems with the bill.

General Hood stated, "The people elected Philip Gunn, Mark Baker and me to work together, regardless of party. The least they could have done would have been to give the Committee members an opportunity to hear from the people's lawyer the truth about the bill. It is obvious that by the way they introduced this so-called "sunshine bill" under the cover of darkness last night and passed it out of committee at 8:30 this morning that they did not want the people to hear the truth. I hope the voters in Speaker Gunn's district in Clinton and Chairman Baker's district in Brandon will call them tonight and ask why they railroaded a bill through without even giving the people's lawyer an opportunity to speak to the committee."

State law makes the Attorney General the Chief Legal Officer of the State intrusted with management of all legal affairs of the state, and prosecution of all suits, civil or criminal, in which the state is interested, having power to control and manage all litigation on behalf of the state, and to maintain all suits necessary for enforcement of state laws, preservation of order, and protection of public rights. Kennington-Saenger Theatres, Inc. v. State ex rel. District Att'y, 196 Miss. 841, 18 So. 2d 483 (1944).

HB122 seeks to strip the Attorney General's constitutional authority and amend several state statutes in the process.

"The Attorney General is put in place to defend the state's interests and to provide a unified voice to the state on all legal matters," said Attorney General Hood. "If this bill passes, then agency heads with agendas and interests of their own will be allowed to pursue those interests on the taxpayers' dime over the states interest as a whole with no oversight. We have had several cases where agency directors have been sued for sexual harassment. Their interests have been to spend money defending a losing case; whereas, the state's interest was to settle the case and save money on lawyers."

Take for example, a recent case where the Department of Revenue hired their own lawyers who attempted to settle a case for approximately $3 million. The Attorney General pursued the same case and received $100 million for the state. Moreover, the $4 billion the state recovered from tobacco companies would have never occurred had this law been in place.

"What you have here is nothing more than an attempt to weaken the power of the Attorney General and to create a 'good ole boy' system of doing legal business in this state," said Attorney General Hood.

"I am so disappointed that I was not even allowed to address committee members, many of whom are newly elected lawmakers, to provide them with my perspective concerning the dangers of this bill," said Attorney General Hood. "The chairman of today's hearing refused to even allow me to testify."

The Attorney General added, "This bill creates a system ripe for cronyism, chaos, more government, duplication of services and is a severe waste of taxpayer dollars. It is not in the public interest or the way our constitution intended. Corporate wrongdoers and other criminals will celebrate if this bill passes. I hope lawmakers will see through this ludicrousness and do what is right."

AG Jim Hood Press Release
2/8/12

Wicker, Pryor (D-Ark.) Seek to Increase Access to Duck Stamps Online


U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) introduced the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act, S. 2071 to make Federal duck stamps available online nationally.

“Mississippi has a long tradition of duck hunting,” said Wicker. “Americans who enjoy duck hunting have had to purchase a Federal duck stamps at local post offices or sporting goods and outdoors stores. This legislation would allow them to purchase a Federal duck stamp online, saving time and money. The Federal government needs to modernize, and this is one small step toward that goal.”

“The convenience of the e-duck stamp pilot program has proven to be highly popular in Arkansas, the duck hunting capital of the world. It’s a no-brainer to open up this opportunity to sportsmen in all states and to make it permanent,” Pryor said. “I’m pleased to team up with Senator Wicker to help advance this bipartisan initiative into law.”

The Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act would authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to sell Federal duck stamps, known as E-stamps, online, which would be valid for 45 days. Currently, sportsmen in eight states can purchase duck stamps on the internet. The Wicker-Pryor bill would make this pilot project permanent and extend it to all states.

Since 1934, sportsmen have been required to purchase a Federal duck stamp to hunt migratory waterfowl. The program generates approximately $25 million per year, which is deposited into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to preserve habitats and ensure future hunting opportunities.

A similar measure, introduced by Rep. Rob Whitman (R-Va.), passed on Jan. 23 in the House.

Joint Press Release of Wicker and Pryor
2/8/12

Report questions spending of Thompson, Wicker

A Washington Post report says congressional earmark spending appears to have funded projects near lawmakers’ personal properties and questions projects secured by Mississippi Congressmen Bennie Thompson and Roger Wicker.

While a member of the House in 2003, the newspaper said, Wicker, now a senator, helped secure $1.5 million to study the relocation of railroad tracks at an intersection in downtown Tupelo. Wicker’s home is less than a half-mile northwest of the intersection.

Thompson, the report said, secured a $900,000 earmark that was used to resurface about two dozen roads in Mississippi in 2010. One of those was a quarter-mile residential loop in Bolton where Thompson and his daughter own two homes.

Sun Herald
2/7/12

Commissioning of USS Mississippi moved to Pascagoula

U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo announced Tuesday the U.S. Navy has moved the June commissioning of the $2 billion USS Mississippi submarine to Pascagoula after concerns were raised about the depth of Gulfport’s channel.

