Showing posts with label Phil Bryant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Bryant. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant Signs 'Religious Freedom' Bill Into Law


  • "This bill merely reinforces the rights which currently exist to the exercise of religious freedom as stated in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," the Republican governor wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account.
    The measure allows churches, religious charities and privately held businesses to decline services to people whose lifestyles violate their religious beliefs. Individual government employees may also opt out, although the measure says governments must still provide services.
    "This bill does not limit any constitutionally protected rights or actions of any citizen of this state under federal or state laws," Bryant said. "It does not attempt to challenge federal laws, even those which are in conflict with the Mississippi Constitution, as the Legislature recognizes the prominence of federal law in such limited circumstances." [Fox News]

  • The SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission published an article April 1 titled “Will Mississippi Lead the Way?” The article, co-authored by ERLC research assistant Josh Wester and director of policy studies Andrew Walker, urged Gov. Phil Bryant to sign the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act” passed last week in the state legislature.
    The bill, introduced by House Speaker Philip Gunn, a Baptist layman who serves on the board of trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, would allow business and government workers to deny services based on religious beliefs. Americans United for Separation of Church and State labeled it “dangerous” and some legal scholars say it is unconstitutional.
    The ERLC article called HB 1523 “an exemplary model for public policy.”
    “While state governments in New Mexico, Oregon and Colorado have recently weakened religious liberty in these states, the Mississippi legislature has courageously acted to preserve rights of conscience for all Mississippians,”  Wester and Walker wrote. “This bill strikes an important balance that recognizes the new realities created by the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision — legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide — while offering reasonable accommodations for citizens whose sincerely held moral and religious beliefs remain opposed to such practices.”

NPR: Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has signed a controversial "religious freedom" bill into law.
The law, HB 1523, promises that the state government will not punish people who refuse to provide services to people because of a religious opposition to same-sex marriage, extramarital sex or transgender people.
Supporters say it protects the rights of people who are opposed to homosexuality but who now live in a country where same-sex marriage is a legal right.
Opponents say the bill amounts to a state sanction for open discrimination.

The law's language also suggests protections for those who deny services based on an opposition to premarital sex; but similarly, it was already legal in Mississippi to deny an unmarried couple housing because of a moral objection.
Paul Boger of Mississippi Public Broadcasting reports that Republican state Rep. Andy Gipson of Braxton, who introduced the bill, says the measure has been misrepresented.
"It specifically says that is a case where a person has a religious conviction, they can decline, but they must provide somebody in their office to provide that service," Gipson says.



CNN: The ACLU of Mississippi promptly responded, tweeting that Bryant "just made discrimination a part of state law."
"Welcome to Mississippi, the hospitality state that says you're okay only if you're straight and married!" read another tweet, incorporating the hashtag "#ShameOnPhil."

Friday, April 1, 2016

Will Hollywood Keeps It's Nose Out of Mississippi's Business?

In light of the passing of the Religious Freedom Bill (Yet to be signed by Gov Bryant), there's reasons why they may not since they don't have much of a hold on Mississippi anyway. Does that mean they won't become elitist busy-bodies? Probably not. When it comes to elitist arrogance they are generally swift to get involved in things that aren't any of their business. I suspect there will be Hollywood people saying the state should be boycotted even if they had no plans to do anything here anyway. Hollywood extortion should be ignored anyway. When states give in to their bloviating nonsense about a state they probably never went to in their life, giving into them only increases their arrogance.


A couple observations from a couple sources:

  • The Wrap: No major studio has come forward to specifically denounce the Mississippi bill or to call for a veto from Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican. Reps for Warner Bros., Sony Pictures and Universal, members of the Motion Picture Association of America, cited a standing commitment through that office to target discrimination nationwide. “The MPAA and its member companies oppose any law that legitimizes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression,” said Vans Stevenson, MPAA Senior Vice President of State Government Affairs. Paramount, Fox, Universal and The Weinstein Company did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment, nor did the Mississippi Film Office. -

  •  New York Magazine: Unlike Georgia (or the more proximate Louisiana), Mississippi has not gone completely hog-wild for film and TV subsidies. Yes, it has a subsidy program, but one with outlays (per project and overall) that are limited by law. So its lawmakers are less subject to pressure from Hollywood moguls who threaten not to rip off its taxpayers anymore if the state champions discrimination.   Of perhaps even greater importance given the sports-mad nature of the Deep South, Mississippi is not going to be hosting any Super Bowls or any college-football national championships (or NCAA basketball Final Fours) in the near future. It also differs from Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina in having no college-football bowl games being played within its boundaries.
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MEME REPORT:
MR SMALL HANDS

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Mississippi Senate Approves NRA-Backed Permitless Carry Expansion

Despite months of misleading attacks by New York gun control advocate and billionaire Michael Bloomberg and his anti-gun state groups, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, the Mississippi Senate overwhelmingly approved NRA-backed House Bill 786 today by a 36-14 vote.   


