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Gov. Bryant Has Signed HB1523 Into Law
Gov. Phil Bryant has signed House Bill 1523 into law. He made the announcement on Twitter this morning. His full statement is available on his Twitter feed and reproduced in full below: "I am signing HB 1523 into law to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions of individuals, …
AG Hood: HB 1523 'Will Not Protect' State Officials from Federal Lawsuits
Several organizations have issued statements responding to Gov. Phil Bryant signing House Bill 1523 into law. Mississippi law professors from both the University of Mississippi and Mississippi College law schools and legal scholars issued this memo, saying the bill violates the First Amendment. Vermont, New York, Seattle and Washington D.C. …
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson Asks U.S. AG Lynch to 'File Suit' Against Mississippi for HB1523
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, asking her to review the House Bill 1523, file a lawsuit against Mississippi and declare the bill unconstitutional, which Gov. Bryant signed into law on Tuesday. Below is the press release and the letter reproduced in …
5th Circuit Dismisses Google's Lawsuit Against AG Hood
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed the Google lawsuit against Attorney General Jim Hood. The 5th Circuit struck down a lower court's injunction that prevented Attorney General Jim Hood from enforcing the administrative subpoena or bringing any civil or criminal action against Google “for making accessible third-party …
Governor To Cut $25 Million from Agency Budgets
Most state agencies will have to take a $25 million budget cut spread across the board due to low revenue, a letter from Gov. Phil Bryant states. The budget cut will mean a .43% cut to most state agencies' budgets except Vocation and Technical Education, Student Financial Aid, Schools for …
Belinda Carlisle Will Perform in Mississippi, Despite HB1523
Solo artist Belinda Carlisle, the former lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, has decided to go ahead with her Mississippi concert as scheduled, despite having strong objections to House Bill 1523. On Tuesday, the singer posted an open letter to Gov. Phil Bryant on her Facebook page and GLAAD's website, saying …
Prominent LGBT Attorney Gives State May 2 Deadline Before Lawsuit: HB1523 Raises 'Serious Concerns'
New York-based attorney Roberta Kaplan, who litigated and won the case to end Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage, sent a letter to Mississippi leaders regarding House Bill 1523 on Monday, Slate reported, saying she and her legal team at Paul, Weiss LLC had "serious concerns" about the bill violating a …
Rep. Kimberly Campbell to Leave House of Representatives
Rep. Kimberly Campbell, D-Jackson, will leave the Mississippi House of Representatives by the end of May. She broke the news on her Facebook page last night, announcing that she had accepted the role of state director of AARP in Mississippi. Campbell represents District 72, which includes parts of northwest Jackson, …
No Confirmed Measles Cases in Mississippi; Health Dept. Takes Precautions
Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Health, with an update on the measles outbreak in Shelby County, Tennessee and Mississippians affected by the outbreak: The Mississippi Department of Health is monitoring four unimmunized Mississippi residents who were exposed to measles in Shelby County, Tennessee. The Shelby …
Gov. Bryant: 'I Will Support Donald Trump'
Gov. Phil Bryant released the following statement after Sen. Ted Cruz suspended his presidential campaign: "Tonight, Sen. Ted Cruz ended his hard-fought run for the Republican nomination for president. I congratulate him on his effort. I believe he is a true patriot and admire his stand. He will continue his …
Governor Signs Jackson Airport 'Takeover' Bill into Law
Gov. Phil Bryant has signed the Jackson airport 'takeover' bill into law. Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, announced the news on his Facebook page today, with a photo and a message that said: "Gov Phil Bryant just signed the airport bill, SB 2162. I believe that this will have a great …
Legislative Leadership: General Fund Revenues 'Overestimated by $56.8 Million'
Below is a verbatim press release from Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn: JACKSON – "Late last week, we were made aware of a staff error that led to expected general fund revenues to be overestimated by $56.8 million during the FY2017 budget negotiations,” said Lieutenant Governor …
Congressman Thompson Asks NCAA to Review House Bill 1523
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson wrote a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert, asking him to review House Bill 1523 and advise Thompson on the sanctions that the state’s NCAA member institutions may face as a result of the law. On April 27, the NCAA board adopted a new requirement for …
ACLU of Mississippi Responds to GOP House Reps Letter to Dr. Wright
The following is a statement from American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi Executive Director Jennifer Riley-Collins in response to the group of Mississippi House Republicans who have asked state Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright to step down if she follows the White House’s directive on protecting transgender students’ rights. Some Mississippi …
U.S. House Approves Bill With Amendment to Ban Confederate Flags at VA Cemeteries
Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Veteran's Affairs spending bill that had contains an amendment that will ban Veteran Affairs cemeteries from flying Confederate flags. The vote on U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman's (D-CA) amendment ignited debate yesterday in the House but passed this morning by a vote of …
Reeves Commends Bryant for Joining Transgender Bathroom Lawsuit
Below is a verbatim press release from Lt. Gov. Reeves supporting Gov. Phil Bryant's decision to join the lawsuit challenging Obama's transgender school bathrooms directive: "Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves today commended Gov. Phil Bryant for joining a lawsuit challenging the federal directive to open bathrooms in Mississippi schools to both …
Pastors, Community Advocates File Third Legal Challenge to HB1523
Mississippi pastors, community leaders and a Hattiesburg church have filed a federal lawsuit challenging House Bill 1523, the third legal challenge to the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act." The plaintiffs have sued the governor (who recently received a Religious Freedom Award), the attorney general, the executive director …
UPDATED: MDOC Will Close Walnut Grove Correctional Facility by September
The Mississippi Department of Corrections plans to close the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility by September due to "budget constraints and the prison population," a press release from MDOC says. “MDOC’s budget is lower than what we anticipated,” Commissioner Marshall Fisher said in a press release. “Pursuant to an intensive budget …
Third Lawsuit, Fourth Legal Challenge Filed Against HB1523
The Campaign for Southern Equality and Mississippi-native Rev. Susan Hrostowski filed a lawsuit against several state officials, saying that House Bill 1523 is unconstitutional, late last week. The lawsuit states that House Bill 1523 violates the first and fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution and asks the U.S. District Court …
Southern Baptist Convention: 'Discontinue the Display of the Confederate Battle Flag'
On Flag Day at its annual meeting, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution that calls on all Southern Baptist churches and 'brothers and sisters in Christ' to not display the Confederate battle flag. The convention passed a resolution that said, "we call our brothers and sisters in Christ to …