In August, Gulfport Mayor George Schloegel announced at a meeting of local businessmen that the Virginia class sub would be commissioned in his city, but the date was then unknown. Three months later, Palazzo’s office confirmed the date would be June 2 for the Gulfport commissioning, but Tuesday the congressman said in a statement the Navy had reconsidered and had instead decided to hold the commissioning in Pascagoula, where the channel is deeper.

Sun Herald
2/7/12

Baria, who slammed Barbour over pardons, requested one

Frances McDonald of Bay St. Louis turned to her elected official when she believed her friend was wrongly convicted of murder.

She asked Rep. David Baria, a Democrat, to seek a pardon from then-Gov. Haley Barbour for Patricia Kingston.

Barbour, who grabbed headlines across the state and country when he granted clemency to more than 200 people during his last hours in office, noted that the very lawmakers, including Baria, who openly criticized him for his actions had asked for pardons themselves.

In addition to Baria, Barbour, a Republican, singled out House Minority Leader Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, and Rep. Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose, during a news conference last month.

Clarion Ledger
2/7/12

Henry Barbour, now backing Romney, says Santorum should be on VP short list

Henry Barbour, a top Republican operative who is backing Mitt Romney for president, said Rick Santorum should be on Romney's short list for vice president.

"I don't see how he would not be considered," said Barbour, the nephew of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and a major Rick Perry fundraiser before Perry dropped out. "He's run an impressive campaign and done it in a distinguished way. He's outperformed expectations, has done it very efficiently. Of course he's going to be on the list, how can he not be?"

Barbour also pointed out that while Santorum and Romney have drawn contrasts with each other, they've kept a much more civil tone towards each other than some of the other candidates. "They tend to contrast on policy and that’s part of it, that’s part of the primary, that’s what you’re supposed to do."

The Hill
2/7/12

The Health Care Trust Fund headed to a zero balance

STARKVILLE — A new Republican governor and new Republican legislative leadership now face the same task that has confounded their Democratic colleagues when they had the reins of state government - finding a way to pay for Mississippi's massive Medicaid program.

Medicaid is a $3.9 billion federal-state program that provides health care for the poor, the blind, the disabled and children. State taxpayers pick up about 20 percent of the overall costs of the program or $763 million. Most of the rest of the costs are paid by federal tax dollars.

Historically, state lawmakers have authorized a more generous Medicaid program than they have funded with state dollars. But even with austerity measures like face-to-face reauthorizations during the Haley Barbour administration, rising health care costs and increased demand or eligibility for Medicaid driven by high unemployment and a protracted recession have caused the state's Medicaid costs to steadily increase.

Sid Salter
2/7/12

Mississippi businesses invited to trade mission to Israel

The Mississippi Development Authority will lead a delegation of state business leaders on a trade mission to Israel.

The group will visit Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem from March 17-22.

MDA interim director Jim Barksdale says the trip is designed to connect Mississippi businesses looking to expand trade and create business relationships with opportunities in Israel.

Barksdale says the U.S.- Israel i Free Trade Agreement allows U.S. companies to export their products to Israel duty-free.


AP
2/7/12

Earmark investigation: Bennie Thompson on Bolton, Miss., road improvement

In Mississippi, Thompson secured a $900,000 earmark that was later used to resurface about two dozen roads in 2010 in Hinds County. One of those was LC Turner Circle, a quarter-mile residential loop in the small town of Bolton, where Thompson owns a home and two lots and his daughter owns a home. The funding also helped repave another street in Bolton where Thompson reports an ownership interest in a home.

Washington Post
2/7/12

The rest of the papers on the Barbour pardons

The Mississippi Supreme Court has granted Gov. Barbour’s request to file an amicus brief and appear, and given him thirty minutes argument. Charles Griffin of Butler Snow signed Gov. Barbour’s brief.

NMC
2/8/12

Briefs in the Pardon case

If I am reading the docket right, there may be as many as four more briefs from various combinations of parties. The brief by Robinson was signed by Fred Banks; also on the cover are Charles Pickering, Luther Munford, and John Collettte, among others. Fortner signs his client’s brief and is joined by Erik Lowery. Amanda Kassoff signed the AG’s brief, and Governor Barbour’s brief is signed by Charles Griffin (with other Butler Snow lawyers also on the cover).

NMC
2/7/12

On Monday, the remnants of the Capitol Press Corps gathered in downtown for the Stennis Press Luncheon. Lt. Governor Tate Reeves was the speaker and he gave the assembled crowd of 60 or so people a twenty minute talk about his vision for state government.

Reeves’s stump speech as the state's number 2 sounds a lot like his stump speech as a candidate - lowering bonded indebtedness, looking for efficiencies in state government, looking for opportunities to consolidate failing school districts and other familiar topics that have been discussed.

At the end of Reeves’s remarks, Phil Hardwick, who chairs the Stennis event, opened up the floor for questions from press members. Mississippi Business Journal cameras caught one of the more interesting exchanges on tape.



Mississippi Public Broadcasting reporter Jeff Hess opened up questioning with this doozy...

Hess: Uhh, why not talk about raising revenue? . . . Why was there no discussion about ways to raise state revenue?