House Bill 786 accomplishes the following:
  • Expands current permitless carry options to include belt and shoulder holsters.  (Legislation passed in 2015 authorized Mississippians who are eligible to possess a firearm under state and federal law to carry a pistol or revolver without a license in purses, handbags, satchels, other similar bags or briefcases or fully enclosed cases)
  • Allows church authorities to develop security programs that designate enhanced carry permit holders or those with military or law enforcement backgrounds to protect places of worship and receive the benefits of existing protections under the state’s “Castle Doctrine” law
  • Prohibits state or local enforcement of federal executive orders or agency regulations not approved by Congress which conflict with the Constitution of the United States or the Mississippi Constitution
If the House concurs with the Senate amendments to HB 786 and Governor Phil Bryant (R) signs the bill, as expected, Mississippi will become the ninth state to widely recognize a law-abiding adult’s ability to carry a concealed pistol or revolver for personal protection without government-mandated permitting or fees.  The measure would take effect upon the governor’s signature. 
SOURCE: NRA

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Mississippi News Notes: Week Ending Mar 12, 2015

Both of these bills are now dead:

House Bill 738 would have required Attorney General Jim Hood to get approval from an oversight commission before starting cases that would seek more than $250,000 in damages and legal fees. The bill previously passed by a margin of one vote but was held for more debate.
House Bill 1386 would have set aside more than $50 million for road and bridge improvements. The money would have come from a settlement with British Petroleum for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The bill passed by a margin of 81 votes but was held as lawmakers debated where in the state to focus the repairs.

The Governor of Mississippi announced he is supporting Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.

This endorsement comes on the day Cruz visited the Magnolia state before Mississippi’s primaries.
Cruz made a stop at Berry’s Seafood in Florence, MS Monday afternoon. Cruz was scheduled to speak in the Pine Belt on Monday but canceled that appearance Sunday because of an illness.

Gov. Phil Bryant has ordered for flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Reagan died Sunday at the age of 94 from congestive heart failure at her Los Angeles home. Former President Ronald Reagan died on June 5, 2004.
The executive order on the flags was issued Monday.
He said the First Lady was known for her elegance and her “Just Say No” to drugs campaign.
Bryant asked for all U.S. flags and state flags to be flown at half-staff on all buildings belonging to the State of Mississippi and other areas under its jurisdiction. The flags should be lowered immediately and will remain that way until Sunset on the day she is laid to rest. http://wjtv.com/2016/03/07/gov-brya...

The Mississippi Department of Education has awarded a $1.2 million grant for math teachers in public schools.

The grant has been given to the University of Mississippi Center for Mathematics and Science Education. It will fund a development initiative that will help 120 math teachers across the state over the next three years.
The initiative is called Creating Continuity and Connections across Content of C4 Project. The goal is to improve students achievement in math from kindergarten to eighth grade

Jackson County supervisors on Monday afternoon voted to keep flying the state flag on county property and at county buildings.

The vote was 4-1.In a resolution, they referred to a previous statewide vote 2001 to keep the flag and said that until the state addresses the issue, the county will continue to fly the flag.
Board President Melton Harris, who is black, strongly opposed the vote. The others, who are white, Barry Cumbest, Troy Ross, Ken Taylor and Randy Bosarge voted for it. Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/news/local...

Pearl River County: Where Do My taxes Go:





Melanie Sojourner:

Republicans in MS Congressional District 3...
We've all been so focused on the presidential race we haven't discussed the House races.
Harper has one of the worst conservative scores of all House Republicans. He has not been fighting for us.
He'll win by a landslide today because, everyone knows he's name and no one has discussed his record. It's time we do so! He is a part of the DC problem! https://www.facebook.com/sojournerf...

 

 

Last week the Mississippi House passed a bill that would allow any licensed U.S. physician who has examined a child to grant a medical exemption from the vaccines required for school and licensed day cares.

To stay alive, the bill must pass out of Senate health committee by March 22 and be considered by the full Senate by March 30.
Current law requires exemptions to be submitted by Mississippi-licensed pediatricians, family physicians and internists, who have examined the child, and approved by the health department’s district health officers, who are licensed physicians. The health department has said it is willing to work with out-of-state physicians.
Mary Jo Perry, co-director of Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights, said that the state’s laws are out of step with practices in the rest of the country and add unnecessary hurdles for parents and physicians. http://djournal.com/news/docs-vacci...

The latest fascination by the Tupelo City council with the possibility of a downtown entertainment district would likely stir relatively little concern or controversy did it not include legal strolling around with alcoholic beverages in certain areas.

Tupelo, in various guises, has flirted with that idea for many years, but has never fully embraced the concept.
A bill in the Mississippi Legislature, if approved by the Senate and signed by Gov. Phil Bryant, would allow Tupelo to have an entertainment district.
The bill passed the state House last week, and it must pass the Senate in identical form before it goes to the governor for his signature.
If approved, the designation of a leisure and entertainment district would allow customers to walk out of establishments with alcoholic beverages. It also could foster the sale of liquor and mixed drinks at festivals. http://djournal.com/opinion/our-opi...

Crews are working across the city of Jackson, making repairs on streets that have been backlogged since 2007.





