http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/ Yall Politics - The Definitive Guide to Politics in Mississippi en staff@yallpolitics.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-03T14:09:26+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/cochran_and_wicker_vote_to_preserve_future_earmark_powers/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/cochran_and_wicker_vote_to_preserve_future_earmark_powers/#When:13:09:26Z 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 2012 Election, Headlines, DC, ElectedOfficials 2012-02-03T13:09:26+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/bill_minor_attacks_gunns_committee_appointments_says_legislature_more_/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/bill_minor_attacks_gunns_committee_appointments_says_legislature_more_/#When:12:57:56Z 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 2011 Election, Headlines, ElectedOfficials, Legislature 2012-02-03T12:57:56+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/ap_-_gov._phil_bryant_aims_to_stretch_medicaid_by_payment_changes/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/ap_-_gov._phil_bryant_aims_to_stretch_medicaid_by_payment_changes/#When:12:52:13Z 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 2011 Election, Headlines, DC, ElectedOfficials, Legislature 2012-02-03T12:52:13+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/house_passes_protection_act_for_children/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/house_passes_protection_act_for_children/#When:12:49:58Z 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 Headlines, ElectedOfficials, Legislature 2012-02-03T12:49:58+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/diamondhead_to_celebrate_incorporation/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/diamondhead_to_celebrate_incorporation/#When:12:47:06Z 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 Headlines, ElectedOfficials, Legislature 2012-02-03T12:47:06+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/psc_issuing_rural_water_subpoenas/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/psc_issuing_rural_water_subpoenas/#When:12:44:26Z 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 Headlines, ElectedOfficials, Legislature 2012-02-03T12:44:26+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/desoto_county_makes_ozone_case_in_washington_next_week/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/desoto_county_makes_ozone_case_in_washington_next_week/#When:12:38:50Z 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 Headlines, DC, ElectedOfficials 2012-02-03T12:38:50+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/petition_to_oust_greg_davis_as_mayor_of_southaven_begins_to_circulate_onlin/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/petition_to_oust_greg_davis_as_mayor_of_southaven_begins_to_circulate_onlin/#When:21:25:34Z To view the petition, click here. WMC 2/1/12 Metro, 2011 Election, Headlines, ElectedOfficials, Scruggs Scandal 2012-02-02T21:25:34+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/yp_-_a_proud_member_of_the_1/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/yp_-_a_proud_member_of_the_1/#When:21:08:33Z 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. Headlines, Muscadines 2012-02-02T21:08:33+00:00 http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/yp_-_austin_barbours_name_is_being_mentioned_a_lot_in_the_mitt_romney_for_p/ http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/yp_-_austin_barbours_name_is_being_mentioned_a_lot_in_the_mitt_romney_for_p/#When:18:51:44Z 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.” 2012 Election, Headlines, DC, HaleyWatch 2012-02-02T18:51:44+00:00