Reeves: I’m against raising taxes on anyone, so why would I spend time talking about anything that’s not going to happen.

Hess: Even all these goals you say you have . . .funding education fully and not raising taxes at all?

Reeves: (pregnant pause – staring at reporter) We’re not raising taxes.

Much to the chagrin of newspaper editors throughout Mississippi, who will likely pine away on opinion pages for a tax increase in the face of a tough budget year, Reeves has effectively closed the door to that in the Senate.

Give Reeves all the credit in the world. So far, he’s doing as Lt. Governor exactly what he said he would as a candidate.


Special thanks to the Mississippi Business Journal for filming the event and for sharing this with the public.

House panel snubs Hood's effort to testify on bill

Attorney General Jim Hood is steamed because a state House committee wouldn't let him testify on a bill that would cut his authority.

Under the bill, any state agency would be able to hire its own lawyer without Hood's approval.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 13-10 Tuesday to approve the bill, setting it up for a vote of the full House as early as Thursday.


Clarion Ledger
2/7/12

Emily Wagster Pettus wrote a news/op-ed piece on Monday outlining a narrative that says essentially that the Legislature is dragging out of the gates. It is, in her words, an "exceptionally slow start".

This is a narrative that's been repeated on liberal blogs and among Democrat partisans. They essentially are trying to say that Republicans can't get their act together and don't know what they're doing.

Well, let's look at the facts. First, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves appointed his committee chairs the day after everyone was sworn in. I don't know what exactly everyone's expectations were, but that was pretty durn fast.

Gunn was sworn in and elected Speaker on January 3. His committee appointments were made on January 20.

So certainly, former Speaker Billy McCoy, who was re-elected as Speaker in 2008, certainly had his act together to appoint committees and take on the people's business faster than Gunn, right? Wrong. According to the YallPolitics Memory Division, McCoy appointed his committee chairs on January 19, 2008 (a Friday) - essentially the same day that Gunn did four years later. But you certainly didn't see the press navel gazing about the glacial pace of the legislature then. There doesn't seem to have been any mention of inaugural balls or open-bar receptions to cast aspersions on the pace of leadership in 2008 like there has been in 2012.

Emily Pettus is very smart, but the premise of this article was both uncharacteristically wrong and the context was uncharacteristically sloppy for her.

Student financial aid could be cut

Recipients of state scholarships could see their aid packages trimmed unless the Mississippi Legislature puts more money into financial aid.

That includes the more than 20,000 students who receive the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant, annual scholarships of $500 or $1,000 awarded to full-time students with a minimum 2.5 grade-point average.

Gov. Phil Bryant proposed holding the amount the state puts into student aid level at $26.9 million. But Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds told lawmakers last week that won’t be enough to cover the costs of all the scholarships mandated by the Legislature.

Clarion Ledger
1/7/12

Barbour to 2012ers: Purity is a loser

Haley Barbour, President Ronald Reagan’s former White House political director, honored the president’s 101st birthday on Monday with a message to the 2012 Republican candidates: Choose unity over purity.

“In the 2012 campaign, every candidate for the Republican nomination has invoked Reagan and compared him or herself to Reagan. I don’t blame them a bit,” Barbour said to laughter, as he delivered his keynote remarks in a graveside tribute. “But let me make sure that one thing is clear about Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party: Reagan did not demand or expect everybody to agree with him on every issue. He wasn’t a purist.”

The former Mississippi governor celebrated Reagan’s legacy in Simi Valley, Calif., by referring to him as the most conservative and successful president of our lifetime, and invoked what he said was his favorite “Reaganism” from his days at the White House: “Remember, a fellow who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is your friend and ally, the president used to say. He’s not some 20 percent traitor.”

Politico
2/7/12

Cochran aide - Deficits to effect Farm bill

As hearings and discussions resume on crafting the 2012 farm bill, the threat of $30 billion to $35 billion being chopped out of agricultural programs hangs over the negotiations, says Carlisle Clarke, legislative assistant to Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Agriculture Committee.


“Last fall, in the debt ceiling discussions, each congressional committee was charged with offering up a package of cuts for programs under their jurisdiction,” he said at the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation’s annual commodity conference.

Southeast Farm Press
2/7/12

Surprise! Jim Hood declines comment to CNN on pardons

Hood's office said last week that if Ozment does not comply, a judge has the authority to hold him in contempt.

But CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin had a different opinion on the case as a civil -- not criminal -- matter at this point.

"He (Ozment) probably safely could ignore that piece of paper," Toobin said last week on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."

But if the attorney general succeeds in having the pardons declared invalid, "his (Ozment's) pardon is no longer valid. Then, the attorney general can get an arrest warrant and -- if (the attorney general) can find him at that point -- bring him back."

Added Ozment's Wyoming attorney, "He hasn't even been required to file an answer in the civil case. There's no use in him being a spectator. It's just legal arguments."
"The question is if there is any jurisdiction for a court to review a pardon in the first place," Moxley told CNN.

A spokesman for the attorney general told CNN that Hood would not have any comment on the case until after the Thursday hearing.