The utility cut repairs are part of the Operation Orange Cone initiative that addresses problem areas on roads in the city.
“This is Jackson’s 1 percent dollars at work,” said Mayor Tony T. Yarber. “In coming weeks, Jackson citizens will see the City break ground on a number of projects included in the City’s infrastructure improvement plan.”
Operation Orange Cone was launched in 2015 as part of the Yarber Administration’s push to address the condition of the city’s streets and eliminate the presence of orange cones throughout the city where potholes exist.
While this initiative was first discussed in relation to the 1% Sales Tax program, it is part of the City’s Bold New Infrastructure Improvement Program. http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/3141...

The Department of the Navy and Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, broke ground March 2 on a large-scale solar facility at Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport.

The facility will have roughly 13,000 panels, providing enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 450 homes. To be installed on 23 acres of base land, the facility will generate up to four megawatts of direct current power once operational. Mississippi Power estimates grid connection by the end of 2016. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display....

Mississippi

MS01: Incumbent freshman Republican Congressman Trent Kelly defeated challenger Paul Clever 89-11. Kelly will meet Democrat Jacob Owens in the general election.
MS02: Neither party's candidate was opposed. Incumbent Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson will face Republican John Bouie in the general election.
MS03: Incumbent Republican Congressman Gregg Harper defeated challenger Jimmy Giles. Democrat Dennis Quinn defeated Nathan Stewart 66-34. Unofficial results show Harper, who was first elected, with a wide lead over Giles (89-11), a beekeeper. Giles is also a white supremacist and supporter of Donald Trump. Both men are Pearl residents. In November, Harper will face the winner of a Democratic primary Tuesday between Dennis C. Quinn and Nathan Stewart, as well as Reform Party member Lajena Sheets. http://www.wapt.com/politics/gregg-...
MS04: Neither party's candidate was opposed. Incumbent Republican Congressman Steven Palazzo will face Democrat Mark Gladney in the general election.

A South Carolina lawmaker, who should stay out of Mississippi’s business, is joining other black leaders in calling for Mississippi to change the last state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem.

Democratic Rep. Justin Bamberg spoke Tuesday to more than 200 people at a change-the-flag rally outside the Mississippi Capitol — an event organized by attorneys suing Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant in federal court. The suit asks a federal judge to declare the flag an unconstitutional vestige of slavery.
"If your governor needs to see an example of what it means to lead as governor, maybe he should look at South Carolina's very own Republican governor, Nikki Haley," said Justin Bamberg, who is from the same hometown as Haley. http://www.gulflive.com/news/index....

A bill that would cut state revenues by $575 million over the next 15 years is on its way to the House.

S.B. 2858, otherwise known as the Taxpayer Pay Raise Act of 2016, eliminates the corporate franchise tax, reforms the state’s self-employment tax and creates a five percent flat individual income tax.
The bill is aimed at cutting the state taxes by about 575 million dollars over the next 15 years and was passed by the Senate by a vote of 38 to 10, yesterday.
Republican Senator Joey Fillingane of Sumrall is the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. He says cutting the taxes would allow for greater state revenue growth in the form of sales taxes. http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news...

The Mississippi state flag no longer flies at the Oregon Capitol.

The flag was removed from the Capitol's Walk of Flags display, which included all 50 states and the flags of Oregon's nine federally recognized Native American tribes.
The presiding officers in the Oregon House and Oregon Senate sent a letter to their counterparts in Mississippi to notify them of the action this week. http://www.wlox.com/story/31442495/...

Local legislators are working on bills that focus on the area they represent and are facing a legislative deadline in April.

Both Sen. Sally Doty and Rep. Becky Currie have bills and efforts concerning the new baseball complex in Lincoln County. The deadline for local and private bills that are not revenue bills in the Mississippi Legislature is April 15. Sen. Sally Doty said local and private bills have extended deadlines to allow action to be taken throughout the session. Generally, Doty said, these types of bills are handled in the last week or two of session. Doty said she is working on bills to do with tax credits affecting historic efforts downtown, King’s Daughters Medical Center and the new baseball complex.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Mississippi News Notes: Week Ending 03.05.16

The Mississippi Senate passed Senate Bill 2306 which reinforces that local police officers follow federal immigration laws.

It passed 33-14 Thursday and will now be considered in the House.
The bill requires officers to contact federal agencies if they believe someone who is committing a crime or has committed one is an illegal immigrant. They are allowed to make these arrests only if they have probably cause and immediately transfer them to federal custody. See more at: http://www.newsms.fm/senate-passes-...

An attorney is making additional arguments in a federal lawsuit that seeks to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi flag.

In papers filed Thursday, Carlos Moore says the emblem violates the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery. He says the emblem used by some Confederate troops during the Civil War is a “vestige” of slavery.
Moore filed his lawsuit against Republican Gov. Phil Bryant on Monday, saying the flag violates equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. http://msbusiness.com/2016/03/updat...

The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority has hired Phelps Dunbar lawyer Fred Banks Jr. to handle litigation that could arise over a possible state takeover of governance of Jackson’s airports, state Sen. John Horhn says.

