Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.
YP – IHL Board prohibits COVID vaccine in public universities as condition of employment, student enrollment
Last week, the IHL Board went a step further and voted to prohibit colleges and universities from implementing a COVID vaccine mandate for employment or enrollment except for in clinical settings.
In August, trustees of the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) in Mississippi voted not to pass a vaccine mandate at that time for colleges and universities. Some of the trustees during the August meeting worried that with students being piled together at universities and not vaccinated, it would increase numbers as the school year continued.
“The vaccine is clearly the best protection against COVID-19 infections, transmissions, and has been medically reviewed and approved by our country’s leading scientific experts,” Dr. J. Walt Starr, president of the Board of Trustees of IHL had said. “However, the Board does not deem it prudent to require it as a condition of employment or enrollment, except at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and other clinical settings.”
Though the COVID-19 vaccine will not be mandated at Mississippi’s eight public universities, many institutions are offering incentives for their students and faculty to get the vaccine.
MSDH COVID-19 Reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 1,669 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 61 deaths, and 103 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. State #covid19 totals: 477,769 cases, 9,331 deaths, and 1,280,804 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPQkuS pic.twitter.com/oT1B5BcpAV
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) September 21, 2021
YP – David McRae Elected Vice President of National Association of State Treasurers
Mississippi Treasurer David McRae was yesterday sworn in as Vice President of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST). McRae is the 55th Treasurer of the State of Mississippi. In this role, he helps manage the state’s cash flow, oversees College Savings Mississippi, and has returned more than $30 million in unclaimed money to Mississippians.
“I am excited to bring Mississippi values, including fiscal accountability and personal responsibility, to the national stage,” said McRae. “Over the last two years, we have protected the state’s credit rating, stimulated the economy by returning $30 million of unclaimed money to citizens, and helped hundreds of families begin saving for college. I am honored that my peers have recognized these accomplishments as well, and I look forward to sharing Mississippi’s best practices with others.”
McRae will represent the Southern Region on NAST’s Executive Board. The region includes Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Virginia.
YP – Congressman Bennie Thompson says images of treatment of Haitians at border “horrific”
The White House confirmed on Monday that thousands of Haitian migrants crossing the Rio Grande river in Texas are being airlifted out of the country while border patrol agents on horseback are rounding up the undocumented immigrants and forcing them back across the border.
However, images of the handling of the border crisis has drawn criticism from Democrats, including House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.
Thompson called the images of the mounted border agents “horrific and disturbing.”
“This mistreatment runs counter to our American values and cannot be tolerated,” Thompson said, as reported by France24.
YP – Potential proposal in Congress could give IRS direct access to your personal banking information
YP – Hyde-Smith seeks commitment that Interior Dept. rules won’t make offshore energy production unfeasible’
ississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith seemed a commitment from the Biden administration, now under court order to allow offshore energy leasing, that they will not attempt to impose policies that make future leasing economically unfeasible.
“For offshore leasing, there is still more to be done in order to fully comply with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and to ensure the 5-year plan is completed before a quickly-approaching deadline,” Hyde-Smith said. “The Gulf of Mexico is vital to our nation’s energy security by providing approximately 20 percent of America’s oil and natural gas production.”
“Congress enacted the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act primarily to facilitate the federal government’s leasing of its offshore mineral resources and energy resources. In this law, Congress stated expressly that offshore resources ‘should be made available for expeditious and orderly development.’ Ms. Daniel-Davis, what assurances will you give us that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will not impose burdensome stipulations that make new leases economically unfeasible and therefore effectively unavailable for development, contrary to clear congressional intent?” Hyde-Smith asked.
WJTV – More than $1.1M in grants given to Mississippi nonprofits
ississippi nonprofit organizations focusing on education, the environment, and poverty will share more than $1.1 million in grants from Entergy Corporation and the Entergy Charitable Foundation. According to Entergy officials, the grants come from shareholder profits.
Contributions in Mississippi include:
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- Habitat for Humanity – $35,000
- Mississippi Coding Academies – $10,000
- Tougaloo College – $25,000
WLBT – 17 arrested in drug trafficking sting across Mississippi
ACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Law enforcement agencies made 17 arrests across several Mississippi counties in a long-term drug trafficking sting.
Officers with Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, United States Marshals Service, Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Department, Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department, Quitman County Sheriff’s Department, and Charleston Police Department assisted in the arrests.
In addition, they seized five pounds of methamphetamine and four ounces of cocaine.