CNN
1/7/12

Judge Temporarily Blocks Mississippi Execution


A federal judge has temporarily blocked the execution of a Mississippi inmate who killed two men during a robbery in 1995.

Edwin Hart Turner was scheduled to die Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Monday halted the execution.


AP
2/6/12

New legislators expect busy session

With one month behind them, Madison County's newest legislators are easing in to their duties and preparing for this part-time job at the Capitol to become a lot busier until May.

"Until we get bills coming through committees, we've basically been going through the motions," said Sen. Josh Harkins of Brandon, who represents part of Madison County and Rankin County.

Harkins and Sen. Will Longwitz, both elected in November, are the newcomers to Madison County's delegation in the 2012 Legislature, and both say the first month of their 48 months of public service turned out to be everything they expected and more.

"I am pleasantly surprised every day I get to go back down there. It's such a privilege," said Longwitz, a Madison County resident, who also represents a portion of Hinds County.

Madison County Herald
1/7/12

No Real Challenges for Mississippi Members

Congressional redistricting isn't a glamorous job for any state Legislature, but for the past two decades, it hasn't been a job at all for state Senators and Representatives in Mississippi. In 2002 and late last year, a federal court redrew the state's Congressional boundaries to adjust for shifts in population after the Legislature deadlocked. This cycle's redraw did little to change the political bent of any of the Magnolia State's four districts, and no incumbent faces a real challenge to re-election. The filing deadline was Jan. 13, so the field in all the races is set.

"All four incumbents in Mississippi are safe," said a Republican strategist familiar with the state. "There's going to be some [changes] that will have a bearing on a small level, subdistrict level. But when you step away and look at it — Palazzo, Harper, Nunnelee, Thompson — all safe."

Roll Call
2/7/12

Lt. Gov. Reeves noncommittal on call for local school districts to tap reserves

It's too early to decide whether local school districts should be required to tap into their financial reserves if there's a dip in state education funding for the coming budget year, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday.

When Gov. Phil Bryant, a fellow Republican, unveiled his budget last week, he recommended that the 152 local districts should use $73 million, collectively, from their rainy day funds. That would cover a proposed reduction in state funding for the year that begins July 1.

Reeves said he wants to wait a few weeks to see how state tax collections are looking. That might allow legislators to increase the estimate of how much money the state can spend on education and other services in the coming year.

AP
1/6/12

Mississippi's only Democratic Congressman has once again made headlines, and as is becoming the norm, not for a good reason.

Congressman Bennie Thompson (MS-2) spouted classic liberal rhetoric to a friendly labor union crowd at the 2012 Communications Workers of America Legislative-Political Conference.

Thompson called FoxNews and his "opponents" (i.e. Republicans) "the enemy" and "terrible people," among other things.

See for yourself:



Thompson, like other Mississippi Democrats, is searching for relevance in a state and nation that is seeing a much more conservative focus given the challenges of the day imposed by the policies of their own liberal party.

That's why when they are in front of a friendly audience, these Democrats let their ideological hair down. They pander for the applause. They need it so they can attempt to justify their own actions, saying they are for the working man and demonizing the right for having and achieving more.

Trouble is, that while unions once served a need in our society, now they reward and in face promote mediocrity. Unions encourage bigger government and deride capitalism.

So the more these liberals speak, especially to these unions, the more solidified and impassioned conservatives become, and voters are taking notice.

Most Mississippi Democrats have always distanced themselves from their national liberal counterparts. However, Thompson is really one of the top two or three most powerful Democrat elected officials in Mississippi, and no one in the Democratic heirarchy EVER speaks out about Thompson when he goes on rants like this. It proves our point that there functionally is no difference between a "Mississippi Democrat" and a "Washington Liberal" - the two are one in the same.

The Mississippi Republican Party has hired Brett Kittredge as its new Communications Director

“A big part of my focus as Chairman is to make sure we have a constant stream of communications to our membership, the media and the public about our principles and policies for Mississippi,” said Joe Nosef, Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. “That’s why I’m excited to have Brett on board with the Mississippi Republican Party. He brings a wealth of political knowledge, excellent writing skills and communications abilities that will be a strong asset to our party moving forward.”

Governor Phil Bryant stated, “I’m confident Brett will do a great job helping our Party actively communicate the message about our values and priorities, now and for the future. Brett will continue to add new energy and expertise to the Mississippi Republican Party, and I’m pleased he is on board.”
In his role as Communications Director, Kittredge will be responsible for the day-to-day communications and press relations duties. His role will include working to communicate with media all across the state as well as Republican Party officials and activists to make sure they are informed about current and upcoming issues involving the party.

“This is a great time to be involved with the Mississippi Republican Party, and I am honored and thankful to Chairman Nosef for this opportunity,” Kittredge remarked. “I look forward to working with Republicans across the state in spreading the conservative message and continuing to grow the party.”
Kittredge holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Mississippi and a Master’s Degree from Abilene Christian University. Since graduation, he has worked in the private sector in Jackson and Atlanta.

