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The Final Stretch: Budget Cuts, Tax Breaks and Bills Becoming Law

Late into Monday night, Mississippi lawmakers managed to pass a strained budget, a $415 million tax cut and $250 million in bonds before midnight to meet Monday's deadline for budget and revenue bills.

Running Out of Venues to Change the State Flag

From ballot initiatives to rallies, the Mississippi state flag has gained a lot of attention lately in-state and then nationally following the shootings in Charleston, S.C., a debate exacerbated by the revelation that Gov. Phil Bryant had declared April "Confederate Heritage Month" in the state, causing a national outcry.

Sine Death for Divorce, Campaign-finance Reform After Lawmakers Go Home Early

An abused Mississippi spouse still can't use domestic violence as grounds for divorce, and lawmakers can continue to spend campaign donations on mortgages, automobiles, clothing, tuition payments or non-documented loans after state lawmakers closed up shop early and skipped town this week.

Firing Squads Out, But ‘Spice’ Regs, Execution Secrecy, Planned Parenthood Limits Headed to Governor

The state’s one Planned Parenthood clinic will lose Medicaid reimbursements if Gov. Phil Bryant signs a bill headed to his desk.

State Treasurer Laments 'Missing $31 Million' in Coffers, Lt. Governor Says She's 'Wrong'

State Treasurer Lynn Fitch sent a letter to legislative leadership last Wednesday expressing concerns over the state's debt service, after the Legislature passed a bond bill in the final days of the session.

State Green Lights Uber, Overrides Local Control, Regulations

Uber has the green light to operate statewide, after a bill implementing statewide regulations soared through the Legislature this session largely uncontested.

The Curious Case of What the #MSLeg Passed, What It Didn’t

With their right to spend their campaign donations on mortgages, automobiles, clothing, tuition payments or non-documented loans still firmly in place, state lawmakers closed up shop early and skipped town last week.

Mississippi's Premature Birth Rate Leading to High Infant Mortality, State Offers Solutions

Working to reduce the state's high infant mortality rate without addressing premature birth rates is a bit like putting the cart before the horse.

Hundreds Rally to Repeal HB 1523, State Faces Deadline Today Before Lawsuit

Hundreds of protesters, from around Mississippi and even out of the state, marched alongside several state lawmakers from the Capitol to the governor's mansion on Sunday afternoon, waving flags and signs and chanting "No hate in our state!"

The Problems with a Supermajority

The 2016 session marked a turning point in the political landscape of the state. After a contested election resulted in the removal of former Rep. Bo Eaton, a Democrat from Smith County, the GOP gained a supermajority in the House of Representatives—and as a result the Legislature.

State's Foster Care System Awarded Surplus Funding; May Court Date Pushed Back

With surplus funding to comply with a 12-year-old lawsuit, the state's foster care system is on track to avoid federal receivership, and the state will not have to go to court on May 15, as originally planned.

ACLU Files First Lawsuit Against HB 1523: 'Separate But Unequal'

The ACLU has filed the first federal lawsuit contesting House Bill 1523. The lawsuit names the Mississippi State Registrar of Vital Records as the defendant because that state office would have to collect a list of clerks who are recusing themselves from issuing same-sex marriage licenses as allowed in House Bill 1523.

Due to HB 1523, Plaintiffs, Kaplan Seek to Reopen Same-Sex Marriage Lawsuit

The Campaign for Southern Equality and Roberta Kaplan, the New York-based attorney who won same-sex marriage and adoption cases in Mississippi, have filed a motion to reopen the Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant lawsuit, saying that House Bill 1523 violates the constitutional right that plaintiffs won in the case, allowing same-sex marriage couples the right to wed in the state.

Infant Mortality Prevention, Social Service Jobs on Budget Chop Block

Efforts to reduce the state's infant mortality rate—the highest in the country—will go on the chopping block if Gov. Phil Bryant signs the Legislature's version of the state budget into law, the state's top health officer told the Jackson Free Press last week.

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