Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.
YP – Ag Commissioner Gipson tells Legislators he’s adamantly opposed to MDAC having a role in regulating medical marijuana
Commissioner Andy Gipson with the Department of Agriculture and Commerce sent the Mississippi Legislature a letter in which he emphasized how he is “adamantly opposed” to having any role in regulating medical marijuana.
“Not withstanding what you may have been told or what may be represented in the future, I want to know I remain adamantly opposed to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce having any role in regulating medical marijuana so long as marijuana remains a prohibited Schedule 1 Controlled Substance under State and/or Federal law,” Commissioner Gipson wrote in the letter.
Gipson stated that depending on the wording of the bill, the proposal would make him violate his oath of office and would also directly defy the votes of Mississippians who passed Initiative 65 which asks for no regulatory role for the agency.
YP – Mississippi featured in world’s only preeminent report on advancing startup ecosystems
The 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Report by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network was launched at London Tech Week.
The GSER is the world’s most comprehensive and widely read research on startups, with 280 entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems and 3 million startups analyzed. The GSER includes a ranking of the leading 140 ecosystems in the world, breakdowns by continent with regional insights and founder-focused articles from thought leaders and experts around the world.
YP – PEER releases a review of Pass-through funding in Mississippi State Agency Appropriation Bills for FY21 and FY22
In the Legislative Session of 2021, the Legislature passed SB 2824 which was done to monitor the expenditure of pass-through funding within state agencies for the FY2021 and FY2022 budgets.
In FY2021 the legislature appropriated a budget of $22.3 billion, and $23.3 billion in FY2022. Pass-through funding between the two years totaled at $6.5 billion, with $3.4 billion in FY2021 and $3.1 billion in FY2022.
Most interested was that PEER determined 99% of the pass-through funding would not be subject to the monitoring as outlined in SB 2824. Only about $20.6 million or 1% of pass-through funding would be monitored.
PEER noted that the lack of a single entity responsible for providing guidance to funding recipients and responsible for collecting and reporting expenditure information hinders oversight and transparency.
YP – National Guard soldiers and airmen head home after aiding in Ida relief for Louisiana
Next week roughly 250 members of the Mississippi National Guard will come home to Mississippi after aiding in clean-up and recovery efforts in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida.
The Mississippi Guardsmen joined up with the Louisiana National Guard and Louisiana Emergency Management Agency in order to provide emergency relief efforts that included removing debris, interagency communication, traffic control, security operations, aviation heavy-lift transportation and logistical distribution of vital supplies to citizens.
YP – Secretary of State Watson presents $11.2 million Tidelands Trust Funds check to DMR
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Michael Watson presented the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) with a check for $11,226,497 on behalf of the Gulf Coast legislative delegation. The check represents the Tidelands Trust Funds amounts collected during FY 2021 for use during FY 2022.
The Tidelands Trust Fund Program first started in 1994. Its mission is to carry out state policy by balancing the interests of upland private property owners and the general public over the use of public trust tidelands and submerged land of the State of Mississippi.
The program is funded from the lease of tidelands and submerged lands and administered by the Secretary of State’s Office and Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. The $11.2 million is the second-highest tidelands transfer since 1997.
MSDH COVID-19 Reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 1,557 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 22 deaths, and 103 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. State #covid19 totals: 479,326 cases, 9,353 deaths, and 1,283,888 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPQkuS pic.twitter.com/b5u1pfWVn0
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) September 22, 2021
YP – McRae joins other state leaders to fight potential IRS monitoring into personal bank accounts
Mississippi Treasurer David McRae joined 22 other state Treasurers, Auditors and financial officers to oppose the current proposal from the Biden administration that would allow the IRS to monitor American’s individual bank accounts when a transaction of more than $600 in deposited funds happens.
McRae remarked in his press release that if the proposal is enacted, the private banking activity of more than 100 million Americans could be subject to examination by the IRS. It is believed that the goal of allowing this invasion of privacy is to target individuals not paying their full income tax, in hopes to generate a large sum of money to cover the $3.5 trillion spending proposal being pushed by the administration.
YP – Chairman Thompson says Committee on Homeland Security remains committed to protect against threats 20 years after 9/11
This month Americans observed the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We will never forget the heroic first responders who ran into the Twin Towers to save others, the brave Flight 93 passengers who fought back against the hijackers, or the service members killed at their posts in the Pentagon. We remember all those who lost their lives or their loved ones on 9/11, and those who have suffered Ground Zero-related health effects in the days since.
Today, the Committee is meeting to examine “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland: 20 Years After 9/11.” It is the Committee’s longstanding practice to meet annually with national security leaders to discuss the global threat landscape and the U.S. response. This year especially, we reflect on the incredible transformation of our national security apparatus and expansion of the Homeland Security Enterprise over the last two decades.
YP – Auditor makes arrest in Forrest County
.@MSStateAuditor makes arrest in Forrest County.
Dendrick Hurd faces up to 20 years in prison or $5,000 in fines for each charge of embezzlement.https://t.co/GC4IFCEX0r
— Magnolia Tribune (@magnoliatribune) September 22, 2021
WLOX – Mississippi takes management of prison from private company
The Mississippi Department of Corrections is taking over operation of Marshall County Correctional Facility — a prison that has been privately run since it opened 25 years ago.
Management & Training Corp. is the private company most recently contracted to operate the 1,000-bed, medium-security prison.
Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain says the company was having trouble hiring and retaining employees because the prison is close to Memphis, Tennessee.