MS GOP Press Release
2/6/12

Governor Haley Barbour
Remarks to Celebrate President Ronald Reagan’s 101st Birthday
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library
February 6, 2012

Thank you. It is a high honor for me to be asked to speak at the celebration of President
Reagan’s one hundred and first birthday, and I want to thank Mrs. Reagan and The Ronald
Reagan Library for inviting me.

As RNC Chairman in 1994 I was delighted President Reagan allowed me to organize an eightythird
birthday dinner for a couple of thousand of his closest friends in Washington. It was a big
GOP Gala, featuring Lady Margaret Thatcher and launching the 1994 campaign that led to the
greatest mid-term majority sweep of the twentieth century.

As always, the President was spectacular, and it turned out to be his last public event in
Washington.

That November he wrote me a very generous note about the ’94 victory, and according to
Annelise and Marty Anderson’s book, Reagan: A Life in Letters, that note was the last personal
letter President Reagan ever wrote anyone.

So, this opportunity is not only heady stuff for a boy from Yazoo City, Mississippi, it is a unique
chance for me, his one-time White House Political Director, to put the 2012 presidential election
in the context of Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party.

Of course a hundred and one years ago, Ronald Reagan was born into a Democratic family, and
he remained a Democrat for decades.

But the Republican Party of 1911 was in what would become a familiar state: a divided party,
with two wings.

The next year Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat and one of only three men elected and re-elected
president without ever receiving a majority of the popular vote, won the White House because of
the split. He got to run against two Republican presidents: Theodore Roosevelt and William
Howard Taft, so great was the rift in our party.

For nearly seventy more years the Republicans were basically divided. Dewey vs. Robert Taft;
Rockefeller vs. Goldwater; even Ford vs. Reagan.

But after 1980 Ronald Reagan put a stop to that; he melded the GOP into one broad mainstream.
It was, and is, the conservative party of the United States, while the Democrats are the liberal
party.

He didn’t unite our party by pushing pastels, or trying to find the lowest common denominator.
Reagan never had his finger up in the wind, trying to figure out what to be for.

He flew under bold, bright colors, and everybody knew where he stood.

He stood for individual freedom and personal responsibility; for smaller, limited government,
with lower taxes and less spending, with rational regulation. He was a free trader and an
internationalist, who realized that the path to peace was through strength.

Certainly he was the most conservative president of my lifetime; and the most successful.
In the 2012 campaign every candidate has invoked Reagan and compared him or herself to
Reagan. I don’t blame them a bit.

But let me make sure one thing about Reagan’s Republican Party is clear: Reagan did not
demand or expect everyone to agree with him on every issue. He wasn’t a purist.

Indeed one of my favorite Reaganisms is, “Remember, a fellow who agrees with you eighty
percent of the time is your friend and ally, he is not some twenty percent traitor.”

President Reagan had an incredibly loyal following and one reason for this was that he
recognized and tolerated the fact that his supporters didn’t agree with him on everything. They
knew where he stood, understood their differences on this issue or that, but they supported him.

In 2012 some candidates are vying to be the most conservative candidate, and some voters are
seeking purity in their choice.

In politics, purity is a dead dog loser. You need unity, and purity is the enemy of unity.
In a party that will receive some seventy million votes in the November election, it’s silly to
think that everybody will agree on everything. My wife and I don’t agree on everything.

Reagan not only knew all his supporters wouldn’t agree with him on every issue, he also knew
he had to compromise in order to achieve his policy goals.

After all, Reagan had a Democratic majority in the House every day he was president. While
there were still quite a few conservative House Democrats back then, the President had to
compromise to get big things passed, and did he ever get them passed: the Reagan economic
plan; Social Security Reform; Immigration Reform; the 1986 Tax Reform; to name a few.

These were big and hard to get enacted. But Reagan knew he had a Democratic House, and he
had the skills and the commitment to negotiate the deals and pass the laws that helped end the
malaise that had led to the worst recession since the Depression. His work made it Morning in
America again. Indeed these policies led to the greatest explosion of economic growth and
expanding prosperity in the history of the world.

For President Reagan politics was an aspiration, not a destination. He saw – and strove to reach
that Shining City on the Hill, but he never imagined he’d get there in one fell swoop.
Instead, he moved us toward that ideal place and the principles it represented. Moving us is what
motivated him. Despite his career as an actor, it was not the role to which Reagan aspired, but
our achieving the goals.

He set the highest goals, but accepted progress toward those goals, one or a few steps at a time.
Ronald Reagan had an ideology, a strong philosophy with matching principles; but he was not an
ideologue. He didn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

We admire him today not only for his vision but for his accomplishments. They resulted from
his ability to accept imperfect improvement on the road to something even better.

President Reagan brought us together because he pushed us in the right direction. Results
oriented, he left us a legacy of principled pragmatism.

That gave us a united Republican Party.

It also gave American presidents a model of leadership that is sorely missing today: a
determination to work effectively with Congress, while being tolerant of those in either party
who had different views from his own.

To be a good Republican you didn’t and don’t have to agree with President Reagan or anybody
else on everything. Yes, we’re the conservative party of the United States, but we are a big
broad party with a wide mainstream. It’s a party that in Reagan’s day received sixty percent of
the popular vote for president and carried every state but one.

