CLARION LEDGER – Bryant: No plans (yet) for special session for lottery, ed funding rewrite
There has been much buzz among lawmakers and politicos about the potential for a special session, on many topics including a lottery, a cigarette tax increase and changing the education funding formula.
But so far, Gov. Phil Bryant’s office has said there are no plans as yet for any special session.
MERIDIAN STAR – Rep. Greg Snowden: GUEST VIEW: Not so fast, my friend
My friend, Bill Crawford, wrote in this newspaper on Tuesday that “it’s pretty clear the Legislature has flubbed its responsibility to provide free and good public schools.” As College Gameday’s Lee Corso would say, “not so fast, my friend.”…
…Now THAT is a curious take. Bill has it exactly backward. Properly stated, what the 27 Percent Rule actually does is GUARANTEE that the state, not the locals, will bear 73% of required funding for education—a percentage that far exceeds the national average of 46.7%. You read that right – Mississippi provides a much higher percentage of state as compared to local dollars for schools than the majority of all other states. Far from pushing the costs of education down to localities, the Magnolia State assumes a greater state share of funding than most of its sisters. Fact, not opinion.
Fox News covers Sen. Wicker comments on chaplains
OPINION: @SenatorWicker: Should a ‘secular humanist’ serve as Navy chaplain? Absolutely not https://t.co/u8bFeL9txG
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 15, 2018
WTOK – Lawmakers reject new look at Mississippi agency’s relocation
Mississippi senators won’t reopen a search for a new headquarters location for the state Department of Public Safety.
Sen. David Blount, a Jackson Democrat, sought Tuesday to remove $7 million from House Bill 1650. It would borrow money for construction on state property near the state crime lab in Pearl. Blount says a new building may not be cost-effective.
The agency is now based in Jackson, and Blount and other Hinds County lawmakers resist moving it to the suburbs.
WJTV – Voters choose Shanks as new member of Mississippi House
Shanks, a former Brandon alderman, won 58 percent of nearly 2,000 votes, while Morrow, a Rankin County supervisor, won 42 percent.
Though Mississippi special election candidates forgo party labels, both Shanks and Morrow identify as Republicans.
State House officials say Shanks will be sworn in Monday, in time to serve the last two weeks of the 2018 session.
Gov. Bryant helps break ground on General Atomics expansion
We were very excited to break ground this morning on the 10th expansion in 13 years at General Atomics in Shannon. This is a testament to our skilled and dedicated workforce and will strengthen Mississippi’s standing as a global leader in the defense industry. pic.twitter.com/mDBtPgcAoc
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) March 14, 2018
DESOTO COUNTY TIMES – DeSoto lawmakers support strict abortion measure
Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, was the principal author of the bill. Additional authors of the measure in the House included Rep. Dan Eubanks, R-Walls; Rep. Robert Foster, R-Hernando; Rep. Ashley Henley, R-Southaven; and Rep. Steve Hopkins, R-Southaven.
Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Branch, also voted in favor of the bill when it was approved in the House on a 80-31 vote.
It passed in the Senate on a 35-14 vote but was held for more debate and sent back to the House before it would head to Bryant’s desk for his signature.
Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven; Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch; and Sen. Chris Massey, R-Nesbit, all supported the bill in the Senate.
The House then approved the Senate revisions on a 75-34 vote.
CLARION LEDGER – A dilemma for Mississippi lawmakers: High schoolers, and how to test
Miles indicated that he is willing to rally support to recommit the K-12 appropriations bill if the language concerning testing is not re-inserted in conference.
“If we’ve got 62 votes in the House, we can do anything,” he said. “Until we can come up with an alternative method, why are we continuing to punish the kids?”
There’s a question, however, of whether the support for removing punitive consequences tied to the state’s subject exams is strong enough to hold up a bill this late in the session.
VICKSBURG POST – Flaggs in D.C. to talk about new port
Mayor George Flaggs Jr. hopes a second March visit to Washington, D.C., provides another opportunity to seek federal funding for a new port for Vicksburg on the Mississippi River.
“I’m going to try to get in to make some contacts on lobbying for money for the port,” he said, adding he will attempt to meet with officials at the Department of Transportation, Congress and the Trump administration…
…Flaggs is in Washington this week attending the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference. He was in Washington last week as a member of a group of Warren County officials and business leaders visiting the state’s congressional delegation, and to also attend the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative Annual Capitol Conference.
Reactions to Chris McDaniel switching US Senate race
BREAKING: @PhilBryantMS says of @SenatorMcDaniel switch to run for @SenThadCochran open seat: “This opportunistic behavior is a sad commentary for a young man who once had great potential.”
Guess McDaniel won’t get gubernatorial appointment once Cochran retires. #mssen #msleg
— Jeff Amy (@jeffamy) March 14, 2018
It seems that @senatormcdaniel has now jumped out of one Senate race and into an open one.
And only a few hours ago I was thinking that nothing could cause me to consider running. #neversaynothing
— Andy Taggart (@Andy_Taggart) March 15, 2018
I see the McDaniel news in MS-SEN as a sort of first domino in a big line — the first of multiple things that would all have to go wrong for Rs for them to lose the seat
**If** all of them do, we’ll look back on this as the first step
More on this here: https://t.co/pmpN1tzEfv
— David Byler (@databyler) March 15, 2018
Major rewrite of the political campaign map yesterday as McDaniel moved from attacking Roger Wicker to possibly working alongside him as Cochran’s replacement. One way or the other, November gets more complicated for MSGOP. McDaniel appears on JT Show today!
— Paul Gallo (@paulgalloshow) March 15, 2018
Oh so NOW he wants to “unite the party”. Get out of here with that crap. #MSSen https://t.co/LQI76IWudg
— It’s me, Garrett (@GarrettMcInnis) March 14, 2018
Magnolia Tribune