Neither Banks nor the Airport Authority would confirm the hiring. Horhn said the Airport Authority has retained the former Mississippi Supreme Court justice specifically to challenge a state takeover. “The airport has already enlisted” his services, Horhn said a day after the state Senate voted 29-18 to hand policy-making control of Jackson Medgar-Wiley Evers International Airport and Hawkins Field to a state-created governing board. Under the proposal, the governor would appoint nine representatives from the metro region, including two nominees from Jackson. http://msbusiness.com/2016/03/horhn...
 
 

Mississippi's attorney general says he will defend the Confederate-themed state flag against a lawsuit that seeks to remove the banner, even though he thinks the flag hurts the state and should change.

Democrat Jim Hood said Wednesday that his opinion about state laws won't prevent him from fulfilling his oath to defend them. Carlos Moore, an attorney from Grenada, Mississippi, filed a federal lawsuit Monday that says the Confederate X on the flag puts him and other African-Americans in danger. He cited the slayings of black worshipers at a church in South Carolina last summer. The white suspect in that case had previously posed for photos with a rebel flag. http://www.wlox.com/story/31371458/...

Biloxi Sun Herald editorial Board says: One more time! BP money is for the Mississippi Coast

We knew this was coming. And the unwarranted raid on money from the BP settlement has begun. The House passed by a wide margin a plan to spend $50 million of the BP money to repay bonds on statewide projects such as the repair of the state's highways and bridges.
That's a terrible idea.
Just ask Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who opposes the bill and has the power to kill it in the Senate. We suggest he kill it three times, then bury it just to be sure.

Sixty-one percent of Mississippi’s Republican voters want the state’s flag left alone, an automated telephone poll of 995 “likely” GOP voters shows.

The poll conducted Monday by Magellan Strategies BR for the right-leaning political website Y’allPolitics said 609 of respondents oppose removing the Confederate battle flag from the state’s flag design. Another 198 survey respondents wanted a new design.
White voters made up a huge number of the GOP voters polled. The poll included 909 people identified as white and 51 black, five Hispanic and 19 “other” racial origins. http://msbusiness.com/2016/03/poll-...
 
 

The bills in state Senate passed Wednesday includes:

  • Senate Bill 2495 that combines districts of Montgomery County, which has 273 students; Carroll County, which has 1,035 students; and Winona, which has 1,123 students.
  • Senate Bill 2497 that consolidates Houston School District, which has 1,781 students, and Okolona Separate School District, which has 690 students, into the Chickasaw County School District, which has 512 students.
  • Senate Bill 2500 that dissolves Lumberton Public School District, which has 585 students, and merges it with neighboring Poplarville and Lamar County districts, which have 1,927 and 9,996 students, respectively.

A group of bills that would consolidate nine school districts in Mississippi is one step closer to passing, and one of those would impact the Lumberton School District. “The Mississippi Senate consolidated the administration of nine school districts, allowing the newly formed entities to eliminate duplicate services and direct more tax dollars into the classroom,” Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday in a press release.

The bill is now headed to the House for consideration. http://www.wdam.com/story/31369646/...


The Mississippi House has voted to consolidate the Holmes County and Durant school districts. Representatives passed House Bill 926 on Tuesday.

The bill passed 75-46 mostly along party lines, with Republicans in support and Democrats in opposition.
It was held for the possibility of more debate before it can go to the Senate. http://www.wapt.com/news/central-mi...

Rep. Steven Palazzo was one of nine Republicans who voted Tuesday against naming a post office after the late author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

“He just felt that it was too controversial,” said Jill Duckworth, a spokeswoman for Palazzo.
The House voted 371-9 to pass the measure naming a post office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the “Maya Angelou Memorial Post Office.” One lawmaker voted “present.”
Angelou, who died in 2014, is best known for her debut memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” She also was a singer, actress and poet. Angelou was invited to read a poem at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, and she was awarded the 2010 Medal of Freedom by President Obama. She also is one of the few African-American women to be commemorated on a stamp.
Palazzo said some GOP colleagues had expressed concerns about Angelou’s support of Cuban President Fidel Castro, according to Duckworth. She noted that the House also voted 381-0 to name a post office in Camp Pendleton, California, the “Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office.” http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/...

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Gov. Phil Bryant's State of the State address [Full Text]

"Thank you, Mr. Lt. Governor. As always, I appreciate your presiding over this, our fifth State of the State together. I am confident this term of office will be as productive as our first one. This state would not have enjoyed the success I have been able to report these past four years without the leadership of you and Speaker Gunn. No governor has had the benefit of any better partners along the path to Mississippi’s future. I earnestly and sincerely thank you both and your honorable membership.

Each year I have noted the most energetic applause has been reserved for the First Lady. Personally, observing her hard work and dedication to the people we all represent, I can understand that reaction. I need only now thank my First Lady for 39 years and Mississippi’s First Lady, Deborah Bryant.