Reagan’s vision and the results it produced meant sixty percent of American voters voted for
him; and we must always run our party so that the sixty or so percent of voters, who are willing
to vote for our candidate for president or governor, feel comfortable and welcome in the GOP,
not that they will agree on every issue.

Both our eventual nominee and our supporters know the stakes of this year’s presidential
election. Whoever we nominate will not be perfect.

But whoever wins our nomination will, along with President Obama, present America with two
dramatically different visions of our nation and of the principles and policies needed for our
future. Those two visions will be farther apart than any competing visions in our lifetime; and
possibly ever.

The Obama Administration program was the biggest lurch to the left in our history. More
spending, more borrowing, more taxing, more government control over the economy and our
lives. And with miserable results.

And that is what the 2012 election must be about: Obama’s policies and the terrible results
caused by those policies.

Compare for a moment the record of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid program with that of Ronald
Reagan’s program, each having come into office facing enormous problems, economic and
otherwise.

While the Obama campaign and its allies in the news media are hailing the “great”
unemployment figures, this recovery is anemic, especially compared to the Reagan expansion of
1983 forward.

In fact, as Phil Gramm recently noted in the Wall Street Journal, Reagan’s policies ignited a
recovery so powerful that if it were repeated today, per capita GDP would be $5,694 higher than
it is with Obama’s slow growth policies. That would equal $22,776 more for a family of four.

And instead of millions having dropped out of the workforce, some 16.9 million more Americans
would have a job if the Reagan growth rate replaced the tepid outcomes under Obama. What
kind of recovery is it when 1.2 million Americans became so discouraged that they quit looking
for work last month alone? In January five times more people quit looking for work than got a
job!

Unlike Reagan, Obama can’t run on his record. If this election is about Obama’s policies and the
awful results those policies have produced, he’ll be back in Chicago next year, organizing
communities.

But we Republicans have to make the campaign a referendum on Obama’s record, and not get
hung up on purity from our nominee.

In 1980, I’m told President Carter’s political aides celebrated Reagan’s nomination, considering
him the easiest Republican for Carter to beat. They thought moderate Republicans and
Independents would abandon him; find him too conservative.

Of course, those moderates and Independents plus a lot of Democrats - who came to be known
as Reagan Democrats - made 1980 a referendum on Carter’s record; asking themselves, “Am I
better off today than I was four years ago?” And Ronald Reagan became the fortieth president in
a rout.

Our job is to set purity aside, and I think a lot of our fellow conservatives are coming to the
conclusion that the stakes are too high to pursue perfection.

More than anything else, people ask me, “Who has the best chance to beat Obama? That’s who I
want to be for.”

I remind them of Bill Buckley’s old adage, “Our duty is to be for the most conservative
candidate who can win in November.” And remember, whoever we nominate will be far, far
better than Obama.

Let me close by saying that Ronald Reagan’s Republican Party must have a place for every voter
who knows Barack Obama shouldn’t be president – and that’s a majority of Americans; and our
mission is to make them feel welcome and needed as part of our effort: as voters, volunteers, or
donors... and hopefully all three.

Our campaign must make this election a referendum on Obama’s counterproductive policies and
his record of failure.

Our attitude must be one of unity, because Americans are right to say they are concerned, for the
first time in their lives, that their children and grandchildren will not inherit the same country
they inherited.

The stakes of the election are that high, and if we practice what Ronald Reagan taught us, we
will win a great victory in November.

Thank you for this honor. I hope I have done the President’s legacy justice.

Exerts from Mississippi Press Opinion:

Two of Jackson County's state senators - Tony Smith of District 47 and Michael Watson of District 51, both Republicans - have co-authored Senate Bill 2190, an act that would require all Mississippi school district boards of trustees to be elected and all school superintendents to be appointed by those boards...

...After all, allowing the public the right to elect these officials would both hold the board members responsible for their decisions and require the members to listen intently to the public. Removing the buffer of appointment only encourages accountability to the taxpayers...

...There is really no upside for a council to appoint school board members; the process only insulates the school board from the public.

It is true that electing school board members could increase the political nature of that board, but it also places such wrangling in its appropriate place instead of passing it through to those who should be apolitical, such as superintendents and other staff within a school district.

The politics of our democratic republic is not a bad thing if it gives the public access to a governing body, especially one that is spending your tax dollars and affecting the lives of your children and grandchildren.

Under this bill -- SB 2190 -- all school districts would be required to hold board of trustees elections coinciding with municipal elections, meaning that when you vote to elect the City Council, you would also vote to elect school board members. The school board's length of term would also be reduced from five years to four years, bringing it in line with municipal officials...

...The ultimate goal for any school board is to successfully educate our youth, making them productive and contributing members of society. Giving the taxpayers the opportunity to elect the trustees would make the processes and policies used to achieve this goal more transparent while increasing accountability and dialogue...

