YP Daily Roundup 4/14/21

Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.

YP – NCAA threatens to withhold events over transgender state laws. Some say to Hell with the NCAA.

The NCAA is back at it again attempting to dabble in state politics, threatening to withhold championship events from those states that do not comply with their left-leaning views.

The NCAA Board of Governors released a statement on Monday saying that they firmly and unequivocally support the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports, adding that this commitment is grounded in their values of inclusion and fair competition.

It is a direct swipe at states like Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas who have recently passed laws that would ban biological men from competing in women’s sports.  The Magnolia State passed the Mississippi Fairness Act during the 2021 legislative session and it was signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves.

YP – Fate of Medical Marijuana Initiative in Mississippi to be considered by state Supreme Court

On Wednesday, whether or not medial marijuana Initiative 65 was properly before voters in the November 2020 General Election will be argued before the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler is challenging the amount of signatures the Initiative received to be placed on the ballot. She has argued in filings that the initiative was put before voters unconstitutionally as it only required the set amount of signatures in a four congressional district make up, when Mississippi’s Constitution still operates on a five congressional district model.

Hawkins-Butler initially filed her challenge just days before the November election but the Mississippi Supreme Court did not act immediately, setting the April 14th hearing for oral arguments in January.

YP – Mississippi Hospital Association puts support behind ballot initiative to expand Medicaid

For years, lawmakers, healthcare providers, and a variety of interested parties have argued back and forth about whether or not to expand Medicaid. Mississippi currently spends over $900 million of its state budget on Medicaid expenditures.  Now, one group is taking it to the people in an attempt to see a ballot initiative move the measure forward.

Tim Moore, President of the Mississippi Hospital Association, said it is no secret that the group has attempted to expand Medicaid for the last 10 years. The Mississippi Cares program proposed in 2019 essentially fell on deaf ears in the Legislature.  He said expanding Medicaid now would provide healthcare to roughly 130% of the poverty level.

YP – MSDH pauses Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine administration in Mississippi

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) held a press briefing today announcing that they are asking all clinics in the state to pause distribution of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare clotting syndrome that could effect the brain. This news follows the recommendations coming from the CDC.

Six females in the U.S. between the age of 18 and 48 who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine experienced the clots between 6 and 13 days after receiving the shot. Of that group of six, there was one death. None of the 6 cases were in Mississippi.

Dr. Thomas Dobbs compared the side effects to what has been seen with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

MSDH daily COVID-19 reporting

Today MSDH is reporting 317 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 23 deaths, and 16 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The state's total of #covid19 cases is now 307,836, with 7,119 deaths. More on case details, vaccinations and prevention: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/Pi72MwRDy3

— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) April 13, 2021

WLOX – Court date set for mother and son allegedly involved in largest embezzlement scheme in state history