I appreciate all the statewide and district elected officials here tonight. I am grateful to have the members of the Mississippi Supreme Court and Mississippi Court of Appeals here with us. I have had the rare privilege of appointing such fine jurists as Judge Dawn Beam and Judge James Maxwell to the Supreme Court. I have appointed esteemed Harvard Law graduate Jack Wilson and former U.S. Attorney Jim Greenlee to the Court of Appeals. Tonight, we are all honored by the Courts’ presence.

Let me say congratulations to all of the members here tonight, particularly those who will be selected as committee chairmen. I can assure you the leadership weighs every appointment with extreme deliberation and attention. I am certain you will do no less in the consideration of your important duties as committee chairmen.

Twenty-five years ago, I took the oath of office as a member of the House of Representatives. It has been a wonderful journey. But all along the way, I have remembered the pride and excitement I felt upon becoming a representative in this body and a humbled public servant. My goal then, as it is today, was to do the most good. I believe we’ve all had help accomplishing our goals in our personal and professional life. I am confident God continues to rule over the affairs of man, and I believe he has blessed Mississippi’s leadership and its people.

We now face a new year where I am able to inform the people and the duly elected members of the House and Senate, the state of the state in Mississippi is sound, disrupted only occasionally by challenges of our own making. Allow me to expand on this statement.

Fiscal year 2016 revenue projections were somewhat optimistic. At the end of last year’s session the revenue estimating committee projected a growth of 2.2 percent or about $124 million increase over FY 2015. As was prudent, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee re-adjusted the revenue after collections failed to meet projections.

In November, the 2016 revenue estimate was reduced by $65 million, necessitating future budget cuts. In order to balance the state budget, I instructed DFA to transfer $35 million from the Rainy Day Fund to the General Fund and instituted cuts to many agencies of 1.5 percent. A number of critical agencies and some that already have deficits were excluded from the cuts. This included public safety and veterans affairs. The Mississippi Adequate Education Program and student financial aid were also exempted.

Fortunately, our savings account, or Rainy Day Fund, is available for such projected shortfalls. If revenue continues to be under projections, I will transfer additional funds and make similar cuts to state agencies. This is the governor’s statutory responsibility, and I will not hesitate to carry out this duty.

If I could add here a reminder that the Executive Budget Recommendation for FY 2016 was $68 million less in spending than was appropriated. The EBR, as we call it in the governor’s office, is that document we may start labeling, “Please read before discarding.” For your convenience a copy of the Executive Budget Recommendation for FY 2017 has been placed on your desks.

As you will see our projections keep most agency budgets level-funded for FY 2017. It is an easy guide for balancing the state budget without spending one-time money for recurring expenses, and it restores the balance of the Rainy Day Fund to its statutory limit. It is full of tough decisions and sound business practices, and it will not make everyone happy. However, it may help prevent cuts in agencies next year by being fiscally conservative this year. I feel certain that is your desire as well.

Interestingly enough, the slowing revenue growth is curious to most of us, including our state economist. The shortfall seems to be the result of a reduction in sales and use tax collections. As expected, oil and gas severance tax was under the prior year. However, individual income tax has increased by $17.6 million over last year, reflecting the growth in jobs. It appears taxpayers simply remain hesitant to spend on consumer goods in this fragile economy. Some portion of the decline in sales tax can also be attributed to online purchases where the state receives little income. This decline in sales is clearly understandable with the stock market dropping and the petroleum industry in a freefall.

Mississippi is part of a global economy and not protected from its instability. There are simply some conditions well beyond our control here in the Capitol. So, let us concentrate on the improvements we can and should make here in Mississippi, beginning with some good news.

As you know, this year $150 million will be received from the Restore Act settlement for appropriations by the Legislature. I have previously announced some $54 million in economic restoration projects on the Gulf Coast and over $200 million on environmental restoration and conservation projects. Beginning in 2019, $40 million a year will be forwarded to the Legislature from the settlement until 2033.

This revenue will add $600 million to Mississippi’s coffers during those fifteen years. I will obviously defer the decision regarding the appropriation of these funds to the Legislature. However, I do feel strongly about the restoration of the Gulf Coast. After all, it was the Gulf Coast that felt the impact of the largest environmental disaster in this nation’s history only five years after suffering our nation’s worst natural disaster.

My work to bring these funds totaling over $2 billion to the state is all but completed. I can assure you, this effort could not have been possible without the help of our congressional delegation, particularly Cong. Steven Palazzo, and your state leadership, including Attorney General Jim Hood.
It is also the hard work of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and Executive Director Gary Rikard, who helped shepherd this complex system to a beneficial conclusion. They should be commended for a job well done.

Unlike many of our neighboring states, who have had financial and budget challenges, we do not have a large deficit but rather a savings of nearly $400 million. As stated earlier, our income could be better, and reductions in some budgets were necessary to meet the revised income for FY 2016, but these are expected budget adjustments when the economy slows and revenues decline.

It is also a result of a 30 percent cumulative growth in budget expenditures in the past five years. Our General Fund budget grew from $4.4 billion in FY 2011 to $5.7 billion in FY 2016, a five-year increase of more than $1 billion.