Gulflive.com / Mississippi Press
Pascagoula City Councilman Frank Corder
2/6/12
Link:
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-opinion/2012/02/bill_that_allows_citizens_to_elect_school_board_members_is_overdue_letter.html

New rules, drug tests proposed for public aid in Miss.

People who receive public assistance would be subject to random testing for drugs or nicotine and would have to perform community service under new requirements being considered by Mississippi lawmakers.

Officials say some ideas are already being carried out, while others could be blocked by federal regulations.

One bill would require people on public assistance to do 20 hours a week of community service.

AP
1/4/12

Tupelo gives Nunnelee biggest financial boost

U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., who is the incumbent candidate in 1st District congressional race, earned more than half of his most recent campaign contributions from within the state.

According to his campaign finance report for the fourth quarter of 2011, Mississippians gave him $110,000 of the $191,960 he had earned during that period.

Most came from individuals, but he also raised some from companies and political action committees.

Daily Journal
1/3/12

Medicaid reform is truly an urgent need

ELLISVILLE — Medicaid and Medicare are very different programs. Generally speaking, Medicare is designed to help with long-term care for the elderly, while Medicaid is a "needs-based" program which covers healthcare costs for the poor.

Unlike Medicare, which is available to everyone, Medicaid is subject to strict eligibility requirements. Nevertheless, one of the more expensive yearly budget items is the appropriation required to operate Mississippi’s Medicaid program, and its financial condition is expected to worsen in the near future.

With more than 36,000 new eligible enrollees, it is anticipated that the program's expenses will increase by 16 percent in the upcoming year. In FY 2013, Medicaid will serve the healthcare needs of 655,774 Mississippians and demand an appropriation of at least $763 million.

Leader Call
Sen. Chris McDaniel
1/4/12

Cantor: Palazzo is a ‘true patriot’

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was on hand Saturday night to help U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo kick off his first re-election campaign at the Gulfport Yacht Club.

“The country rose up in 2010 and said we need a new generation of leaders, rose up and elected 89 new Republican members of Congress,” Cantor, R-Va., told the crowd of Palazzo supporters. “The

Mississippi Gulf Coast has a real leader among that 89 in Steven Palazzo … . This is a guy who is a true patriot. He is a great American and he is in his heart a great Mississippian.

“You can really tell he loves this state. When he’s in committee, in the Armed Services Committee or the science committee or on the floor of the House, when other members of Congress hear or see Steven Palazzo get up to talk, they listen.”

Sun Herald
1/4/12

Would tax hike on millionaires help Miss.?

Here in the nation's poorest state, the potential impact of President Barack Obama's Buffett Rule might seem comparable to that of a pigeon alighting on the state Capitol.

In his Jan. 24 State of the Union address, Obama made a case for enforcing a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on anyone making more than $1 million, noting even billionaire Warren Buffett says it's unfair his rate is lower than his secretary's.

But even in Mississippi, which has perhaps the nation's shallowest millionaire pool, the consequences of such a tax could be profound - profoundly bad or beneficial, depending on your view.

"In Mississippi, we need to be hoping they can find some millionaires they can tax a little higher," said Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government.

Clarion Ledger
1/4/12

Editorials Bryant and Reeves both take hard look at the bottom line


Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves each unveiled documents last week that provide notable insight into where they would lead Mississippi during the next four years.

At 22 pages, Bryant’s “Executive Budget Recommendation” to the Legislature is more than twice the size of fellow Republican Reeves’ eight-page “Opportunity Mississippi,” as he titled his legislative agenda.

Bryant’s proposal goes much deeper into detail than Reeves, but both make it clear that state government must be made to live within its means.

Bryant: “As a true fiscal conservative, I am committed to doing more with less and will make necessary cuts before raising taxes.”

Reeves: “State agencies must be prepared to provide quality services with less money.”

Sun Herald
1/4/12

Numbers show the true state priorities

As the new Republican majority claimed victory by passing the Children's Protection Act with ease in the House, it's clear that even more fundamental - and more politically difficult -challenges loom down the public policy road.

The numbers make it plain that improving public education, accelerating economic development and implementing wise management of the state's responsibilities for health care and other assistance to the poor are the issues in which voters are looking to the GOP for success where Democrats often failed. As it was for Democrats, those tasks will prove a vexing riddle.

...

Sid Salter
1/3/12

Bryant: Cut the budgets, sell the jet

When proposing his $5.5 billion state budget last week that includes 5.5 percent cuts for most agencies, Gov. Phil Bryant said he’d start with his own budget, cutting his office by 6.5 percent and selling the state’s Cessna Citation jet.

The jet, bought during Gov. Haley Barbour’s administration, has been a source of political debate for years. Barbour was asked if his extensive use of the jet included political trips for the national Republican Party or his erstwhile presidential aspirations. Democratic lawmakers attempted to sell it a couple of times.

Bryant said he was not trying to make a political statement, but he can do without the jet. He said he can get by using the state’s Beechcraft King Air turboprop plane, flying commercial or hitching a ride on business-owned jets. He said the state stands to get about $2 million for the sale, and save more than $500,000 a year in expenses.

