Politics

Subscribe

House Bill Restricts Sales of Meth Ingredient

Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, used the memory of his brother, who died from a meth overdose, to beg the Mississippi House of Representatives to pass a bill that will require cold and allergy sufferers to have a doctor's prescription for medicine containing pseudoephedrine, an important component of illegal methamphetamine, aka meth.

Money and Marriage

The biggest fight in the Mississippi Legislature still centered on money in week 3 of the 2010 session. The House refused to consider a Senate bill giving Gov. Haley Barbour the power to selectively cut 10 percent of certain state agency budgets while sparing other agencies—namely the Department of Corrections. So Barbour responded with a more constitutional blanket cut.

Tease photo

Transcript of President Obama's State of the Union Address

This is the text released to media just before the speech began. Verbatim:

House May Tap $100 Million of Reserve Fund

The Mississippi House of Representatives is expected to vote today on a plan to use $100 million in reserve funds this year to shore up agency budgets that were slashed in Gov. Haley Barbour's most recent round of budget cuts. The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure yesterday afternoon in a brief meeting.

Barbour Vows More Cuts, Private Prisons

Unhappy that the Mississippi House of Representatives turned back his move for more budget power, Gov. Haley Barbour today promised to slash most of the state budgets more than 8 percent. The House refused to follow the Senate's lead and grant him power to discriminately cut 10 percent of the budget.

Rep. Adrienne Wooten

Rep. Adrienne Wooten, D-Jackson, is a woman of convictions, and she has no problem letting those convictions loose on the House floor. Wooten, 35, prevented the passage of a House bill yesterday that would allow persons convicted for the first time of illegal drug possession to petition the court to expunge their conviction from all public records.

Reservoir District Bill Back Door to Flood Control?

Control of the Ross Barnett Reservoir is at stake in a bill proposed this week by Sen. Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, that is raising questions over what it really aims to do -- and whether it could be a back-door way to help the Two Lakes river-development plan still see the light of day.

Compromise Sex-Ed Bill Moves Ahead

School districts would have to choose between implementing an abstinence-only or an abstinence-plus sex education curriculum by June 2011 under a bill the House Education Committee passed Wednesday.

Where's the Money

The state Legislature is still rumbling over money issues and executive power this week. The Senate passed Senate Bill 2495 last Wednesday, a bill that would grant Gov. Haley Barbour the selective power to cut the budget of some state departments up to 10 percent, without having to cut all departments by 10 percent.

Barbour Disavows House Effort to Limit His Power

Gov. Haley Barbour is speaking out against a bill the Mississippi House of Representatives passed yesterday, which exempts budgets of certain state agencies from reduction when state revenues fall below revenue estimates. HB 392 also restricts cuts to agencies beyond projected budget shortfalls.

Franks Responds to Barbour's State of the State

[verbatim] Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Franks today released the following response to Gov. Barbour¹s State of the State address:

State of the State Tonight

Gov. Haley Barbour will deliver the twice-delayed Mississippi State-of-the-State speech tonight at 6 p.m. The speech, postponed because of water issues in Jackson, will air live on Mississippi Public Broadcasting TV, radio and on the Internet.

Barbour Expands State of Emergency to 10 Counties

[verbatim statement] Governor Haley Barbour today expanded the State of Emergency include Carroll, Claiborne, Hinds, Lauderdale, Panola, Quitman, Tippah, Tunica, Warren and Wayne counties. The recent winter weather system has caused parts of the state to experience substantial damage to water and road systems and threatens the safety and well-being of the citizens and property throughout the State of Mississippi.

Mayor: Most Residents Have Water

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. reported at a late-afternoon press conference that the city's water supply is now up to a sufficient level to supply every resident with water.

Barbour Again Reschedules Speech

Gov. Haley Barbour has rescheduled the annual state-of-the-state speech, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 12, for Monday, Jan. 18. The governor postponed the speech last Monday for tonight due to the capital city's water situation, making this the second postponement. Mississippi Public Broadcasting will air the speech live on TV and radio.

Blogs

Video