These increases have included $400 million more spending on K-12 education and overall increases in education to include a $100 million teacher pay raise.
In the last four years, nearly every agency has seen more revenues and more spending on government services. In fact, the State Personnel Board estimates that over 11,000 state employees have received raises in the past four years. This does not include K-12, community colleges or our universities. Perhaps, after reviewing state spending since 2011, it is time to slow down the growth of government and give some relief to hardworking taxpayers.

I am certain we will have a robust debate this session regarding tax reductions. As for me, I believe we must work toward a plan where the hardworking blue collar families of Mississippi get a tax dividend. It may not be this year, but when we are having surpluses and a full savings account, let’s pledge to give the people back a portion of their hardearned tax dollars.

More Mississippians are working than any time since November of 2008. Over 40,000 more people have jobs and more than ever have begun to search for work. When companies begin to hire and plants open, as they have in Mississippi, people come off the sideline to try and find a career. This adds to the demand for more jobs. Tonight, according to the Mississippi Works App, there are over 40,000 career openings available across this state, while over 12,000 individuals are receiving unemployment benefits, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

House 79 Representative to be chosen by drawing the big straw

  Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and Governor Phil Bryant will hold a meeting on Friday, November 20, at 1:30 p.m., at the Walter Sillers State Office Building on High Street in Jackson. The purpose of the meeting is to determine, by lot, fairly and publicly drawn, the election of Representative for House District 79. The election will be determined by the choosing of a box by each candidate, Dem. Bo Eaton and Rep. Mark Tullos, from inside a bag. Eaton will choose first by virtue of his placement on the ballot. The candidate who chooses the box containing a long green straw will be declared the winner of the House District 79 race.
SOURCE: Jasper County News

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MEME REPORT: 
THE POWER OF THE MEDIA

Monday, November 16, 2015

Gov Phil Bryant Executive Order to lower state flags in honor of Paris victims through Nov 19

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Gov Phil Bryant says No Putting Syrian refugees in Mississippi

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant added his name to the list of governors vowing to block any Syrian refugees from settling in their states.

"I'm currently working with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Mississippi Office of Homeland Security to determine the current status of any Syrian refugees that may be brought to our state in the near future," Bryant said in a statement. "I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi. The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous. I'll be notifying President Obama of my decision today to resist this potential action."
SOURCE: Sun Herald 


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MEME REPORT:
NO COMMENT NECESSARY

Monday, November 2, 2015

Freedom From Religion Foundation #FFRF Submits Official Whine to Collins, Mississippi

Because "whine" is what the FFRF does. 


A complaint has been filed against the city of Collins calling for the city to remove its religious displays from the city park.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a non-profit educational organization and member of Atheist Alliance International, filed a complaint stating that the city's decorations were unconstitutional, and "tremendously unwelcoming to non-Christian citizens."
SOURCE: WLOX 

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MEME REPORT:
SHABBY ROAD, MISSISSIPPI

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Gov Phil Bryant Statement on SCOTUS Obamacare Ruling

"Make no mistake, Obamacare is not about helping those in need or improving health care delivery. It is about destabilizing our health care system, ceding more control to centralized government and replacing individual liberty with government dependence. It is incredibly troubling to me that a majority of United States Supreme Court justices including, again, the Chief Justice have found yet another way to uphold a portion of this disastrous law. Those who voted in the majority have set a dangerous precedent of blatantly disregarding the plain language of a bill as enacted by Congress."

“Mississippi was right, as were numerous other states, not to willingly entrench Obamacare by establishing a state-based exchange, and I will continue to resist any efforts that attempt to shove Obamacare deeper into this state.............Republicans know there is a better way, and I call on Mississippi's congressional delegation to immediately renew its efforts to repeal and replace this train wreck of a law.” Gov Phil Bryant 06.25.15

http://www.picayune.us/ms-phil-bryant.html

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Gov Phil Bryant says state Legislature should leave it alone: A vast majority of Mississippians voted to keep the state's flag

 Associated Press reports:

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant on Monday repeated his long-held position that the state should keep the flag as is.
"A vast majority of Mississippians voted to keep the state's flag, and I don't believe the Mississippi Legislature will act to supersede the will of the people on this issue," Bryant said in a statement.

 Mississippi voters decided by a 2-to-1 margin in 2001 to keep the state flag that has been used since 1894. It features the Confederate battle emblem -- a blue X with 13 stars, over a red field.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/23/6290656_what-would-jesus-do-jim-hood-agrees.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

http://www.picayune.us/ms-phil-bryant.html


Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/23/6290656_what-would-jesus-do-jim-hood-agrees.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Governor Candidate Vicki Slater Calls out Gov Phil Bryant for State Infrastructure Failure

JACKSON, MS – Today, Democratic candidate for governor Vicki Slater called out Governor Phil Bryant for failing to address Mississippi’s crumbling infrastructure. The state’s significant infrastructure issues impede Mississippians’ daily lives and are an obstacle to job growth. Mississippi’s damaged infrastructure costs motorists $908 million per year.
As of 2012, 25 percent of Mississippi’s roads are considered to be in poor condition and 50 percent of Mississippi’s bridges are considered to be deficient. In addition, Mississippi has only 51 percent of the necessary revenue available to maintain the road and bridge system.