Sun Herald
1/4/12

Rep. Kevin McGee told to repay the state $346K

Rankin County lawmaker in his second term in office has been ordered to repay the state $346,554 from public printing contracts that went to his family business and pay a $50,000 fine for the dealings.

Rep. Kevin McGee, a Republican from Brandon, owns Service Printers of Flowood, along with family members.

After receiving a complaint from an anonymous source, the state Ethics Commission ruled there is "clear and convincing evidence" that 258 contracts between state agencies and Service Printers violated state ethics laws.

Clarion Ledger
1/3/12

Natchez leaders head to D.C.

Two Natchez officials will head to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with legislative representatives in hopes of keeping several projects in Natchez at the forefront of the delegation’s minds.

Natchez City Engineer David Gardner and Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Jenkins will meet with Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Gregg Harper this week to update the leaders on the progress of various projects happening in the city.

Gardner said his main objective for the trip is to lobby for funds to complete the four-laning of the portion of U.S. 84 known as the El C

Natchez Democrat
1/6/12

Analysis: Lawmakers in hurry-up and fete

Mississippi lawmakers are off to a leisurely start for the 2012 session, to the frustration of many members -- especially freshmen who came to Jackson with big ideas to change the world.

The pace could pick up soon because the bill-filing deadline is Feb. 20 and committees are organized to work.

Legislators usually meet four months during the first year of a term, from early January to early May. That's the case this year because leaders never entertained a proposal to shorten the time at the Capitol.

For the final three years, each session is scheduled for three months, from early January to early April.

AP
1/5/12

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal ran a great story in yesterday’s paper about Brad Morris officially announcing his candidacy this weekend in the 1st Congressional District of Mississippi. Brad held stops on Saturday in Dorsey, the community where he grew up, and Oxford, where he now resides.

Read the Full Story: Daily Journal - Morris announces campaign for Congress (YP note - Who wrote this story? The byline is missing.)

Here are a few excerpts of Brad talking about his upbringing and some of the reasons that he is running for Congress:

Speaking at Dorsey Trading Post, a hardware store in the small rural community of Dorsey where he grew up, Morris emphasized his working-class roots. Morris was adopted and raised by his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, a Baptist minister, worked in a pallet factory in Fulton during the week and preached at small churches on the weekends. His grandmother was a seamstress in local garment factories.

- - -

“Dorsey is an appropriate place to start my campaign, because it puts us close to the people and places that gave me my start and helped shape my views about the struggles of working families, about what’s important for strong communities, and about what really matters in life.”

- - -

“I am absolutely convinced that our economy will not fully get back on track until our middle class gets back on track,” Morris said. “I believe the way to do both is with a serious, balanced approach to our national debt, an economic agenda focused on opportunities that help grow the middle class, and political reform to stop the corrupting influence of big money on Congress.”

We are getting a great response to Brad’s candidacy. If you have not already done so, we invite you to visit the campaign website and follow us on Facebook.

Thank you,

David McDowell
Campaign Director
Brad Morris for Congress

Cantor, Palazzo talk hard issues, feel the love in Gulfport

Congressman Steven Palazzo kicked off his reelection campaign in earnest Saturday night with a reception at Gulfport Yacht Club that welcomed special guest Majority Leader Congressman Eric Cantor, who represents Virginia's 7th District.

Cantor had never visited south Mississippi before, and Palazzo, who hails from Gulfport, held receptions for him at outstanding restaurants old and new - including the post-Katrina gem The Half Shell downtown and pre-K institution Vrazel's on the beach.

But seafood was hardly the main focus of the receptions, according to Palazzo spokesman Hunter Lipscomb. During the events, he said, "local leaders had the opportunity to discuss with Cantor the importance of addressing insurance issues to fully rebuild the coast, passing the Restore Act to fully recover from the Deepwater Horizon spill, and protecting our shipbuilding, military, and industrial bases."

Mississippi Press
2/6/12

Cochran and Wicker vote to preserve future earmark power

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

Bill Minor attacks Gunn's committee appointments, says legislature more partisan

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

Bryant aims to stretch Medicaid by payment changes

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

House passes protection act for children

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

Diamondhead to celebrate incorporation

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

PSC issuing rural water subpoenas

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

DeSoto County makes ozone case in Washington next week

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

To view the petition, click here.



WMC
2/1/12

This past weekend in Oakland, the "occupy" folks - you know, the "99%ers" - had themselves just a regular ole American get together.

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.

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.

Today, Open Secrets had an article listing him as one of the top fundraisers in the 4th quarter for Romney's campaign. A lot of that haul came from a big fundraising event that Austin spearheaded in Jackson, which is not exactly the hotbed of Presidential political finance - even in an election year.

Then Austin actually got two mentions in the New York Times this week. First, he was mentioned again in the fundraising context. And last Friday, he actually got a quote on behalf of the Romney campaign after Romney's debate win over Gingrich in Florida.

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.”

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

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

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.

Clarion Ledger - Bryant's budget won't fly

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

Reeves backs charter schools

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

Governor will head effort to harvest offshore energy

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

Education plan outlined

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

Charter schools gain traction