Slater said investing in Mississippi’s infrastructure will be one of her top priorities as governor.
“It seems like you can’t drive a mile in Mississippi without hitting a pothole, driving across a rickety bridge or worse. Mississippians have even died because of these issues,” Slater said. “The problems with our infrastructure are incredibly serious, and it’s time to take a serious approach to solve them.
“Addressing Mississippi’s crumbling infrastructure will drive our economy forward and save lives. We will create good-paying jobs in the short-term, and companies will be more inclined to conduct business here with improved infrastructure across the state. We’ll also save Mississippians millions of dollars in repairs to their vehicles.
“As governor, I’ll prioritize major investment in our state’s infrastructure. It’s time to move Mississippi’s economy forward.”
#Outof50th #8: It seems like you can’t drive a mile in Mississippi without hitting a pothole, driving across a rickety...
Posted by Vicki Slater on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

http://www.picayune.us/ms-vicki-slater.html

Saturday, May 30, 2015

BB King Laid to rest in Indianola, Mississippi

Hundreds of people filled a church in the Mississippi Delta for the funeral of B.B. King, who rose from sharecropper in the area’s flat cotton fields to worldwide fame as a blues singer and guitarist who influenced generations of entertainers.
King was 89 when he died May 14 in Las Vegas. At his request, his body was returned to his native Mississippi for a final homecoming.

On the way into the church, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant recalled spending time with King in the bluesman's tour bus before a concert last year in Indianola. Bryant said King was proud of being from Mississippi. Noting the thousands of people who came to Indianola for the public viewing Friday and funeral Saturday, Bryant said: "He would have loved to know that one more time he's helping the Mississippi Delta."[NBC News]


Amid rain, about 500 people filled the sanctuary of Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church, a red brick structure that sits in a field off of B.B. King Road in Indianola. More than 200 people who couldn't get into the sanctuary watched a live broadcast of the funeral in the church's fellowship hall, many waving hand-held fans with a black-and-white photo of a smiling King hugging his black electric guitar, Lucille.
At the beginning of the service, family members filed past King's open casket, which had an image of Lucille embroidered on the padded white cloth inside the lid. Later, the casket was closed and covered with a large arrangement of red roses.[Yahoo News]


The service was held at Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church, which is just off B.B. King Road. According to The Chicago Tribune, around 500 people were in the church for the service. Among them was his longtime personal assistant Myron Johnson, who told stories of his first meetings with King—when the musician told him he could call him whatever he wanted, so long as he didn’t call him “Pops”—to his last evening with the legend.
Barack Obama’s letter, calling King an inspiration to all up-and-coming artists, was read aloud by Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson. “There’s going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight,” the president wrote. Thompson also read a letter from Bill Clinton, who presented King with his Kennedy Center honor in 1995.
The Rev. Herron Wilson, who delivered the eulogy, said King proved that people can triumph over difficult circumstances.
"Hands that once picked cotton would someday pick guitar strings on a national and international stage. Amazing," Wilson said.
Country singer Marty Stuart said King created a musical legacy for the home state they share.
"As a fellow Mississippian, I'm so proud to stand in his shadow as I walk across the world," Stuart said. [AP]

Monday, May 25, 2015

Eichelberger: Gov. Phil Bryant has an "overly-simplistic view of the world"

 From the Cottonmouth Blog posted by Matt Eichelberger:

  • It takes a lot to get me blogging nowadays, but this did it. Last weekend, in the wake of the horrific and terrifying deaths of two Hattiesburg Police Department officers, Gov. Phil Bryant decided to weigh in on how society should view law enforcement officers. The entire op-ed is an embarrassment to our state for many reasons, but a major failing is in Gov. Bryant's overly-simplistic view of the world. To him, it's all Saturday morning spaghetti westerns, where the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad. Life simply doesn't afford anyone who's lived it the possibility to maintain such an illusion, unfortunately. And to be clear, Gov. Bryant doesn't believe that either. How could he in the wake of his appointees repeatedly heading off to the federal penitentiary? He's just writing that way because he thinks you think like that.  More HERE

http://www.picayune.us/ms-matt-eichelberger.html

Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Mississippi NAACP is outraged at Gov. Phil Bryant

because of  Bryant's recent Op/Ed posted in the Clarion Ledger. Mississippi's State NAACP president Derrick Johnson stated that in an Op/Ed response to Bryant's article also at the CL.

Johnson claims Bryant is wrong on all his points and that the battle is against "poverty."
  • The Mississippi branch NAACP hopes Bryant will come to understand the real battle lines are not between an overblown “criminal class” and police, but between poverty and the rest of us.
Whereas Bryant said :
  •  It is becoming apparent that a deadly conflict now exists between the criminal class and law enforcement across America. Make no mistake, this is not a racial conflict or a new civil rights movement by a group of Americans segregated and abused. This is an attack on law enforcement — a profession which includes the necessary burden to interact with violent and drug induced behavior by the criminal class.

The good news about both arguments is that neither made it into a long argument over race. Johnson even mentioned:
  • The governor refuses to acknowledge the economic desperation that was the basis of much of the social unrest of the ’60s and ’70s, as impoverished blacks and low-income whites struggled to obtain financial equality. 
Sure, neither see eye to eye......but race didn't become the issue. And I have to agree with the over all intent of both articles, though maybe not all of the content used to reach the point. The police are being the focus of a lot of unnecessary scrutiny...though some complaints are relative. And poverty does play a part in much of the debates, though it is the one issue most usually overlooked. 

Baby steps. 

http://www.picayune.us/ms-derrick-johnson.html

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Phil Bryant Challenged to "Govern Mississippi without the distressing ignorance of his privilege"

In an Op/Ed posted at the Clarion Ledger, Oxford writer Sierra Mannie, wrote a rather scathing review of Gov Bryant's article (also in the CL) this week where he defended the work of police, in light of the events that have occurred in Baltimore, Ferguson and New York.

She summarized by saying:

  • I challenge Phil Bryant, instead of calling all Americans to stand blindly with law enforcement, to govern Mississippi without the distressing ignorance of his privilege and his a-historical mumblings that have characterized his leadership so far.

 One of several points Mannie makes is:

  •  What you fail to understand, Gov. Bryant, is there is no new civil rights movement because the old one never stopped. It is incomplete. Those same individuals segregated and abused from the cheap promise of Reconstruction still feel injustice through the abuse of their descendants, especially as it concerns the state that you govern. So to conflate the senseless killings of Officers Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate in Hattiesburg with the justified anguish of those who fight to bring order back to communities that power-hungry and trigger-happy police officers have tipped into chaos is an insult to their families, an insult to history, an insult to those who just simply know better.


I read Bryant's editorial, and though I looked for something that was real meaningful to takeaway from it, I was disappointed and just thought it was OK...but maybe something  a 7th grader could have written as an assignment.  And so, in my mind, it seemed he was trying to address an issue...but do it nicely. (He refrained from using the word "thug" which implies maybe a conscientious effort to be politically correct). The edge is lost however and the people who might align themselves with Bryant are by and large politically correcting themselves out of good solid arguments,. What that boils down to is that the progressive left, which I think Mannie would probably subscribe to, is winning the war on culture.

I do not agree with much of what Mannie wrote, but her anger and passion is clear..and she feared no one and, hence, did not mince words. Mannie is right when she says the old civil rights movement never stopped. It's still here, but it has morphed into a power play (though one could make an argument that that it what it has always been). Continued running when they become hyper and over critical over simple words and skirmish number one belongs to them 
http://www.picayune.us/ms-phil-bryant.html

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

If you want to win, Don't let Phil Bryant endorse you [Tate Reeves Warning Edition]

Gov Byrant endorse these candidates and they all lost: Dan Moreland, John McKay, Cheri Berry, Fred Pitts, and Mitt Romney. And in yesterdays election he endorsed Boyce Adams and Windy Swetman. They also both lost. The Mississippi Democrat Trust caught onto that trend.

Bryant endorsed Tate Reeves, so maybe good news for one of Reeves opponents? 

[H/T to Cottonmouth for tip off]

http://www.picayune.us/ms-phil-bryant.html

 

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Columnists Seem to Love to Paint Mississippi as Racist

David Dallas, political columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal, posted an article this week in regard to the events going on in Baltimore. For the most part I agreed but there were a couple comments he made about some comments that Gov Phil Bryant made which I take a bit of exception to. They are:

  • Thankfully here in Mississippi, according to former deputy sheriff and current Gov. Phil Bryant, we don’t have to worry about race conflicts and rioting. Bryant told WAPT’s Bert Case, “I think people in Mississippi trust their law enforcement, and I think they look to them for leadership, unlike they do in some other areas across the nation.” That’s right, Bryant slammed police departments all across America for their lack of leadership and trust.

I think this is where Dallas begins his premise which leads to his flawed conclusion. Bryant said "in some other areas across the nation." Bryant did not slam police "all across America." That's easily understood in the verbiage. 

  • The governor also said that he thinks, “our race relations (in Mississippi) are better than other communities around the nation.” Tell that to the family of James Craig Anderson and to the families of the children now imprisoned for his murder.

The murder of James Craig Anderson was in 2011. If Dallas has to go that far back to find an example, then it likely affirms Bryant's point. Bryant is not saying race relations are perfect, but I think "better than other communities around the nation" could be argued for legitimately.

I believe racism does exist, but not to the point of saying the entire state of Mississippi is racist. Mississippi's has a history....but people need to get over it and realize people moved on  while many columnists haven't.

http://www.picayune.us/ms-david-dallas.html


Monday, May 4, 2015

Chris Christie back in Mississippi? Careful Gov Bryant or You'll Blow Your "Conservative" Cover


On Tuesday,  Governor Phil Bryant and Governor Chris Christie will be at Primos Café in Flowood to meet supporters.
The event will begin at 1 pm and will last until 1:30 pm.


http://www.picayune.us/ms-phil-bryant.html
http://www.zoreks.com/po-chris-christie.html